Press Releases
Circus Season Sparks Controversy in South Carolina Prompted by the 135th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Greenville
Greenville, SC — As the Ringling Bros. circus rolls into South Carolina, a national group is highlighting the real life behind the scenes for animals in the circus. Continuing its national campaign, the Animal Protection Institute wants local residents to be aware of the treatment of animals behind the big top, a life full of frightening, unnatural and painful experiences.
Lawmakers Act to Protect WA Public from Dangerous Wild Animals
Exotic "Pet" Hearings Scheduled in House and Senate
Olympia, WA — This week, Washington lawmakers will once again discuss protecting their constituents from dangerous wild animals following escapes of wild animals across the nation. Hearings have been scheduled in both the House and Senate on legislation that will prohibit future possession of large cats, wolves, bears, nonhuman primates, alligators, and other potentially dangerous wild animals kept as private “pets.”
Tucson Woman Refuses to Sign PETsMART Settlement Agreement and General Release to Silence Her Story
Sale of Sick Unweaned Bird Prompts a Call for Legislation to Change Arizona Pet Shop Laws
Tucson, AZ — When Patricia Glover refused to sign a disclosure statement absolving PETsMART of any acceptance of guilt or liability for the sale of a sick and injured parrot sold to her in their Tucson store, PETsMART took back its financial compensation offer.
National Bird Day, January 5, 2005
Animal Advocates Call on Legislators to Make 2005 “For the Birds”
Sacramento, CA — Today the Animal Protection Institute (API), in coordination with the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) and their supporters, celebrates “National Bird Day” by calling on legislators to consider legislation aimed at increasing protections for captive birds.
SJ City Council to Consider Reversing 15-Year Ban on Leghold Traps to Trap and Kill Coyotes
Evidence Points to Scare Tactics and Lack of Education/Prevention as Cause For Recent Problems at Villas of Almaden
San Jose, CA — The San Jose City Council will today revisit a request to trap and kill coyotes at the Villas of Almaden, a gated community within the city limits that just two years ago allowed coyotes to be killed on its private property. Today, Vice Mayor Dando, sponsor of the measure, is expected to again pursue a plan to allow the use of the controversial leghold trap, a device that has been banned in San Jose since 1989 and in more than 80 countries and eight states for humane reasons. An emergency measure to exempt the Villas from a city-wide ban on the use of leghold traps failed two weeks ago.
The National Wildlife Refuge System: A Betrayal of Trust
Probe Finds More Promote Hunting & Trapping than Wildlife Viewing
Sacramento, CA — October 10-16 has been officially designated as National Wildlife Refuge Week, but a review of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) data by the Animal Protection Institute (API) has found little reason to celebrate. A review of agency information has revealed that a majority of national wildlife refuges allow “sport” hunting and trapping and that more refuges offer programs for killing animals than for watching them! In September, President George W. Bush opened an additional 243,500 acres of public lands on 17 refuges to recreational killing of wildlife. In addition, on September 28 the FWS signed a four-year agreement with the Archery Trade Association, the Bowhunting Preservation Alliance, and Arrowsport to increase archery and bowhunting opportunities on National Wildlife Refuges.
Landmark Bill Protecting Baby Parrots Goes into Effect
Sacramento, CA — Precedent-setting legislation that protects young parrots in the state will go into effect on September 1, 2004. The Animal Protection Institute (API), a Sacramento-based national animal advocacy organization, sponsored Assembly Bill 202, introduced by Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett, to protect young parrots in the pet trade. The new law requires that parrots be weaned (able to eat on their own) before release from a pet store, swap meet, or other retail outlet, and that pet shops must have at least one employee trained in the care and feeding of young birds. California is first state in the nation to regulate the sale of unweaned birds.
North Carolina County Bans “Pet” Exotic Animals
Animal Protection Institute Lauds Action as Important Safety Measure, Model for Nation
Sacramento, CA — Following the tragic death of a North Carolina boy killed by his aunt’s tiger, the county where the incident occurred has outlawed the private possession of exotic animals as pets within county limits. Last December, 10-year-old Clayton James Eller was fatally mauled by a 400-pound Bengal tiger at his aunt’s Wilkes County, North Carolina home.
