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No matter the location or scale of deployment, the ASPCA is prepared to take on animal cruelty cases when needed-from assisting initial investigations to securing final placement of rescued animals in homes.

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No matter the location or scale of deployment, the ASPCA is prepared to take on animal cruelty cases when needed-from assisting initial investigations to securing final placement of rescued animals in homes.

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California will soon implement a new statewide ban on sales of animals commercially raised in puppy mills.

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Gov. Jerry Brown last Friday signed into law bill A.B. 485, making it illegal for pet stores to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits from any source other than a shelter or rescue group.

The law will go into effect in 2019 and supporters have praised the move.

"The problem is puppy mills, and this law is specifically targeting shutting down and not supporting puppies being manufactured in unsafe, unsociable, and horrific conditions," Elena Bicker, executive director at Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation, told ABC News.

Private breeders can still sell animals independently.

Pincause/@EllaBeantheDog

The American Kennel Club is standing up against the first-of-its-kind statewide ban and released a statement directly opposing the new law.

"It not only interferes with individual freedoms, it also increases the likelihood that a person will obtain a pet that is not a good match for their lifestyle and the likelihood that that animal will end up in a shelter," the organization said in a statement.

Elke Vogelsang/@wieselblitz

Pet advocates have helped increase protections for puppy mill dogs in over 200 cities and counties across the country that already have ordinances similar to this one, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The animal rights group also created a campaign in partnership with the Pincause organization to raise awareness about puppy mills and help promote the adoption of shelter animals.

Thirty-six cities in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, already had bans on mass breeding operations.

Kat Ku/Pincause

"This is a great law. California is setting the standard and elevating the status of pets in society by targeting the puppy mills and elevating shelter pets as a place in homes," Bicker said.

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California becomes 1st state to require pet stores to sell rescue animals

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California will soon implement a new statewide ban on sales of animals commercially raised in puppy mills. Gov. Jerry Brown last Friday signed into law bill A.B. 485, making it illegal for pet stores to sell dogs, cats, and rabbits from any source other than a shelter or rescue group.

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Three people have been charged with animal cruelty in the largest animal seizure in B.C. history.

The incident took place in February 2016 when the BC SPCA seized 66 "sick and neglected dogs and puppies" from a Langley property.

Glen Lawlor, Maria Wall Lawlor, and James Dale Shively have been charged with two counts of animal cruelty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

READ MORE: BC SPCA seize 66 dogs from Langley puppy mill

"We are very pleased with the charges and we hope this sends a message that this type of neglect and cruelty is not acceptable to British Columbians," said Moriarty in a release.

The 32 adult dogs and 34 puppies seized included Old English Sheepdogs, Bernese Mountain dogs, Standard Poodles and Wheaten Terriers.

The dogs were in care of the SPCA for several months being treated for "serious medical issues." Some of the animals were suffering from broken limbs, missing ears and eyes, infections, dental disease and severe matting.

According to the BC SPCA, some of the dogs have since been adopted into loving homes.
WATCH: Langley puppy mill survivor reunion one year after seizure
"The BC SPCA has a number of web and print resources that outline the difference between legitimate breeders and puppy mills," said Moriarty.

"We urge people to arm themselves with knowledge and to immediately call our animal cruelty hotline (1-855-622-7722) to report any suspicious situations where animals may be in distress."

READ MORE: BC SPCA removes 30 animals from puppy breeder near Lillooet

The BC SPCA investigates more than 10,000 complaints of animal cruelty across B.C. each year.

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3 people charged with animal cruelty in 'Langley 66' puppy mill seizure

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Three people have been charged with animal cruelty in the largest animal seizure in B.C. history. The incident took place in February 2016 when the BC SPCA seized 66 "sick and neglected dogs and puppies" from a Langley property.

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California becomes first state to ban puppy mills

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Starting in 2019, pet store owners in California will be no longer be able to sell animals from so-called puppy mills. The new law will require pet store owners to sell dogs, cats and rabbits from shelters, rescue groups and adoption centers with violators facing a $500 fine.

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SAGINAW, Mich. --Demonstrators gathered outside the Dow Event Center Saturday to protest the Shrine Circus.

It was organized by a group that calls itself Compassion Works International.

The group says it was organized to speak out for animal rights.

Those participating held signs and handed out educational pamphlets.

In a statement, the Shrine Circus says it is "committed to the exemplary care and treatment of animals. We believe in animal and human relationships built on respect, trust, affection, and uncompromising care."

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Demonstrators gather outside Dow Event Center to protest Shrine Circus

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SAGINAW, Mich. --Demonstrators gathered outside the Dow Event Center Saturday to protest the Shrine Circus. It was organized by a group that calls itself Compassion Works International. The group says it was organized to speak out for animal rights. Those participating held signs and handed out educational pamphlets.

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CLOSE

Animal rights activists claimed a major victory Sunday after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus said it would halt its show in May after 146 years.

The move came as circuses and animal-performance shows across the country have struggled with declining attendance and shifting social pressure brought to bear by activists who argued the animals were sometimes poorly treated. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus removed elephants from its performances last May, and the company said ticket sales then dropped drastically. The company had long battled animal rights activists in costly court skirmishes - winning a $15.75 million judgment against them in 2015 - but apparently lost the larger fight over public opinion.

"IT'S OVER," actress and animal rights advocate Pamela Anderson posted to her 1.07 million Twitter followers.

PETA, which has crusaded against animal treatment, lauded the decision and said the trend should accelerate. "All other animal circuses, roadside zoos, and wild animal exhibitors, including marine amusement parks like SeaWorld and the Miami Seaquarium, must take note: Society has changed, eyes have been opened, people know now who these animals are, and we know it is wrong to capture and exploit them."

More coverage:
Ringling Bros. circus: How The Greatest Show on Earth got its start After 146 years, Ringling Bros. circus is closing Elephants' final act
Circuses have long been a part of the American social fabric, bringing exotic animals to small towns across the country, giving awestruck children a taste of the wilder world beyond. But the past three decades, in particular, have seen a growing concern for the health and welfare of wild animals who spend their lives in captivity.

Most people didn't realize what went on behind the scenes, said Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International, which has conducted undercover investigations into circuses for 20 years. Even if only some circuses treated the animals poorly, people began to believe that simply keeping them in captivity and forcing them to perform was its own kind of cruelty, she said.

"People were shocked at the day-to-day casual violence," Creamer said. "We didn't know any better. Now, we do. As Ringling has found out, people are better educated and ... recognize suffering and cruelty in other species. They don't want to see animals suffer for 15 minutes of entertainment."

Feld Entertainment, which owned the circus, said ticket sales dropped after the elephants were retired to the company's breeding and research facility. The company didn't specify what will happen to the remaining animals, which include tigers, lions, horses, dogs and camels, but scheduled a Monday press conference to discuss the decision. Company officials declined to be interviewed on Sunday.

"The circus and its people have continually been a source of inspiration and joy to my family and me, which is why this was such a tough business decision to make, company CEO Kenneth Feld said in a statement. "The decision was even more difficult because of the amazing fans that have become part of our extended circus family over the years, and we are extremely grateful to the millions of families who have made Ringling Bros. part of their lives for generations."

The company's two circus shows, Out of This World and Circus Xtreme, have 30 shows left, including appearances in Atlanta, Brooklyn and Boston. The final shows are May 7 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., and May 21 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. The company said it would help its circus performers transition to new roles but didn't offer specifics about how many employees might lose the jobs.

Feld Entertainment said in a statement that the spirit of the circus would live on through the company's other shows.

As with most things, Internet chatter immediately turned the circus conversation to politics. Actor and author George Takei said the title of the "Greatest Show on Earth" would now be taken up by the Trump administration (he used language we can't print), and multiple USA TODAY readers jokingly suggested that the circus clowns would find work in politics.

Those kinds of jokes previously hit a nerve with Feld Entertainment, which last fall launched a "#TakeBackTheCircus" campaign after growing tired of hearing politicians referred to as clowns.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2iA0L3g

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Animal rights activists claim major win in Ringling Bros. closing

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CLOSE Animal rights activists claimed a major victory Sunday after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus said it would halt its show in May after 146 years. The move came as circuses and animal-performance shows across the country have struggled with declining attendance and shifting social pressure brought to bear by activists who argued the animals were sometimes poorly treated.

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WILMER, AL (WKRG) -- The former owner of the Mobile Zoo has been arrested and charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty.

John Marks Hightower, 62, was booked into Mobile Metro Jail Thursday morning after being arrested by deputies. The Mobile County District Attorney's Office filed charges after a search warrant was served at the zoo and Mobile County Animal Control and veterinarians assessed the condition of the animals remaining at the facility.

The Mobile Zoo, located in Wilmer, Alabama, was closed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November after numerous complaints of animals being mistreated. The most recent inspection found several cages with dried feces, an accumulation of pests in the animal enclosures, unstable den conditions and possible blood stains that were never cleaned up.

The zoo's license was revoked and the business officially closed on November 10.

PETA had tried to get the roadside zoo shut down for years, stemming from those USDA reports that found many infractions.

Just last year, Joe, the movie-star chimp formerly housed at the facility, was transported to a haven facility after PETA put heavy pressure on animal officials to remove him from his small, isolated enclosure that was fenced in with tennis court fencing.

Joe also had no room to roam, but does now at the sanctuary he was transported to when the Mobile Zoo agreed to give him up before being forced to.

The zoo itself had more than 75 animals at its peaks ranging from bears, to tigers and lions as well as many monkeys and birds.

One of the most frequent citations the USDA marked the Mobile Zoo for was that only two paid employees took care of those 75-plus animals -- Hightower as well as manager Angela Enders.

Enders worked all day cleaning cages, feeding animals and trying to make it all work, but even with the rare volunteer help, the USDA investigators found dirty enclosures, spoiled food and inadequate housing.

With closure imminent as recently as a year ago, Enders and fans of the zoo tried to organize T-shirt fundraisers and other events to try to bring enclosures and equipment up to regulation, but they were not able to raise enough money.

Instead, they subsisted with donations of food from local grocery stores, donated PVC pipe and more tennis court fencing and cinder blocks for enclosures.

Another repeated violation was that the USDA found rotted food in a refrigerator that had maintenance issues, and rotted meat in the enclosures with the lions and tigers.

The roadside zoo corrected as many things as they were able to each report, cleaning the cages and trying to build up enclosures, but ultimately with a short staff, they were forced to close down after their license was revoked late last year.

A new animal control investigation began in late February.

Since Hightower owned the animals, not all of them were immediately seized and taken, but this new arrest signals that the investigation into the facility found that conditions were not adequately improved for Hightower to keep the animals.

News 5 will have more on this story as we learn more.
The following are animals that have already been removed from the zoo property:
Since Animal Control Initial Investigation on February 21, 2017:

Belgian Draft horse - euthanized by veterinarian due to severe conditions & inability to transport

Paint Horse - sold / rehomed to private citizen (identity known, but not provided by Zoo staff)

Shetland Pony - sold / rehomed to private citizen (identity known, but not provided by Zoo staff)

(x3) Donkeys - sold / rehomed to private citizen (identity known, but not provided by Zoo staff))

(x2) Rhesus Macaque monkeys - rehomed to a private citizen

(x2) Ring-tailed Lemurs - rehomed to a private citizen

American Alligator - removed by Wes Moore of Alligator Alley (Summerdale, AL)

(x9) exotic Birds (parrots, macaws, cockatoo, conures) - confiscated by MCAC, fostered by South Alabama Caged Bird Society

(x5) African spur-thighed Tortoises - confiscated by MCAC, fostered by Chaos & Critters Animal Rescue

The following are animals that have rescues or facilities waiting to remove them; waiting on legal paperwork or approval from the owner:

(x3) American black bears - Wildlife Sanctuary (Colorado), waiting on veterinarian to sign off for approval to transport out of state

(x2) Bobcats - Wildlife Sanctuary (Colorado) OR Big Cat Rescue (Tampa, FL), waiting on veterinarian to sign off for approval to transport out of state

Serval - Big Cat Rescue (Tampa, FL)

Ostrich - Wildlife Sanctuary (Colorado)

Spectacled Caiman - Rainforest Adventures (Pigeon Forge, TN)

Longhorn Steer - waiting on a buyer to come transport

(x7) European Red Deer - waiting on veterinarian to sign off for approval to transport out of state

The following are animals with no current rescue or facility ready to accept at this time:

Raccoon

(x3) Llamas

(x2) European river Hogs

Razorback hog

Wolf Hybrid

Editor's note: A previous version of this story mentions an animal organization in Missouri that rehomed three tigers and two leopards. A representative said they had not taken any animals from the Mobile Zoo property.

UPDATE: March 21st, 2017

A county spokesman offered this explanation about the mix-up in which refuge certain animals were sent.

Correction: Three tigers and two leopards were moved from the Mobile Zoo to Lazy L Farms, an animal sanctuary in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was previously reported that the big cats were moved to the Lazy L Safari Park in Missouri. The move happened in mid-January before Mobile County Animal Control became involved in the placement of the zoo animals. There was a misunderstanding in the reporting of the sanctuary's name from the zoo to Animal Control. Lazy L Farms in Mississippi is not open to the public.

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BREAKING: Mobile Zoo Owner Arrested for Animal Cruelty

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WILMER, AL (WKRG) -- The former owner of the Mobile Zoo has been arrested and charged with 28 counts of animal cruelty. John Marks Hightower, 62, was booked into Mobile Metro Jail Thursday morning after being arrested by deputies.

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A new legislative proposal seeks to ban the sale of "puppy mill" animals in Will and DuPage counties. I hope it gives authorities the tools they need to protect defenseless animals.

I struggle to understand how puppy mills even exist. It's hard to imagine anyone villainous enough to support puppy mills. You'd think that like smallpox, people would work to eradicate puppy mills from the face of the earth.

Greedy breeders who peddle pups with kennel cough and other ailments are cartoonishly evil, like the Cruella de Vil character in Dodie Smith's 1956 book, "The Hundred and One Dalmatians."

Nearly everyone, its seems, hates puppy mills. It makes you wonder why they still exist.

Elected officials, no doubt, are generally decent people who favor humane treatment of animals. State legislators have favored laws that set standards for those who traffic in the sale of pets for profit.

State and local regulators are empowered to inspect facilities and issue fines if they discover violations. When criminal conditions exist, prosecutors have discretion to pursue punishments for offenders. When guilt is determined, judges can impose sentences that hopefully deter others from mistreating animals.

Still, helpless critters raised for profit are often found in cruel conditions, despite the best efforts of lawmakers, regulators and law enforcement.

Heartbreaking stories of animal cruelty are all too common. In early November, local volunteers rescued 52 animals from a home near Peotone. Paramedics responding to a medical emergency in late October discovered dozens of dogs living in squalid conditions.

Chicago Heights-based South Suburban Humane Society took possession of the animals after Will County authorities declared the home uninhabitable, The Daily Southtown reported at the time.

All the dogs were small, popular breeds that can fetch high prices when sold, including yorkies, dachshunds, chihuahuas and pugs. Many of the animals were malnourished, and some were partially blind. At least one dog died.

Sadly, authorities for years have documented reports of people mistreating animals being raised for profit. The Humane Society of the United States wrote in its 2014 report "101 Puppy Mills" about an Illinois operator who was caught keeping dogs in freezing conditions.

"After being told by state inspectors to move five beagles out of a barn that was too cold for them, the licensee had the animals euthanized instead, according to state records," the Humane Society said.

Advocates have been fighting for years on behalf of animals. An initiative called The Puppy Mill Project includes a website that tracks the progress of legislative and legal efforts.

About a year ago, the Animal Legal Defense Fund released its rankings of the best and worst states for protecting animals. The group ranked Illinois the No. 1 state in the nation - the best overall for animal protection.

State laws on the books include the Humane Care for Animals Act and the Animal Welfare Act. They provide hundreds of pages of sensible rules and regulations regarding the humane treatment of animals.

"No dog dealer, kennel operator, or cattery operator shall separate a puppy or kitten from its mother, for the purpose of sale, until such puppy or kitten has attained the age of eight weeks," states Section 2.2 of the Animal Welfare Act.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is empowered to inspect kennels and to field complaints and tips about potential puppy mill violators. Animal welfare activists have tracked the department's enforcement actions.

The latest legislative proposal could affect operations at some Southland pet stores. The measure was announced Friday during an event in Naperville by state Sen. Michael Connelly, R-Lisle. Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow was among elected officials present for the announcement.

If approved, the law would require that stores in DuPage and Will counties sell only dogs, cats and rabbits obtained from shelters, rescue organizations and pounds. Store sales of animals obtained from commercial breeders would be banned.

Supporters say they're preparing for a fight, and that passing the legislation won't be easy. Breeders, pet-shop owners and other members of the so-called "puppy mill lobby" have fought some rules in court.

A federal lawsuit challenged a Chicago ordinance that took effect in 2015 and banned the sale of pets from large commercial breeders. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in September upheld dismissal of the suit and affirmed Chicago's right to enforce the ordinance.

"The city acted to address concerns that Chicago pet stores were sourcing their animals from puppy mills, which have developed a notorious reputation for everything from poor living conditions to inbreeding," The Chicago Tribune reported.

I'm guessing the latest legislative proposal won't be the last word on the topic. Lawmakers have near-unanimous public support on this issue, yet obstacles remain.

The puppy-mill lobby tried to sneak through a legislative amendment that would have swept aside ordinances in Chicago, Cook County and other "home rule" jurisdictions, the Tribune noted in a March editorial.

"The statewide rules that would supersede the local ordinances would do little to ensure that pets come from reputable breeders," the editorial said. "They'd require pet store operators to check the breeder's latest inspection report posted online by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The USDA doesn't have the resources to inspect dog breeders adequately and doesn't currently maintain an online search tool anyway, but never mind: If the report is unavailable, the bill says, the pet store operator is off the hook."

I applaud state lawmakers for earning "best in show" marks from animal rights advocates. But in a state renowned for its financial woes, I encourage General Assembly members to provide inspectors and regulators with sufficient budget resources to enforce existing animal-welfare laws.

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Slowik: Everyone hates puppy mills, so why do they still exist?

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A new legislative proposal seeks to ban the sale of "puppy mill" animals in Will and DuPage counties. I hope it gives authorities the tools they need to protect defenseless animals. I struggle to understand how puppy mills even exist. It's hard to imagine anyone villainous enough to support puppy mills.