Wisconsin Animal & Environment Protection Coalition

03/01/2026

Bird flu still poses a low‑probability threat of sustained human transmission. But that doesn't make the virus harmless.

The H5 viruses are brutally lethal to birds – 9 million have died outright, and hundreds of millions have been culled to contain the spread. Alarming is the virus's expanding reach into mammals. So far, at least 74 mammal species, from elephant seals to polar bears, have suffered die‑offs.

The individual cases are situated within a broader shift. Dense poultry farms create opportunities for the virus to hop species. Over a thousand US dairy herds have tested positive in the past two years, and viral fragments have even been detected in milk – a worrying route of spillover. Every jump is a probe for new footholds.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-world-is-sleeping-on-bird-flu-expert-warns

There's an unwritten rule in publishing, or so I've been told: Don't write about COVID.

24/12/2025

Wisconsin still has the unfortunate distinction of having the most mink farmed for their fur in the US. Most of them have been unregulated and unmonitored!
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Tammy Baldwin
Senator Tammy Baldwin
Tony Evers
Senator Ron Johnson

Mink farming isn’t just cruel, it’s reckless.

These farms fueled COVID-19 outbreaks in at least 13 countries, and mink are one of the only animals besides humans that can transmit the virus both ways. That makes mink farms a serious public health risk.

And for what? The U.S. fur industry has collapsed, pelt values are down 87% since 2013, yet we’re still tolerating disease risk for luxury fashion.

Fashion and luxury corporations must stop enabling this industry. A humane economy protects animals and people.

19/12/2025

BREAKING - The US House of Representatives just voted 211-204 to advance H.R. 845, the anti-wolf bill, to the Senate. If this bill passes the Senate, thousands of wolves will be slaughtered.

Contact your Senator and let them know that this bill CANNOT pass➡️ https://bit.ly/3MBG3kd

Curious if your Representative voted the way you asked them to? View the roll call vote and send them a thank you note if they listened to you ➡️ https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025360

If your Representative didn't vote the way you asked them to, or didn't vote at all, consider asking them why they didn't vote the way their constituents, and a majority of Americans, wanted them to. We'll be making a similar call today, too.

17/12/2025

https://www.propublica.org/article/fair-food-program-farmworker-abuse-exploitation

Experts say the Fair Food Program has helped improve conditions for farmworkers. But farms and produce buyers across the country have resisted joining.

15/12/2025

This Faunalytics graph shows that the vast majority of consumers believe many standard farming practices unacceptable. It would have been valuable to see how consumers respond to cage-free chickens compared to caged ones, but that is not included.

15/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/17gTMKfVmz/?mibextid=wwXIfr@

A collapsing fur farming industry brings negligible economic benefits but very consequential health threats

15/12/2025

“That distinction is particularly relevant in the context of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle. Unlike poultry, infected cows are not depopulated. They are treated, milked, and kept alive while shedding enormous quantities of virus into the environment. Milk from infected cows has been shown to contain up to one billion viral particles per milliliter. Before pasteurization, that milk may be handled by dozens of workers. Milk is aerosolized in milking parlors. Cats have died after consuming raw milk. Each milliliter contains enough virus to infect tens of thousands of poultry. In this context, the status quo already represents sustained, large-scale viral amplification. Vaccination, even if imperfect, has the potential to reduce viral load, shedding duration, and environmental contamination.”

-Dr. Crystal Heath.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BvJ6AWADz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

DATCP has identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd in Dodge County. This is the first detection of HPAI in Wisconsin cattle.

DATCP continues to urge all livestock owners to implement strong biosecurity measures to protect their flocks and herds from the disease.

Access the press release at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News_Media/HPAIDetectedWIDairyHerdDodgeCo.aspx. Find biosecurity resources and more information on HPAI at hpai.wi.gov.

15/12/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BvJ6AWADz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

DATCP has identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd in Dodge County. This is the first detection of HPAI in Wisconsin cattle.

DATCP continues to urge all livestock owners to implement strong biosecurity measures to protect their flocks and herds from the disease.

Access the press release at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/News_Media/HPAIDetectedWIDairyHerdDodgeCo.aspx. Find biosecurity resources and more information on HPAI at hpai.wi.gov.

14/12/2025

There is no reason to the hunting of wolves.

The argument that wolves kill livestock while true is a minuscule number compared to the number of livestock up to 1 million annually in the US that died due to respiratory diseases, malnutrition, heat, cold, etc. There are multiple ways to protect livestock, which doesn’t involve hunting down every wolf in the country or even one.🐺

Ask your Congressperson to vote NO on H.R. 845

URGENT: Congress prepares to push forward wolf slaughter bill.🚨

As you’re preparing to spend the holiday season with your family, members of Congress are pushing forward legislation that would result in the slaughter of wolf families across the country.

H.R. 845, a bill that would remove federal protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states and prohibit judicial review, will be voted on by the Rules Committee on Monday, December 15, 2025 and could move to a House vote next week.

Wolves need your voices NOW!

Contact your Representative and urge them to vote NO on H.R. 845. 📣Take action: https://engage.nywolf.org/site/Advocacy?page=UserAction&cmd=display&id=211

10/12/2025

Short survey by Dec 18th re:DNR and hunting WI’s turkeys.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/outdoors/2025/12/09/updated-turkey-management-plan-will-cover-next-10-years/87609739007/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69389bf25377b50001f8218d&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaAOl9M1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe1hK_yuOgnDdDYls7Hd4o3LwT9Enfe0Kooxe1wl7J9uZ_EisDXFcIszk_WNc_aem_Sm45wAhFy9LLJiJYSuPCZg

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on wild turkey management as the agency prepares an update to the state's wild turkey management plan.