18/12/2022
Photo: Terrell Walton, the (former) Philadelphia pound worker, faces felony animal cruelty for breaking a dogโs jaw while transporting him after a preliminary hearing determined there was enough evidence to charge him. While Walton may be held criminally accountable, shelter managers who killed him have not. Instead of providing veterinary care and despite knowing that Saintโs family was on their way to pick him up, Aurora Velazquez, the (former) director of the pound, โinstructed staff to kill Saint.โ After he was killed, Summer Dolder, the (former) Operations Director, had his body quickly disposed of, refusing to return it to his family. A civil lawsuit is pending in the matter.
In other news:
- After Manteca, CAโs mayor called for the city shelter to embrace No Kill, PETA is again at the forefront of advocating for killing.
- This week was also the anniversary of PETAโs theft and killing of Maya.
- a Federal Court ruled that โan Arkansas state law prohibiting plant-based meat companies from using meat terminology on their product labelsโ was unconstitutional. Federal courts also struck down similar laws in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Louisiana as violating the First Amendment.
- Starbucks is testing new vegan items in select stores, including a plant-based โchicken sausageโ and pepper sandwich.
- In a sign of how thoroughly they have integrated into our families and how much we love them, dogs may be the deciding factor for swing voters in who they choose to become the next U.S. senator for Pennsylvania.
- A new report says, โwildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years.โ
- Another report says things have never been worse for animals, but hope exists.
This Week in Animal Protection: https://bit.ly/3siHDtL.
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