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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.
With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News!
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U.S. Steps Up to Help White Rhinos Rebound From the Brink of Extinction
In response to the poaching crisis that continues to threaten rhinos, the U.S. has announced the southern white rhino will now be getting protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Four of the five rhino species still living in the wild–including the black, Sumatran, Indian and Javan rhinos–are already fully protected as endangered under the ESA.
Unfortunately for white rhinos, who live mainly in South Africa and have been left without protection and destructive genetic testing, it’s difficult or impossible to tell the difference between their horns and horn products with those that come from protected species. This loophole has allowed traffickers to get away with mislabeling products to avoid restrictions on sales and transport, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
Thanks to this move, white rhinos will be immediately protected under the “similarity of appearance” provision of the ESA, which is intended to “aid international law enforcement efforts to fight poaching and crack down on trafficking in rhino horn.” There will now be a total ban on importing products made from rhinos into the U.S., in addition to a ban on the sale or offer for sale in interstate commerce of white rhinos.
A female elephant calf has been born to the elephant Flying Squad in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park.
The calf’s mother is part of an elite team of critically endangered Sumatran elephants that help protect communities from conflict with wild elephants. Four births have been recorded since the squad was established by WWF and the Indonesia Ministry of Forests in 2004.
This Flying Squad consists of four trained adult elephants and eight elephant handlers called mahouts, which are deployed to drive wild elephants back into the forest when they stray into nearby villages or farms. As elephant habitat shrinks, the animals become more likely to raid crops for food.
Read the full story to learn more about the Flying Squad as a highly successful model for reducing conflict between people and elephants in a way that is safe for everyone
Victory! CA Governor Signs Law To Protect Mountain Lions
As a result of the public outcry that ensued after the unjustified and tragic shootings by wardens of an adult mountain lion and then later of two four-months old, merely 13-pound bobcat kittens, this landmark legislation is now in place to protect mountain lions in California.
This much-needed law prevents California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens from killing lions that venture into populated areas unless they pose an urgent public safety threat. It also authorizes the department to work with rescue and other nongovernmental groups in capturing, tranquilizing or relocating the animals. This teamwork between the agency and local experts is exactly what IDA advocated after the tragic shooting of a young male mountain lion in Santa Monica CA, in May of last year.
IDA sends a heartfelt thanks to their friends at the Mountain Lion Foundation, who guided these efforts, to Senator Jerry Hill, who introduced this important legislation, and equally importantly, to all the CA supporters, who signed IDA's alert and helped make this legislation to protect mountain lions a reality!
Good News: Help for the Greater sage-grouse is on the way
It took nearly two years of legal wrangling, but it looks like the federal government is finally prepared to introduce emergency protections for Canada’s endangered Greater sage-grouse.
The announcement is a welcome breath of fresh air to a case that’s been mired in secrecy, delays and procedural roadblocks. In fact, our efforts may well have helped set another important legal precedent. To our knowledge, this is the first time Ottawa has explicitly stated its intention to introduce emergency protections for an endangered species.
IDA's Hope Animal Sanctuary Rescues Baking Dogs
On Thursday, August 29th, IDA-HAS received an urgent plea from the Coffeeville, MS Police Department asking for assistance for dogs confined in metal sheds in 101 degree weather. IDA-HAS Director Doll Stanley responded to the call.
Earlier in the day, Coffeeville PD officers had responded to a "dogs at large" report. Two young adult dogs had escaped from the yard where the other dogs were imperiled. The officers made the discovery when they attempted to meet with the property residents, who had been in court earlier in the year for non-compliance with an animal ordinance.
When Stanley arrived, officers had obtained a seizure order and the dogs were freed from the deplorable conditions they'd been kept in. Stanley will file cruelty charges and the Mississippi Animal Rescue League is aiding with the care of the dogs, one of whom had to be sedated for transport.
IDA India - Success With Dog and Cat Adoptions
The IDA India team has developed strategies for ensuring good adoptions of local stray dogs and cats, slowly learning over the years that foster care really works to keep small animals healthy and growing well under individual care. Most of the little ones thrive under foster care while receiving timely medical treatment and good nutrition, and they also adjust well to a home environment.
The team then goes all out for adoption. Charming pictures are posted, advertisements are published, helpful other non-governmental organizations and friends are contacted to try and get good homes for each dog or cat who is ready for his or her new guardian. Adoptions of our local dogs and cats show a definite upward trend, and this is what the IDA India team works for all the time.
Victory! New Rule Brings Internet Puppy Breeders under Federal Oversight
Every year, thousands of puppies are sold over the Internet and shipped to consumers like any other product. Websites advertising happy, healthy puppies commonly conceal a grim reality: They’re often fronts for puppy mills—large-scale, commercial breeding operations that rear dogs in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with complete disregard for the animals’ wellbeing.
All of this happens hidden from public view because outdated laws haven’t applied to Internet breeders. Until now.
Now, the USDA has stepped into the Internet age by issuing a rule that brings breeders selling animals to consumers sight-unseen under the regulatory umbrella of the Animal Welfare Act. That means for the first time, USDA inspectors will be laying eyes on animals who have been ignored for too long.
For more information about puppy mills and to see the conditions captured by USDA inspectors, please visit NoPetStorePuppies.com.
Goods News about Toxic Chemicals!
Earlier this month, industry giant Procter & Gamble promised to phase out triclosan and DEP (a phthalate) from products worldwide. Following that announcement, just last week Walmart U.S., the largest retailer in the United States, launched a “Policy on Sustainable Chemistry in Consumables” , laying out their plans to phase out key toxics and to improve ingredient disclosure.
In its announcement, Walmart U.S. committed to reducing or eliminating 10 chemicals in the products it sells and also for its suppliers to disclose the ingredients in their products. Suppliers will be required to provide online public ingredient disclosure by January 2015.
Both of these announcements happened because of the efforts of people like you. This is a sign that companies are listening.
Free the CBC Ad Campaign making waves!
The FRIENDS' Free the CBC campaign to deter Stephen Harper from abusing his new power in Bill C-60 (to take control of CBC journalists' working conditions) is working!
Paul Allen Research has demonstrated that the first volley of TV ads aired in August have been highly effective. One-in-five Canadian adults have already seen The Man Behind the Desk ad – and they get the message.
And Nanos Research has found that 81% of Canadians want CBC to remain free from political interference vs. only 12% who approve of what Harper was trying to sneak through in Bill C-60.
Israel Provides Incentives to Hire and Promote Women
Even though the amount of Israeli women in the workplace has been rising, women are still paid less than men, given mostly part time jobs, and are not given senior positions at the same rate as men. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has now made it his goal to strengthen the involvement of women in the Israeli workplace. He solidified this goal by passing a new law that will give incentives to employers who employ and promote women and will help parents better balance their work lives and home lives. The Committee for the Advancement of the Women in the Workplace approved these new regulations on Monday, taking a huge step in the country toward equalizing women’s rights in the workplace.
Yes on 522 Ad Airs on TV -- for the labelling of Genetically Engineered Foods
Goods new on the GMO Labelling food front! Check out the new ad and make sure everyone you know watches it by forwarding the link below to your friends in Washington..
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