Born Free USA In The News

After years in captivity, two bottlenose dolphins — none other than the Born Free Foundation's rescues, Tom and Misha, off the coast of Turkey — are about to get their freedom. CNN's Ivan Watson has the details.

Link: CNN.com

Until recently, the state of New York state has been a leading destination for those who wanted to poach bears and sell their parts, but thanks to a new law this year, which NPR explored on Tuesday morning, that's now illegal. Still, there's money to be made on bears.

Link: AtlanticWire.com

Ethiopia will embark on a plan for conservation of three of the country's large carnivores, the cheetah, the wild dog and the lion, conservationists say. The plans were announced April 19 at the Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Center in Addis Ababa.

Link: UPI.com

State Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, is supporting a bill that would increase restrictions on the use of leghold hunting traps. Connecticut House Bill 5324, drafted in part by Born Free USA, a California-based animal welfare group, would ban placement of the traps within 1,500 feet of areas likely to be visited by children including schools, playgrounds, and public boat launches. The legislation would also require trappers to report non-targeted catches to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection within 24 hours.

Link: Norwich (CT) Bulletin

Born Free USA's chief executive officer, Will Travers, talks with BBC Oxford's Bill Heine and his guests about the possibility of a ban on wild animals in circuses that appear in Great Britain. In this three-hour online player, tune in to about the 1:08 mark to catch the opening of the segment. Travers first appears at about the 1:17 mark.

Tim Ajax, director of Born Free USA's Primate Sanctuary in south Texas, talks with Dr. Peter Spiegel on Animals Today Radio. They discuss the history of the sanctuary, why it is needed, and how they are preparing to receive more than 100 new residents. Listen to a stream of the interview here (Tim's portion begins a few minutes into the link, after the news.)

One man’s pet is another’s collateral damage, according to Born Free U.S.A, which announced on Wednesday a possible record high of non-target animal deaths as fur-trapping season draws to a close. While millions of fur-bearing animals are killed each year in archaic body-crushing traps for recreational and commercial purposes, the wildlife conservation group notes that hundreds of thousands more, including domestic cats, dogs, and some endangered species, also fall victim to the snares.

Link: Ecouterre.com

A white boxer puppy allegedly suffering from neglect was not present when police and the city animal shelter director visited McDonald's Pet & Gift Shop on Jan. 24. But officials still cited the manager of the store for violating a city ordinance prohibiting neglect of animals, in this case rodents including hamsters.

Link: TheStarPress.com