ACTION NEEDED: Help Wildlife in MA—Support H. 4131
Did you know that Massachusetts is 1 of only 2 states that are not members of the nationwide law enforcement network, known as the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact? As a non-member, our state does not benefit from the network that tracks violators who have lost their hunting, trapping, or fishing privileges in member states from coming to Massachusetts to circumvent their license revocations. This loophole makes it easier for poachers to engage in this activity in Massachusetts.
Ask your state representative to support H. 4131, a bill that would elevate state penalties for illegal hunting and enter the Commonwealth into this Compact. Follow up your call with an email! H. 4131 recently advanced and is now being reviewed in House Ways and Means. Learn more about this bill.
Want to see MSPCA Advocacy in Action? Get up close and personal with our team who work day and night to create policy and legislation to protect animals in Massachusetts. Watch the video now!
Rally at the State House: End Exotic Animals in Traveling Shows
We joined animal protection organizations on the steps of the State House to speak out against traveling acts that use exotic animals. Advocates attended with signs showing support for the bills, reminding the public that this exploitation happens right here in Massachusetts. This event came a little over a month after the tragic death of Beulah, the elephant forced to perform in traveling shows for decades, and who died during the Big E Fair, where she was exhibited.
Elizabeth Magner, our Animal Advocacy Specialist, said, “Despite the evidence that these acts inflict significant suffering on animals and put public health at risk, such shows still perform here every year in the Commonwealth.” Learn more about this legislation and how to help pass it into law.
Holiday tips for Pet Owners: Thanksgiving, and the holidays that follow, come with a host of pet hazards—mostly in the form of ingested substances that can be harmful or fatal to our pets. Learn how to keep your pet safe this holiday season!
Advanced Advocacy Seminar at Nevins Farm
This month, we hosted an Advanced Advocacy Seminar at our Nevins Farm in Methuen. The seminar focused on passing municipal laws to protect animals, and featured speaker Martha Sanders, who shared a deep dive into her experience leading the successful effort this spring to prohibit the use of certain exotic animals in traveling shows in Topsfield.
Attendees came away better equipped and even more inspired to take action in their local communities to protect animals. Learn more about Martha’s effort and find the tools to learn how you can do the same.
Great news! On Wednesday night, Mendon became the 11th municipality in Massachusetts to ban exotic animals in traveling shows! This achievement is due to the Mendon residents who organized and educated their neighbors on the neglect and abuse traveling exotic animals face, and the public safety concerns they create. If you are interested in passing a municipal law in your community, send us an email!
Did you know? The Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation has been a key participant in the MSPCA’s work to demonstrate humane resolutions to wildlife conflicts, change perceptions, and encourage peaceful co-existence with wild neighbors. Thanks to a grant from the Foundation, we have assisted with the installation of water flow devices to humanely, non-lethally, and ecologically mitigate beaver-related flooding in the Berkshires, as well as Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire counties. Are you located in Western Massachusetts and have beaver-related conflicts? View our funding application here!
“What’s the Status?”
We are frequently asked the status of “in the news” legislation, or the status of a bill that someone is particularly interested in. This information is accessible on our webpage on state legislation. There you will find bills that we are currently working on for the 2019-2020 legislative session and be able to see the current status of a bill (whether it is in committee, in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, or on the Governor’s desk, etc.), the sponsors of that bill, and information about what the bill does. This page is regularly updated. To see if your senator or representative is a co-sponsor on certain pieces of legislation, check out the Animal Scorecard!
Nero’s Bills are out of committee! The legislation that allows emergency personnel to treat and transport injured operational working animals has been released favorably from the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. Learn more about Nero’s story and this legislation.