Category: Animal Rights

The Deception that is the Humane Society of the United States

How little of the money raised by HSUS goes to pet shelters in your state? Click the map below, which was made using data from HSUS’s tax return to determine the amount of grant money going to help local shelters care for pets. And if you’re wondering where the money does go, here’s a start: Over $100 million in Caribbean “investments,” a multimillion-dollar bribery lawsuit settlement, and a big fat paycheck for CEO Wayne Pacelle.

US Map HSUS Giving

Animal Rights

HSUS Grades Politicians

For those of you who’d like to know how your local politicians are rated by the largest anti-hunting organization in the world, check out the report cards here: http://bit.ly/1QAHb1M.

Another video worth watching covers the HSUS position on hunting with the understanding that anyone who receives high scores with the HSUS lobbyists is certainly no friend of the North American Conservation Model.

Give this one a look and see if you don’t get the notion that HSUS, like some politicians, is definitely flying under a false flag: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk5rjSJYeKg

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

HSUS Lobbyist Slapped Down in Oregon

GW:  This is from humanewatch.org…

It’s January, which means a number of state legislatures are back in session. And that also means HSUS is busy prowling the halls for its “state lobby days” and trying to push a number of bills, from hunting restrictions to farming restrictions to pet-buying restrictions.

Some folks tweeted us a video the other day of HSUS lobbyist Scott Beckstead testifying in Oregon against a proposal to codify the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s recent decision to delist gray wolves as endangered. HSUS, of course, doesn’t want wolves delisted because it would potentially allow hunting of the animals, and HSUS is very much opposed to hunting. (It’s unclear what limits on wolf populations HSUS supports. You’d think they could be prowling the periphery of every small town in Oregon before HSUS might agree to reasonable limits.)

A couple of state reps from both sides of the aisle challenge Beckstead, with one warning, “Be very careful.” Beckstead warns that opening the door to future wolf hunting could backfire if, say, a hunter posts a pic on social media with his take. The not-so-subtle message is that HSUS would be happy to pour gas on the fire.

But the lawmakers pushed back at this notion, noting that the grizzliest videos they’ve seen haven’t been a hunter with a dead animal—they’ve been wolves chasing down and ripping apart still-alive prey.

It’s an interesting point. Instead of letting HSUS play offense against hunting, what if hunters showed fields of dead sheep and said, “This is what HSUS supports”? It’s not demagoguery if it’s true—and that’s the cost of HSUS’s litigation and lobbying against letting wildlife managers use science to manage dangerous predators.

Animal Rights, Hunting

Oklahoma Bill Seeks to Block HSUS Fundraising

This from HumaneWatch.org…

 

OK_legHSUS has been facing setback in Oklahoma as the state’s attorney general, Scott Pruitt, opened an investigation into HSUS fundraising. Last year, one of Oklahoma’s U.S. Senators, Jim Inhofe, took HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle to task in front of a subcommittee. And now the legislature is getting involved in trying to stop the deception-for-dollars scheme that HSUS runs.

A new bill by Rep. Brian Renegar (who is also a veterinarian) would only allow animal groups to fundraise for programs conducted inside the state. That’s not a problem to the Central Oklahoma Humane Society and other similar groups that shelter or rescue animals. But that is a problem if you’re HSUS, and you don’t run a single pet shelter in Oklahoma (or anywhere in the U.S., in fact).

You can read the full text of the bill, HB2250, here.

No doubt HSUS’s lawyers will be thinking of any way to claim this is unconstitutional. But the protestations will only highlight one thing: How much HSUS is benefitting at the expense of local animal groups in Oklahoma. The effort should be commended.

Animal Rights

Ask Bosch to Wipe the Slate Clean and Ditch HSUS

This from HumaneWatch.org

Bosch, a German automotive company, recently announced a partnership with HSUS. The company started a campaign called StoptheRoadkill.com, which encourages drivers to buy Bosch wipers to see the road better and avoid hitting wildlife during inclement weather. (The company calls it a public service announcement, but it’s not really a PSA if you’re selling something.)

Presumably, HSUS is getting a cut of every wiper blade sold. It’s a bad deal for animals, though.

HSUS doesn’t run a single pet shelter anywhere. And HSUS isn’t exactly starved of funding. The group has some $200 million in assets. Last year, it stuck $50 million of donor money into Caribbean hedge funds. That’s a lot of bowls of food. HSUS ought to already be doing more to feed animals, but instead it shamefully mismanages donor money—whether it’s earning bad grades from charity watchdogs for high spending on overhead, sticking money in the Caribbean, or even paying a racketeering settlement.

Local shelters or rescues that take care of cats, dogs, and other pets could certainly use the money. They’re often in desperate need of help. The same with local wildlife rehab groups.

Email Bosch USA’s CEO, Mike Mansuetti, at Mike.Mansuetti@us.bosch.com and politely ask him to sever ties with HSUS and make sure the money goes to reputable organizations. (If you get a response, feel free to forward it to us.)

Animal Rights

African Lion Conservation Crippled by USFWS Ruling

DALLAS, TX – In a year when the vocal anti-hunting minority was as loud as it was uninformed, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going against its own proven conservation policies and those of foreign countries in an effort to appease anti hunters at home. The end result is severe crippling of lion conservation efforts in Africa.

On December 21, a USFWS press release announced the addition of two lion subspecies to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This politicizing of wildlife conservation and oppressive restrictions on specimen importation will result in a devastating reduction of funds necessary to conserve the species in their home range, causing African lion populations to plummet.

According the USFWS statement, Panthera leo leo, located in India as well as western and central Africa, will be listed as endangered. However, Panthera leo melanochaita, with a population of more than 19,000 and growing thanks to sportsmen-funded conservation efforts, will now be listed as “threatened.” The USFWS service claims unidentified pockets of P.l. melanochaita populations, a subspecies of lion found throughout southern and eastern Afrcia, remain at risk due to “ongoing threats,” identified as “habitat loss, loss of prey base, and retaliatory killing of lions by a growing human population.” In its release, the USFWS does not list sustainable, lawful hunting as a threat to lion populations. In fact, without lawful, sustainable hunting, the threats faced by these lions will only get worse.

“The Service determined that this subspecies (P.l. melanochaita) is less vulnerable and is not currently in danger of extinction,” the USFWS statement reads. “However, although lion numbers in southern Africa are increasing overall, there are populations that are declining due to ongoing threats. As a result, the Service finds the subspecies meets the definition of a threatened species under the ESA.”

Perhaps the problem is not the people of the USFWS who are doing their jobs and enforcing the law. Maybe the problem is a flawed ESA which denies species in foreign countries classified as “endangered” or “threatened” any opportunity for help from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Sustainable Use and Livelihood Specialist Group (IUCN-SULi), the United States government or its citizens. Barring help from these groups, creatures like the African lion are doomed. Now, no one and no entity will do anything to help the remaining lions in west Africa and, in time, the last remnants of these populations will be gone. Read more

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

In Support of Fair Chase

At first glance, there seems to be little connection between the principles of fair chase hunting and the philosophies of competitive sports. But at a time when the very act of hunting and wildlife management is in the crosshairs on the international stage, we may be well served to take some inspiration from one of sports’ most familiar adages.

“The best defense is a good offense” means, of course, that the most effective way to defend your interests is to keep your opponents on their heels via a strong and consistent offense. In this age of social media and instant outrage, the primary enemies of fair chase and science-based wildlife management are twofold: “hunters” who ignore fair chase ethics and the anti-hunting groups who use their transgressions as public-relation weapons.

When hunting and wildlife management come under fire over moral objections, the natural response has been to assume a defensive posture. To date, fair chase and science-based wildlife management are the only responses that have consistently shielded the act of hunting from such attacks, and the Boone and Crockett Club sits on the vanguard of the fair chase counterpoint.

While it’s comforting to know that fair chase and management will always be there as a shield, we believe it can also be used as a spear. We know, as you do, that fair chase hunting and science-based wildlife management are not just acceptable practices in a society that seems determined to forget its place in the food chain—they are necessary ones. But those who oppose hunting will not learn this on their own, and neither will those who ignore fair chase ethics yet still call what they do “hunting.” It is up to the Club and fair chase hunters like you, to stand up for what is right and be on the forefront of spreading the message of fair chase.

As a primary architect of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, the Boone and Crockett Club is uniquely positioned to lead the charge against those who would strip us of our hunting heritage.
By contributing to the Boone and Crockett Club, you play a crucial role in the task of enlightening those who need it most and setting the standard for fair chase hunting and wildlife management in North America. Please help us teach them.

Animal Rights, Hunting, Wildlife

HSUS CEO Has a $1.1 Million Mansion—Which He’s Hiding From Donors

This from humanewatch.org…

Wayne_Pacelle

When we tell people that only 1% of the money raised by the so-called “Humane Society” of the United States goes to pet shelters, predictably people want to know where the rest of the money goes. A lot of it is spent on overhead, pension plans, and staff salaries—including a hefty pay package for CEO Wayne Pacelle. Pacelle has taken in about $4 million through HSUS, and the payout appears to have afforded him an elegant $1.1 million Tudor-style home in the uber-wealthy community of Chevy Chase, Md., just outside our nation’s capital.

According to records, the house was purchased last fall, apparently with all cash. More intriguingly, it was purchased through a legal scheme that intentionally hides the name of the buyer. It’s a system used by the rich and famous to hide the purchasers in a real-estate transaction.  Pacelle’s new digs is owned by a legal entity without his name attached. The transaction was handled by David A. Deckelbaum, a Washington lawyer who specializes in this concealment system for wealthy clients.

And this $1.1 million property is on top of the $800,000 apartment Pacelle owns in Washington, D.C. For all of the complaints about pork farming that Pacelle makes, he sure knows how to live high on the hog.

To be clear: We don’t begrudge anyone who is financially successful–provided that the money isn’t generated through scams or other unethical activity.

And we can’t be sure that HSUS donors may not have totally funded the Pacelle’s million-dollar mansion. It’s quite possible that his wife, who works for Al Jazeera America, could have chipped in. And who’s bankrolling her paycheck? Al Jazeera is funded by the government of Qatar—a country that funds or accommodates terrorist groups including Hamas and al Qaeda. To get an idea of what Al Jazeera thinks of America, look no further than its nasty Fourth of July video mocking Americans. And we won’t even get into HSUS’s development officer who once offered to conceal money from shady Middle Eastern interests including the Muslim Brotherhood, which is at the center of much terrorism in the world.

Wayne Pacelle’s mansion may have been funded by little old ladies who thought they were helping pets. Or maybe the upstream source of the cash is Middle Eastern terrorism backers. Hard to say. One way or the other, the head of HSUS doesn’t want you to know.

Animal Rights

Sportsmen’s Alliance Files Brief in Great Lakes Wolf Case

GW:  This is why every sportsman and woman should be a member of organizations such as those listed below. 

On Dec. 8, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and our partners filed its brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals in the long-running Western Great Lakes wolf lawsuit. The case, brought by Humane Society of the United States and their anti-hunting allies, sought to reinstate federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Alliance and our partners are fighting to ensure wolves are delisted and returned to state management.

“The science is settled and the experts agree, wolves are recovered, period,” said Evan Heusinkveld, head of government affairs and interim president and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance. “We should be celebrating this as a great victory of the Endangered Species Act, but instead we’re forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting anti-hunting interests in court just to ensure the ESA is applied correctly.”

Despite wolf numbers at record levels well-beyond what was required when originally listed as endangered in the late 1970s, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell returned wolves to the endangered species list in late 2014. The ruling effectively requires wolves to be recovered in their entire historic range before they can be considered recovered in the Great Lakes states.

“It makes absolutely no sense to require wolves be reestablished as Judge Howell ruled. It was never the intent to have wolves returned to places like New York, Chicago or Seattle,” continued Heusinkveld. “This ruling not only contained both legal and factual errors that could spell disaster for the future of the Endangered Species Act, but if allowed to stand, wildlife management efforts — specifically endangered species recovery — will be greatly impacted.”

Joining the Sportsmen’s Alliance in the appeal of the lower court’s decision are Safari Club International, National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Wisconsin Bowhunters Association, Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen Association and the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation.

About the Sportsmen’s Alliance:The Sportsmen’s Alliance is a 501 (c) 4 organization that protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 organization that supports the same mission through public education, legal defense and research.  Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Animal Rights, Wildlife

Outdoor World Radio Hosts America’s Preeminent Expert on Environmental Litigation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Join host Rob Keck this week on Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Radio for an exclusive interview with Lowell E. Baier an attorney from Washington, DC who is one of America’s leading authorities on environmental litigation, and is also President Emeritus of the Boone and Crockett Club, as well as an author, and a legal and environmental historian.

Tune in on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 10 a.m. on RURAL SiriusXM Channel 147 to hear insights on Baier’s new book “Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act”. This book is masterfully written about the crippling battle over America’s lands, endangered species and critical habitats. His book on America’s lands litigation is a must-read for all who care about the conservation of our natural resources and wildlife.

Baier has been a lifelong champion for conservation, carrying on the legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt. He was recognized as Conversationalist of the Year by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in 2008, and again in 2010, and 2013 by two other national organizations. His extensive research and expertise will be shared with listeners on a broad range of topics that affect the United States and its natural resources and wildlife populations. Read more

Animal Rights
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