Animal Wellness Action Weekly Update

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Your Summary of Our Latest Animal News and InformationTAKE ACTION FOR ANIMALS TODAYIn Congress, there are major threats to animals on deck. The U.S. House is set to take up an NRA priority bill to forbid federal agencies from imposing restrictions on the use of toxic, deadly lead ammunition. We urge you to call your U.S. representative and ask him or her to vote NO on H.R. 556 — Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act. Here’s the phone number: 202-225-3121. And here’s our online tool to generate an email to your legislators.ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION TOP STORIESLead Ammunition Is Poisoning Wildlife and the Food ChainAcross North America, the continued use of lead ammunition is leaving a trail of dead wildlife, while also posing health risks to people. When hunters use lead bullets, fragments remain in the meat slabs they take home and in the gut piles that scavenging animals pick clean. Bald eagles, golden eagles, California condors, hawks and ravens, foxes, coyotes, and more than 100 other species are at risk of poisoning from spent lead.Animal Wellness Action is pressing policymakers to accelerate the transition to modern, non-toxic ammunition that delivers the same hunting performance without contaminating ecosystems, and we are initiating state legislation and administration petitions to phase out lead ammunition. In Congress, though, some Republicans lawmakers are pushing to maintain the status quo and to block any federal agency from restricting the use of lead ammunition.It’s ironic that the legislation is offered by a U.S. representative from Virginia, just days after Virginia media reported that the Wildlife Center of Virginia has treated a record number of seriously ill or injured bald eagles. Of the 78 bald eagles admitted to the wildlife hospital in 2025, 53 were diagnosed with lead poisoning, showing the classic signs of that terrible condition — drooping body form, extreme distress, inability to move.You can get fully briefed on the issue by reading this science-based report by Dr. Jim Keen on the crisis of lead poisoning. And Wayne Pacelle wrote a detailed piece about this problem in America. Read it here →Please take a moment to call your U.S. representative at 202-225-3121 and use our “Contact Congress” platform to register opposition to H.R. 556.National Parks Must Be Off-Limits to Bear BaitingBear baiting — luring bears with piles of food so hunters can shoot them at close range — is one of the most controversial hunting practices in North America. Yet in some cases, this activity can occur in areas adjacent to, or affecting, lands managed by the National Park Service.Animal Wellness Action is urging federal authorities to ensure that units of the National Park System do not become playgrounds for bear baiters, with all the collateral effects of this unsporting, reckless practice. Allowing baiting activities in or around national park lands can distort wildlife behavior and invite bear-human conflicts. It is entirely at odds with the values and mission of the National Park Service.We are actively opposing a proposed rulemaking from the Department of the Interior to allow bear baiting on 22 million acres of national preserves across Alaska. The area to be opened up to baiting is larger than the physical geography of the entire state of South Carolina. Read the blog here and submit a comment to the National Park Service here.

ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION IN THE NEWSCoalition Pushes to Address Lead Ammunition ThreatA coalition led by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy urged the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to ban the use of lead ammunition in sport hunting, as a serious threat to wildlife health and human health. This week, we submitted a formal petition to the state’s environmental and wildlife agency and asked for immediate action. The effort — and the push toward non‑toxic alternatives — was highlighted in Yahoo Finance as part of the growing national debate over wildlife poisoning from lead bullets. Read more →Farm Bill Battle Over State Animal‑Welfare LawsA controversial Farm bill provision could override state farm‑animal protection laws approved by voters — the so-called Save Our Bacon Act that is the initiative of China’s Smithfield Foods and the National Pork Producers Council. An analysis in Barn Raiser Media describes the measure as a “Trojan hog” that could erase standards such as California’s Prop 12, returning us to the “cage age” in agriculture, driving thousands of family farmers out of business, and setting up Smithfield to grow its massive share of U.S. pig production. Read more →Authorities Rescue Dogs in Arizona Cruelty InvestigationAuthorities near Buckeye, Ariz., rescued nearly two dozen dogs from disturbing conditions that triggered an animal‑abuse investigation. Reporting from Arizona’s Family details the problem, including Wayne Pacelle’s analysis that animal hoarders repeat their behavior until an arrest is made and that the hoarders must be stopped from continuing to victimize dogs. Read the story here →Investigation Raises Alarm About Military Working DogsAn investigation released by Animal Wellness Action highlights troubling cases of neglect involving military working dogs stationed on American bases. The report documents preventable deaths and calls for stronger oversight and welfare standards for dogs trained to serve alongside U.S. troops. Read more →HOW TO TAKE ACTIONMore than 20,000 subscribers have taken action already this month. Join them today.Act Now: Stop a Bill That Would Block Efforts to Reduce Lead Poisoning in Wildlife

H.R. 556 would tie the hands of federal wildlife managers by preventing them from regulating toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle on certain federal lands and waters. Lead poisoning remains a major threat to eagles, condors, loons, and other wildlife — yet safe, non-toxic alternatives are readily available. Send a quick message to your member of Congress urging them to oppose H.R. 556 and protect science-based wildlife stewardship. Act here.

Airlines Are Moving Fighting Birds Overseas — Congress Must Stop It

The No Flight, No Fight Act, H.R. 7371, seeks to stop the smuggling of fighting birds from the United States to the Philippines, Vietnam, and other countries that are strongholds for barbaric staged animal fights.
 
Our undercover investigations have pinpointed the problem on both ends of the global trade: first, in the U.S. where cockfighters and their brokers load up their fighting birds on international airlines, mainly Korean Air, and then ship them to the Philippines and other countries where the birds die in staged combat at cockfighting derbies.
 
The No Flight, No Fight Act would make it far more difficult for these organized crime associations to move their live contraband.  Our new one-minute video tells the story in brief, and it includes footage that our undercover team recorded at the end of January at the World Slasher Cup in Manila.
 
We believe Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, and other international airlines are moving birds illegally from the U.S. to as many as 30 countries. Please watch our powerful video and contact your U.S. lawmakers and urge them to cosponsor H.R. 7371. the No Flight, No Fight Act. Contact them here.JOIN OUR FIGHTOur work doesn’t stop at documenting cruelty — we investigate it, expose it, and press for accountability in courtrooms and legislatures alike. Whether challenging dangerous Farm bill provisions, demanding justice in the Cody Roberts case, advancing federal reforms like the FIGHT Act and the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons Act, or mobilizing citizens through targeted action alerts, we combine research, legal strategy, and public pressure to drive measurable change.Your donation powers that multi-pronged effort — turning investigations, policy advocacy, and citizen engagement into stronger laws, meaningful enforcement, and lasting protections for animals.Go here to support our campaigns.MORE FROM ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION

The Animal Wellness Podcast: The Hidden Toll of Lead AmmunitionIn this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, host Joseph Grove examines the mounting scientific and policy concerns surrounding this persistent environmental toxin. He’s joined by Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy, and Aisha S. Dickerson of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.Lead ammunition leaves a toxic legacy across America’s landscapes. When bullets fragment on impact, tiny shards of lead remain in carcasses and gut piles, poisoning scavenging wildlife such as bald eagles, condors, hawks, and foxes. The consequences are often severe — neurological damage, reproductive failure, and death. Listen to the episode here.

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