August 2010

Heifer International Joins WSPA’s Growing “Animals Matter to Me” Community
Boston, Mass. – Joining more than 2.2 million people and organizations worldwide, Heifer International today signed on to support the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) “Animals Matter to Me” campaign – a movement to encourage changes in policies and legislation to improve animal welfare, worldwide. Read more >>


July 2010

Catalonian Parliament votes to abolish bullfighting in the region
Barcelona, Spain: The Catalonian Parliament has today voted in favor of amending the current animal protection legislation to abolish bullfighting in the region. The vote - passed with 68 MPs voting in favor of the ban, while 55 voted against it - is being hailed as a historical victory and vindication for Catalonian citizens who called on their Parliament to amend the legislation to include bulls in the animal protection law. Read more >>


WSPA hands over 140,000 signatures to the Catalonian Parliament in support of a popular initiative calling for an end to bullfighting in Catalonia
Barcelona, Spain: The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) today handed over a letter, signed by more than 140,000 supporters from 120 countries, to Ernest Benach, President of the Catalonian Parliament. The letter is addressed to all Catalonian Members of Parliament, expressing international support for the popular initiative (ILP) and calling for an end to bullfighting in Catalonia. Read more >>

Mounting support calling for the Catalonian Parliament to abolish bullfighting
Barcelona, Spain - A week before the Catalonian Parliament votes on whether to end bullfighting in Catalonia, national and international support calling for the abolition of bullfighting is intensifying. Read more >>

A six-month update: ARCH leads animal welfare efforts and accomplishments in Haiti
Boston, MA – Following the January 12 earthquake, a number of humanitarian organizations came to the aid of the Haitian people. But only one coalition took on the challenge of addressing the needs of the surviving animal population. The Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH,) which was formed just days after the quake by the World Society of the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW,) has treated more than 25,000 animals in the hardest-hit areas of the country. Read more >>

June 2010

Tragic day for humpback whales
Agadir, Morocco - The International Whaling Commission today buckled under pressure from Denmark when it narrowly approved a proposal for Greenland to hunt 9 humpback each year for the next three years, supposedly for subsistence use. The World Society for the Protection of Animals strongly condemns the move. Read more >>

The whales granted a reprieve at the International Whaling Commission
Agadir, Morocco –  After two days behind closed doors, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has failed to reach consensus on the future of whaling and therefore postponed a vote that could have seen an increase in commercial whaling quotas for the first time in 25 years. WSPA is happy that the whales have been given a reprieve and urge the IWC member states to use the “cooling off period” to consider the inherent cruelty of whaling. Read more >>


Animals matter to broadway star John Tartaglia
Boston, MA  --  Tony Award (Avenue Q) and Emmy Award (Johnny and the Sprites) nominated John Tartaglia, the creative force behind the current off-Broadway hit John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, has pledged his support to the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) “Animals Matter to Me” campaign. Read more >>


New footage of norwegian whaling shows why ban must remain in place
London, UK -- Appalling new footage released today by animal protection groups shows the brutal reality of whaling in Norway, and demonstrates why the international ban on commercial whaling must be enforced - not lifted. Read more >>

Ricky Gervais partners with WSPA to end bullfighting
Boston, MA  -- Today, actor, producer and writer Ricky Gervais has partnered with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to call for an end to the cruel practice of bullfighting, and urge tourists to stop supporting such brutality on their travels. Read more >>

May 2010

Animals matter to Tiffani Thiessen and Audrey Landers
Boston, MA -- Actress Tiffani Thiessen (“White Collar,” “Beverly Hills 90210”) and actress, singer and fashion designer Audrey Landers (“Burn Notice,” “Dallas”) have pledged their support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) “Animals Matter to Me” campaign. Their personal videos about why animals matter to them launched today at www.AnimalsMattertoMe.org, where other celebrities - including Simon Cowell and Leona Lewis - have already endorsed an international recognition to end animal cruelty and support animal welfare. Read more >>

Sit, stay and roll over laughing for the World Society for the Protection of Animals
Boston, MA/Universal City, CA -- Comedian Claude Stuart has assembled a lineup of fellow stand-up comedians for “Animals of Comedy,” a one-night-only special event to benefit the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club on Sunday, May 16, at 8:00 PM. Read more >>

New WSPA iPhone App puts humane food options in the hands of consumers
Boston, MA -- Trying to find humane food at your local grocery store or restaurant? There’s an app for that. Today, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) launched its first-ever iPhone application, Eat Humane Food Guide. The free app makes it quick and easy for consumers to find humanely-raised food products at grocery stores and restaurants - offering a simple, yet powerful way for them to help support the welfare of animals and the environment. Read more >>

April 2010

Disastrous proposal from IWC could harpoon commercial whaling ban
London, England - On April 22, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is set to publish a proposal which, reports suggest, would destroy the 24-year ban on commercial whaling. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is outraged by the plan, which fails to acknowledge the fundamental problem with commercial whaling: that it is inherently inhumane. Read more >>

Actress Tiffani Thiessen teams with WSPA to educate consumers on choosing humane foods
Boston, MA - Actress Tiffani Thiessen, who stars on the television series “White Collar,” has joined the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to help spread the word about the organization’s Eat Humane (EatHumane.org) campaign. Thiessen taped a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) for WSPA to educate the public about reading labels on meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products to see which ones signify that animals were raised humanely. The PSA will start running this month around the country; it can be seen starting today at www.EatHumane.org or www.wspa-usa.org. Read more >>

March 2010

Easter eggs that are better for animals and the environment
Boston, MA - With egg sales at a high this Easter holiday season, The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is asking consumers to choose eggs that come from animals who were humanely raised. This is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference for the welfare of animals and the environment. Read more >>

Animals matter to Simon Cowell
Boston, MA - Simon Cowell has pledged his support for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and its campaign to get international recognition for animal welfare. WSPA hopes that more people will follow Cowell’s lead and tell governments worldwide why animals matter to them - and to the world. Read more >>

Animal groups pledge $1.1M dollars for long-term animal relief efforts in Haiti
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - The Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) announced a $1.1 million-dollar agreement with the Haitian government aimed at improving animal welfare conditions and repairing the country’s damaged veterinary capacity in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of January 12. The coalition was formed by more than 20 of the world’s leading animal welfare groups and is jointly led by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Read more >>

November 2009

WSPA applauds humane restaurants in 15 U.S. cities
Boston, MA - As the holiday season approaches, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) announced this week the launch of an unprecedented database at EatHumane.org featuring over 150 restaurants in 15 U.S. cities. WSPA aims to help diners find restaurants that serve a variety of humanely raised meat and dairy products that have not been factory farmed, a method which has been linked to environmental issues. Read more >>

Tips from WSPA for a healthy and humane Thanksgiving Table
On Thanksgiving Day when Americans give thanks for the abundance of food on their table, they should also appreciate the global impact of what they are eating. Making humane choices when shopping for a turkey and other holiday groceries is a simple yet powerful way to make a difference, reports the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). Read more >>

October 2009

Leona says animals matter to her in new charity film
Top international singer Leona Lewis is backing the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, in a new campaign video launched today. Leona pledged her support for the charity's Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare campaign at a video and photo shoot at the Sony Music Entertainment offices in Kensington, England. She was joined by her family dog Misty for the photo shoot. Read more >>

September 2009

Celebrities join the World Society for the Protection of Animals to support World Animal Week
Actor Kellan Lutz (“Twilight”), actresses Kristin Davis, Christina Applegate, Tiffani Thiessen and supermodel Joanna Krupa (“Dancing with the Stars”) are among the stars teaming up with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to raise awareness about animal welfare issues during World Animal Week from October 4 to October 10, 2009. To show their support, the stars have signed the “Animals Matter to Me” petition endorsing a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, which urges the United Nations to adopt an international agreement on the welfare of animals. Read more >>

Animal protection groups outraged over Vegas bullfights
“Fiestas Patrias,” the first in a series of 2009 Las Vegas bloodless bullfights, is scheduled to take place today at the South Point Equestrian Complex & Arena amid protest from national and international animal protection organizations. Concerned over the stress and injuries incurred by the bulls as well as the event’s general promotion of bullfighting as a sport, The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and CAS International are among the groups protesting the fights hosted by The South Point Hotel & Casino and Don Bull Productions. Read more >>

August 2009

LUSH Cosmetics and WSPA partner to help endangered orangutans
LUSH Cosmetics has partnered with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, to protect the endangered orangutans of Borneo. Through the sale of a WSPA-branded LUSH Charity Pot in stores until early 2010, LUSH is supporting WSPA and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) to rescue, provide sanctuary, rehabilitate and release orangutans who have been displaced and injured by palm oil deforestation in Borneo. Read more >>

WSPA helps shoppers buy groceries
The World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) new searchable database at EatHumane.org makes it easier for conscientious consumers to shop for humanely-farmed food, which is healthier and more environmentally sustainable than industrially farmed alternatives. The online tool allows people to  search the top 25 U.S. grocery stores for dairy, eggs and meat based on animal welfare standards associated with labels like “cage free,” “free range” and “organic.”  WSPA’s goal is to help consumers decipher often confusing food labels and identify brands to help them make more ethical and socially responsible decisions. Read more >>

July 2009

British journalist attacked and arrested while covering Nambian seal hunt
A British investigative journalist and his South African cameraman have today been violently assaulted by seal hunters and arrested by police while documenting the controversial Namibian seal hunt. The incident happened in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Western Namibia. Read more >>

Where does your grocery store rank when it comes to humane products?
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, today released the results of a Humane Food Survey ranking the top 25 U.S. supermarket chains by annual sales. This is the second year WSPA conducted a survey of 200 stores in 34 states.  A comparison of results from 2008 to 2009 shows an impressive 23 percent increase in humane food offerings in stores. Read more >>