Animals news

• Karl Garside obituary

  06-08-2025 17:15
  My friend Karl Garside, who has died aged 59 of heart disease, was an Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activist, hunt saboteur and animal rights investigator. Across four decades of direct action he was involved in more operations claimed by the ALF than any other individual, making him Britain’s most prolific ALF activist.Karl was born in Birkenhead in Merseyside to Sheila (nee Morton), an office worker, and David Garside, an electrical engineer. The family settled in Altrincham in Cheshire
  
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• With numbers of abandoned cats soaring, we somehow found ourselves with 11

  26-12-2025 12:00
  How our two-bedroom terrace become something of a cat rescue centre is illustration of nationwide crisisHow many cats is too many cats? I can’t tell you exactly, but a couple of weeks ago, I had 11 cats living in my terrace house. And I can say with confidence this is absolutely, definitely too many.At time of writing, I still have seven. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: Little rituals to help sparrows and wrens | Paul Evans

  26-12-2025 06:30
  The Marches, Shropshire: Boxing Day has its own more violent customs between humans and animals. That’s not the world I choose to live inThe sparrows are a shuffling, chirruping shadow in the bushes, a static of anticipation. They are waiting for food, calling for it. They have not forgotten what the poet Emily Dickinson describes, in her poem Victory Comes Late, as “God keeps his oath to sparrows, / Who of little love / Know how to starve!” However, sparrows do seem to live in
  
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• The Guardian view on animal welfare: a timely reminder that cruelty is wrong | Editorial

  23-12-2025 19:25
  New protections for hares, and more humane conditions on farms, should be welcomed by allLooking after wildlife and improving the lives of farm animals and pets are the related but distinct aims of the government’s new animal welfare strategy for England. Its launch is timely: more than 1 billion chickens and around 8 million turkeys are reared each year – with many of the latter slaughtered in the run-up to Christmas. Winter is also peak season for pet abandonments, with animal char
  
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• Boiling lobsters alive to be banned in England amid animal cruelty crackdown

  22-12-2025 19:31
  Move is part of a long-awaited Labour strategy including outlawing hen cages and ending puppy farmingBoiling lobsters while they are alive and conscious will be banned as part of a government strategy to improve animal welfare in England.Government ministers say that “live boiling is not an acceptable killing method” for crustaceans and alternative guidance will be published. Continue reading...
  
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• More than 75% of Labour, Lib Dem and Green voters think PM should open talks on joining EU customs union – as it happened

  22-12-2025 18:02
  YouGov poll for the Times suggests even 40% of Conservative voters support such a moveWes Streeting, the health secretary, used an interview with the Observer published at the weekend to suggest that he favours joining a customs union with the EU. This is something that Keir Starmer has ruled out.But Labour supporters back Streeting on this. According to YouGov polling for the Times, 80% of people who voted Labour at the last general election say a future leader should open negotiations on joini
  
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• LAWS welcomes Labour’s Animal Welfare Strategy

  22-12-2025 12:24 via labouranimalwelfaresociety.org.uk
  Labour Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) welcomes today’s publication of Defra’s new Animal Welfare Strategy, which the government says will deliver the most ambitious animal welfare reforms in a generation, improving protections for pets, farmed animals and wildlife.The strategy sets a clear direction of travel away from outdated and harmful practices, and it reflects strong public expectations for real change for animals.Key commitments in the Strategy include:Companion animals (pets)
  
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• ‘It’s upset us all’: New Forest residents unnerved by man leaving animal carcasses by churches

  22-12-2025 07:00
  Case of man who apparently targeted Christians is latest in series of incidents in Hampshire of animal remains being dumped The people of the New Forest are accustomed to curious goings-on. The woods and heaths of the national park in southern England are the setting for all manner of tales of witches, pixies, cursed souls and rituals, and, even today, are a magnet for those fascinated by the otherworldly.But residents are aghast at the case of a local man who hit the headlines after admitting d
  
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• Hen cages and pig farrowing crates to be outlawed in England

  22-12-2025 07:00
  Humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish and end to puppy farming also in new package of animal welfare lawsCaged hens will be a thing of the past in England, the government has announced, as it launches a package of new animal welfare laws.Pig farrowing crates, which campaigners have said are cruel, will also be banned under the welfare changes. These cramped crates are used to stop pigs from rolling over and crushing their young, but once in them sows cannot turn over or move around at al
  
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• Do prawns feel pain? Why scientists are urging a rethink of Australia’s favoured festive food

  21-12-2025 15:00
  Studies show crustaceans can learn, remember, solve problems and form relationshipsMore summer essentialsSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereCrustaceans are a festive season staple for many families, particularly in Australia where an estimated 18.5m kilograms of prawns and more than 150,000 lobsters are eaten over Christmas and new year.Globally, trillions are caught and consumed each year. Australia is a major producer, with prawn, lobst
  
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• US military to stop shooting live animals to train medics for the battlefield

  20-12-2025 15:12
  Defense department will still allow stabbing and burning, and ‘weapon wounding’ on animals to test weaponsThe US military will stop its practice of shooting pigs and goats to help prepare medics for treating wounded troops in a combat zone, ending an exercise made obsolete by simulators that mimic battlefield injuries.The prohibition on “live fire” training that includes animals is part of this year’s annual defense bill, although other uses of animals for wartime t
  
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• Shooting hares in England to be banned for most of the year

  20-12-2025 08:00
  Exclusive: Ministers also expected to announce trail-hunting ban in sweeping changes to animal welfare lawShooting hares in England will be banned for most of the year as part of sweeping changes to animal welfare law.At the moment, it is legal to shoot the animals during their breeding season, with pregnant hares left to bleed out, and leverets – their young – often orphaned as a result. Continue reading...
  
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• Rudolph at the Christmas market: cute festive attraction or damaging reindeer’s health?

  10-12-2025 15:33
  Keeping reindeer in pens for public enjoyment can cause them physical and mental harm, charities warnWith their fluffy coats, big brown eyes and reputation as Santa’s helpers, reindeer are a common and popular attraction at Christmas markets around the UK.But being stuck in a pen and approached by hordes of adoring fans is harming the mental and physical health of Rudolph and his brethren, animal charities have warned. Continue reading...
  
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• Retired greyhounds to continue to be rehomed overseas despite ‘distressing and sometimes fatal’ outcomes

  09-12-2025 06:33
  Independent review calls for sweeping restructure of NSW’s greyhound racing industry but government rejects key recommendations Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRetired New South Wales greyhounds will continue to be rehomed overseas despite an independent review of the racing industry finding the practice is “distressing and sometimes fatal”.The state government has also rejected a recommendation to
  
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• An animal rights activist was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for 15 years. Will he be returned to the US?

  07-12-2025 14:00
  Daniel Andreas San Diego, now 47, is fighting extradition from the UK amid accusations he set off three pipe bombs in 2003Twenty-two years ago, a dark-haired, bespectacled young man vanished off the streets of San Francisco. Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 25-year-old information technology specialist, diehard vegan and animal rights activist, was the FBI’s main suspect in a series of pipe bombings that exploded in front of the headquarters of Chiron Corporation and Shaklee Corporation, two Ba
  
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• US student who took four chickens after breaking into slaughterhouse sentenced to 90 days in jail

  05-12-2025 02:20
  Zoe Rosenberg, 23, studying at UC Berkeley, had said it was a ‘rescue’ and ‘will not apologize’ for her actionsA California student has been sentenced to 90 days in jail after breaking into a Petaluma poultry slaughterhouse and taking four chickens in an effort she called a “rescue”.Zoe Rosenberg, a 23-year-old student at the University of California, Berkeley, was convicted of felony conspiracy and three misdemeanor counts in October. On Wednesday, a judge se
  
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• Cuddling capybaras and ogling otters: the problem with animal cafes in Asia

  27-11-2025 07:00
  A boom in places offering petting sessions is linked to a rise in the illegal movement of exotic and endangered species, say expertsThe second floor of an unassuming office building in central Bangkok is a strange place to encounter the world’s largest rodent. Yet here, inside a small enclosure with a shallow pool, three capybaras are at the disposal of dozens of paying customers – all clamouring for a selfie. As people eagerly thrust leafy snacks toward the nonchalant-looking animal
  
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• Dog and cat abandonment soars in UK as owners struggle with cost of living

  20-11-2025 01:01
  RSPCA says pet abandonments in England and Wales rose by almost 25% in 2025 compared with 2024There is an “epidemic” of dogs, cats and other pets being abandoned as owners struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis, the UK’s largest animal welfare charity has said.The RSPCA said abandonments in England and Wales had risen by almost 25% in 2025 compared with last year, reaching their highest rate for at least five years. Continue reading...
  
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• UK introduces voluntary health assessment for flat-faced dog breeds

  18-11-2025 18:41
  Breeders welcome initiative from all-party parliamentary group on animal welfare, but question its usefulness With their huge eyes, large heads and tiny snub noses, the public perception of flat-faced dogs as “cute” and “infant-like” has driven demand over recent years.Film, TV and the greetings card industries have long capitalised on this anthropomorphism, attracting criticism from animal welfare campaigners who highlight the painful health disorders experienced by the
  
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• ‘Are they going to eat me alive?’: trail runners become prey in newest form of hunting

  15-11-2025 14:00
  Nervous reporter is chased across English countryside by baying bloodhounds, in what could soon be only legal way to hunt with dogsWould you like to be chased by a pack of hounds? It’s a question often put to highlight the cruelty of hunting, because the answer would seem to be no. Or so you would think.Yet increasing numbers of people are volunteering to be chased across the countryside by baying bloodhounds in what could soon be the only legal way to hunt with dogs in England and Wales,
  
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• MPs call for release of 15 penguins ‘trapped’ at London aquarium

  11-11-2025 20:41
  Cross-party group wants environment secretary to urgently examine moving the birds to a facility ‘better aligned with their needs’A group of 75 MPs are calling for the release of 15 penguins “trapped” in a small enclosure “without sunlight or fresh air” at the Sea Life London Aquarium.Housing the 15 gentoo penguins at the attraction on the South Bank was “un-British”, said the leader of the campaign. Continue reading...
  
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• Life or death in Joseph Wright’s 1768 painting | Letter

  11-11-2025 18:31
  Harriet Monkhouse responds to a review of the National Gallery exhibition that includes An Experiment on a Bird in the Air PumpRe Jonathan Jones’s review of the Joseph Wright of Derby exhibition at the National Gallery, and his 1768 painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (Wright of Derby: From the Shadows review – science, skeletons and a suffocated cockatoo, 4 November), the good news is that the bird probably doesn’t die after all.An episode of Radio 4’s
  
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• UK minister unveils plan to cut animal testing through greater use of AI

  11-11-2025 10:34
  New funding for researchers and streamlined regulation part of roadmap for phasing out use of animals in scienceAnimal testing in science would be phased out faster under a new plan to increase the use of artificial intelligence and 3D bioprinted human tissues, a UK minister has said.The roadmap unveiled by the science minister, Patrick Vallance, backs replacing certain animal tests that are still used where necessary to determine the safety of products such as life-saving vaccines and the impac
  
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• ‘Too far? I don’t think we’ve gone far enough!’ The founder of Peta on gruesome stunts and her bloody fight for animal rights

  09-11-2025 13:00
  After 45 years as chief fake blood thrower, Ingrid Newkirk is still waging war on everything from leather to cashmere. Is she still relevant?Ingrid Newkirk was 54 when she thought she was going to die in a plane crash. It was late summer and the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) was flying from Minneapolis in the US to the company HQ in Norfolk, Virginia when her plane encountered strong wind shear. The pilot attempted an emergency landing, but failed; back up they we
  
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• Newmarket horse owner receives notice of complaint over ‘constant neighing’

  07-11-2025 18:36
  Local council contacts Mandy Young about animals she kept at her home 10 miles from famous racecourseIt is known as the “headquarters of horse racing”, with its equine heritage stretching to the 17th century. But one resident near Newmarket has apparently had enough – and complained to the local council about the neighing horses.Mandy Young, a horse owner based about 10 miles from the racecourse, said she received a notice of the complaint in the post and was told it was linked
  
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• Going to the Dogs review – lovable canines at the heart of a sport in decline

  06-11-2025 08:00
  Documentary examines British greyhound racing with affection and respect but doesn’t shy away from the opposing views of animal rights activists At one point in this documentary about greyhound racing, an interviewee describes it as a fundamentally working-class sport, and it’s hard to argue with that. And like so many British working-class pleasures and pursuits, shifting tastes and the relentless march of gentrification have seen its popularity wane substantially since heydays past
  
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• More pets being abandoned in England as food and vet bills soar, say charities

  02-11-2025 14:19
  Firefighters report rise in rescue callouts as RSPCA says some who got pets during Covid have ‘realised it costs a lot more money than they want it to’Firefighter callouts for animal rescue have risen by more than a quarter in five years, figures show, as charities warn of a new wave of abandonment linked to the soaring costs of food and vet bills.The RSPCA received a record 22,503 abandonment reports last year, as the cost of vets and pet food surged dramatically. Figures from the O
  
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• US woman who ‘rescued’ four chickens found guilty of trespassing and conspiracy

  30-10-2025 00:08
  Zoe Rosenberg, 23, of San Francisco Bay Area does not deny taking animals, saying she was removing them from crueltyA San Francisco Bay Area woman has been found guilty of trespassing and conspiracy after she took four chickens from a processing plant in northern California, a spokesperson for a group representing her said.Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals but said she was rescuing them from a cruel situation. She faces more than five years in prison. Rosenberg and her attorneys
  
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• At least 174 racehorses died from racing or training injuries in past 12 months in Australia, report finds

  27-10-2025 21:00
  That’s the highest number recorded by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses since they began tracking deaths 10 years agoFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAt least 174 thoroughbred racehorses died at the track or as a result of injuries sustained while racing or training in the past 12 months – the highest number recorded by animal rights activists since they began tracking 10 years ago.The report
  
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• She took chickens from a slaughterhouse. Was it a rescue or a crime?

  24-10-2025 16:00
  Zoe Rosenberg, a California student, is on trial over a tactic that animal rights activists consider a moral imperative. Critics say it’s a threat to the food supplyOn a Monday afternoon in late September, Zoe Rosenberg, a 23-year-old University of California, Berkeley, student, emerged from a courtroom in Santa Rosa, California. Flanked by her lawyers, she moved briskly through the courthouse corridors, past more than 100 prospective jurors.Pinned to her black blazer was a tiny metallic c
  
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