How much is that Korean “rescue” dog in the window?

In a bit of a surprising twist, research performed by Cornell University, the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory has indicated that the large, ongoing canine flu outbreak in the midwest US is being caused by an H3N2 influenza strain, not the expected H3N8 canine flu strain. Molecularly, the strain is closely related to H3N2 strains that are circulating in dogs in China and South Korea. H3N2 canine flu emerged in that region in the mid 2000s and is widely circulating in some areas.

Stahl followed Aspinall’s effort to release nine of the zoo-born silverback gorillas in his care at his sprawling estate in England to the wilds of Gabon in Africa. […]
As the 60 Minutes crew filmed, Aspinall’s team completed a bridge to the unprotected portion of the forest. They then lured all nine gorillas, including a baby gorilla, across the bridge with food…

Here’s a break down of the [Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] based upon their 2013 tax returns:
They have 557 employees.
They have 1,500 volunteers.
They have 450 foster homes (who take care of the animals for them).
They own a 55 acre farm.
They own an animal hospital.
They operate four animal sales outlets.
In 2013, they sold 6,992 animals.
Employees:
CEO Carter Luke received a salary of $346,800 and $147,337 in “other” compensation.
VP of Human Resources Kathleen Collins received a salary of $203,650 and $109,415 in “other” compensation.
VP of Development Alice Bruce received a salary of $180,405 and other compensation of $20,446.
VP of Finance Amy Miller-Fredericks received a salary of $168,102 and other compensation of $31,185.
[…]
MSPCA also paid $943,254 in direct mail services to solicit you for more cash. MSPCA earned $1,654,734 in interest on investment income. And I could go on and on but I think you get my point.

And here is how this “private non-profit” rescue organization resupplies.

They eat pigs, too.

Dozens of dogs and puppies are getting a new “leash” on life thanks to some international volunteers. The pups are at the San Francisco SPCA after making a long trip from South Korea. The Humane Society International rescued the dogs, 57 in all, from a dog meat farm.

That’s right – humane societies are now “rescuing” dogs from across the Pacific into California’s “crowded shelters”. At the same time, dogs are being “rescued” into Canada out of California’s “crowded shelters”. Remember this the next time you’re lectured about “pet overpopulation”. This isn’t rescue –it’s marketing.

Anti-breeder legislation meets unintended consequence.

Telegraph;

“The idea is to get these court cases written up in local newspapers, so that little old ladies can read about how the RSPCA is battling animal cruelty and give them lots of money in their wills,” says Mr Foster.
Of course, if those little old ladies really knew what the RSPCA was doing with their money, they might not be so enthusiastic. For example, as was revealed in one leaked report, the RSPCA “euthanises” around 50,000 pets every year, making it probably Britain’s largest killer of domestic animals.

Finally, conservatives are catching on;

Last week we questioned why the radical Humane Society of the United States would be permitted to exhibit at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). After all, would PETA be welcome at a conference of political conservatives? Probably not. It didn’t take long for HSUS to get the boot.

Har.

…all for the same green energy that has put this pretty little Northern Ontario community in a situation that has its 3,549 citizens wondering how their $18-million ended up in a garbage dump more than 600 kilometres out of town.

Daily Mail: Shocking video shows moment master of the hunt was beaten unconscious by balaclava-wearing protesters armed with iron bars.

“It has been more than 5 years since my car was bombed by radical animal rights fanatics who knew nothing meaningful about my research but were opposed to it anyway. Sometimes, it feels like just yesterday. Sometimes, it feels like a story from another, distant life…”

The coming “Shelter Dog Shortage”:

Another way to tackle the problem would be for volunteers to breed litters which would then be donated to their local shelter for placement. […]
For now, our current transport system is working well, and as far as I can tell we are not quite to the point where there is more demand than supply nationwide for shelter dogs. But that time is coming, and it would be a good thing for No Kill to begin to think about what we will do when that day arrives. My suggestion would be to start now with establishing lines of supply with foreign countries.

Sucks to be you, poor people.

Egg prices are soaring in California, where the USDA says the average price for a dozen jumbo eggs is $3.16, up from $1.18 a dozen a year ago, and in some parts of the state it’s more than $5. The Iowa State University Egg Industry Center says retail egg prices in California are 66% higher than in other parts of the West. National wholesale egg prices also climbed nearly 35% over the 2014 holiday period, before retreating. […]
California’s cage law is part of the nationwide animal-rights effort to raise the costs of animal food production in the name of more, well, humane treatment. Groups like the Humane Society of the United States failed to get Congress to pass national chicken-cage standards, so they turned to California to set what they hoped would be a de facto national standard because of the size of its market.

Founder of dog rescue to be sentenced for dog theft. (h/t Karen)

Another retail rescue bust;

Two women who run an animal rescue operation are facing aggravated animal cruelty charges after cops caught them with more than 100 dogs and one cat stuffed in the back of a U-Haul truck without food, water, or adequate air, police said.
Bonnie Sheehan, 55, and Pamela A. King-McCracken, 59, were busted in Fayette County, Tennessee, on Tuesday when a cop making a traffic stop noticed a rank smell and discovered 128 dogs and a lone cat suffering in squalid conditions in the back of the truck and an attached van, the Commercial Appeal reported.
Dozens of cages were stacked on top of each other in the truck, some holding four or five dogs smeared with their own feces, while other pooches were caged inside dog houses secured with wired grates, the Appeal reported.
One of the dogs was dead, police said.

These people are not outliers. They’ve captured humane organizations, veterinary associations, and are drafting law on behalf of legislators.

Let them eat steak: New Regulations May Drive California Egg Prices Up 40%

I’m surprised they didn’t call the SWAT team;

A Waukegan man who police say was illegally selling Old English Bulldog puppies on the Internet was arrested just before Christmas after an undercover officer purchased one of the puppies for $1,500.
John Bass, 28, of the 400 block of Tiffany Drive, Waukegan, was charged under a city ordinance with one count of illegal breeding, one count of illegal selling and eight counts of impoundment, which allowed the city’s Animal Control Department to take ownership of the puppies.
Waukegan Police Sgt. Cory Kelly said animal control had been receiving complaints about a resident selling puppies on Craigslist and Facebook. According to Cory, the city was later contacted by a woman who had been texting the individual and making arrangements to buy a puppy, partially as a ruse to see if it was true.
“I took over her identity and we made arrangements to meet and buy a puppy,” Kelly said.
[…]
According to police, Bass said they sold eight Old English Bulldog puppies last year and two more this year for $1,500.
“You do the math,” said Kelly, referring to the amount of money that can be made by selling puppies.
“It’s not illegal to have a dog that has babies, but it is illegal to breed them for sale,” she added. “People need to be careful. It helped that this woman agreed to help us out with this case.”

The puppies were turned over to “a rescue group.” Who will sell them, of course.

Monkeys, Zoo: Orangutans have been granted the status of “non-human persons” with legal rights in a landmark court ruling in Argentina.