Kentucky, North Dakota, Idaho, Mississippi and Iowa are the five best states in the country to be an animal abuser, according to a new report released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

ALDF's fifth annual report, the longest-running and most authoritative report of its kind, ranks each jurisdiction on the relative strength and comprehensiveness of their current animal protection laws.

Cal-Maine came under an international spotlight last month when an undercover investigation there revealed harrowing, clearly illegal conditions for chickens and a veritable breeding ground for human health threats.

Concerned residents of Travis County and Gonzales County, Texas, represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court in an effort to stop the horrific abuses to birds and the human health risks posed by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. -- the nation's largest egg supplier -- at its chicken-raising and egg production facility in Waelder, Texas.

Despite heightened public awareness, puppy mills continue to plague communities across the nation.

New law makes it a crime to sell crush videos.

Help protect animals from repeat abuse and bring justice to animal victims.

So Michael Vick played a great football game for the National Football League on Monday, November 15th. So do you think that the many animals Vick abused and tortured during his reign of terror at "Bad Newz Kennels," his interstate dog fighting ring, care about his athleticism?

Kristian Dennard Jackson & Decarlos Lashawn Young pled guilty today to animal killing/torturing and arson of real property.

The Senate, following the House, passed legislation on November 19th to ban the selling of videos that depict the abuse, mutilation, torture, and killing of animals.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Urges Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to Revoke Illegal Permit for "Tony" at Iberville Parish's Tiger Truck Stop

File under: another failed attempt at interspecies communication

After receiving more than 100 entries in our first ever Rescue "Tails" Photo Contest, we had the enormously difficult task of selecting only five finalists. While the public could only vote for one winner to be featured on ALDF's 2010 holiday card, we couldn't help but share a few of our favorites.

Citizens Urged to Take a Stand Against Dogfighting by Attending the Hearing, Demanding Justice

Michigan: Please Attend Wayne County Court Proceeding on Wednesday Morning, November 17th

Wayne County, Michigan
Case Closed

Decrepit County facility brought under fire

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has often reported on the connection between domestic violence and the connection to cruelty to animals. The word is spreading even more this month: "O" Magazine, the official magazine of Oprah Winfrey, featured a piece in its "Live Your Best Life" section entitled, "Shelter from the Storm."

Donate before November 30th and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar!

Were you ever that passionate? Were you ever that hopeful?

Turkish animal rights activists are seeking to criminalize the abuse of animals after collecting a record number of signatures for a petition campaign.

The Associated Press on September 16th reported that a man accused of dragging a "stubborn" horse alongside his truck has become the first person convicted by a Puerto Rico jury under an animal protection law enacted after dogs were thrown to their deaths from a bridge.

The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill Tuesday, October 12th, to create a law establishing a county registry for animal abuse offenders. Suffolk County is home to 1.5 million human residents and an untold number of animal residents.

1.5 Million New Yorkers and their Animals Will Have More Protection from Repeat Offenders

Nation's first animal abuser registry could be just around the corner.

Please contact the zoos in your state and ask them to document their policies on "animal loans" for you.

Despite the public's concern over wild horse roundups, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues to blaze forward with roundups across the western United States. Tragically, these roundups often result in the death of or injury to the horses they are said to protect.

Last night, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the language of S. 3841 through a substitute amendment to H.R. 5566 which will ban the sale of animal crush videos.

It's time for the U.S. Senate to act on anti-crush legislation. Contact your Senators today and ask them to support S. 3841!

New Jersey is considering S539, a state law that would strengthen the penalties associated with the crime of dogfighting and enable prosecutors to charge dogfighting ringleaders under New Jersey's RICO ("Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations") statute.

By passing SB 1345, the California legislature is allowing the import into the Golden State of kangaroo products for five more years, so that companies such as Adidas can legally sell soccer shoes made from kangaroos.

Crucial Legal Victory Awarded in Animal Legal Defense Fund's Case to Secure Horses' Permanent Safety from their Abuser

The link between animal cruelty and basic food safety.

ALDF files suit against BP to prevent the burning alive of endangered sea turtles.

GazetteXtra.com reports that because a Milton, WI, man has been accused of shooting a dog with a bow and arrow for essentially no reason at all, a state legislator has proposed a tougher law against pet assaults, making the type of crime allegedly committed a felony in the future, instead of a misdemeanor.

Suffolk County lawmakers have proposed a county registry that will keep animals away from abusers. If the law passes, Suffolk County will be the first municipality in the nation to have an Animal Abuser Registry.

Please send a letter to your senators and representatives through ALDF's website and ask them to join Senators Menendez, Durbin, and Lieberman and ALDF in amending this regulation to ensure accurate reporting about the real risks to animals shipped in cargo holds.

My trip to Australia has reminded me that the exploitation of other animals by human beings is not limited to one culture or one country. And, our duty is to speak up for the animals, even those outside our continental borders, as they will never have a voice unless and until we give them one.

Deprived of legal protection, animals are defenseless against exploitation and abuse by humans. Check out ALDF's 30-second public service announcement version of our "This Is Who We Are" video.

Current Regulations Ignore Deaths, Injuries to Animals Shipped by Puppy Mill Operators

When Katrina Sharman and I arrived in Perth to continue the Voiceless animal law lecture series, we had a few hours of free time. We decided to take a cab to Fremantle, where the shipping port is and where live animals, mainly sheep and cattle, are shipped overseas.

I want to introduce you to some very special beings. One is Marilyn Mills, who runs a sanctuary for kangaroos. The other special beings are the kangaroos she works so hard to protect.

Write a polite letter to the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services to oppose parole for this dogfighter, who is responsible for the suffering of many innocent animals in this violent bloodsport.

Charleston County, South Carolina
Case Closed

One of the big challenges is the plight of live animals exported by ship to other countries. This is a large industry in Australia. Each year, Australia exports 4 million live sheep to the Middle East and 1/2 million live cattle to Southeast Asia.

Earlier this week the New York Times published an editorial called "Disgusting but Not Illegal," which defends animal crush videos as free speech. Not only does the Times' editorial ignore the reality of these videos, but it also misreads the text of the new bill to ban their sale and distribution.

As I travel through Australia, I am meeting many fascinating and knowledgeable people. Marilyn Mills, of Wildlife Advocate, Inc., runs a sanctuary for kangaroos and described several of the kangaroos who have become treasured members of her extended family.

Check out ALDF's video about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars and suggestions for what you can do in your community to protect dogs from becoming "hot car" victims.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident" begins the famous line from the Declaration of Independence. I've got my own version: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that one and one is two, that the sky is blue, and that abused animals should not be returned to their abusers.

So I just returned from the Taking Action for Animals Conference in D.C. and have to say that one of the things that I enjoyed most was the banquet performance by Hal Sparks.

In response to recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Congress seeks to find a narrower road to protecting animals

Today, the Spanish region of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting, a cruel blood "sport" long entrenched in Spanish culture. The ban -- the first-ever in mainland Spain -- passed with a vote of 68 to 55, and will go into effect in January 2012.

Good news from Congress: last week, the House of Representatives voted 416-3 to pass the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010, which would prohibit the sale and distribution of crush videos in interstate and foreign commerce.

Have you ever felt so passionate about a social issue... yet when you explain your position to others, rather than igniting a similar passion their eyes just glaze over? Since I started learning about the plight of the three elephants at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo a year ago, I've experienced this frustration over and over again.

Sadly, the wild horse roundup in Nevada resumed yesterday despite the death of 21 horses and several others being treated for painful colic and brain swelling due to dehydration and exhaustion.

Help stop this massacre of America's wild horses!

Help stop this massacre of America's wild horses!

Due to South Dakota's consistent low rating in ALDF's annual State Animal Protection Laws Rankings, I read with interest a June 23, 2010 opinion that came down from the Supreme Court of South Dakota: State v. Fifteen Impounded Cats. While the Court's ultimate ruling is a desirable one, I take issue with the underlying reasoning used to get there.

In May 2010, at the Clinton County, New York home of Michael Malpass, police discovered six dead animals along with eighteen cats and three dogs suffering from severe neglect in conditions so filthy that the house was condemned.

Animal Legal Defense Fund Announces Temporary Reprieve for Wildlife Being Illegally Killed in Gulf Clean-Up Efforts

Today, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with several other groups, filed suit in federal court against BP for burning critically endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, in violation of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws.

Immediate Protection Sought for Wildlife Being Illegally Killed in Gulf Clean-Up Efforts

Urge the City of Seattle to stop funding the Woodland Park Zoo's cruel elephant exhibit.

Help win justice for Chai, Bamboo, Watoto and Sri by making a special donation and signing the petition today. Shamefully, the Woodland Park Zoo continues to use taxpayer money to exploit its elephants for profit while failing to provide them with adequate care. Together, we can stop this abuse.

Plaintiffs Protest Cruelty at the Zoo and the Use of City Funds to Support Facilities, Practices that Violate Animal Protection Laws

Clinton County, New York
Case Closed

Whether they are kept as pets, hunted for food, photographed by divers, farmed in hatcheries, experimented on in research, or admired in koi ponds, there is law to address the endeavor. The following are just a few examples of fish and their place in the law.

For a community to effectively address interpersonal violence, it must have tools which allow it to focus on the conduct of the abusers and not be distracted by the social status of the victims.

"Canine CSI? Advances in Investigating and Prosecuting Cruelty to Animals" discussed the latest tools attorneys have available to them when prosecuting animal cruelty cases, from DNA evidence to the data on the suspect's cell phone.

Pennsylvania is the last state to openly practice live pigeon shoots -- an archaic competition where live pigeons are used as shooting targets. Please help put an end to this cruel and barbaric event by contacting your Pennsylvania state legislators and asking them to support House Bill 1411 and Senate Bill 843.

We are delighted to celebrate Gracie's first birthday with you, our members and supporters - the very people who made Lacy and the other horses' rescue possible, and who named Gracie.

Ohio Residents: Take Action! Contact your senator through ALDF's website, and encourage him or her to support HB 70.

While in his last year at Chicago-Kent School of Law, Josh Grant, co-director of the school's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, wrote an in-depth article discussing Chicago's ban on foie gras.

Confrontation Clause Implications of Admitting Veterinary Records Under the "Business Records" Exception to the Rule Against Hearsay

Make a special Mother's Day gift to ALDF and honor all moms!

Contact your legislators, print posters, educate the public.

Email your representatives today.

Get the information you need to protect animals in your community.

Hialeah, Florida
Case Closed

Last year, Americans spent roughly $18 billion dollars on coffee—and virtually nothing to protect animals from some of the worst abuses imaginable. Is this who we are?

Please show your support for Louisiana's animal abuser registry bill! Call, write and/or attend the hearing for HB 201, scheduled for Thursday, April 29. Please act now!

Great news in California - the animal abuser registry bill was voted out of the Senate Public Safety Committee and is now heading to the Appropriations Committee!

What the Court's decision means for animals.

The United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the case of United States v. Stevens, a constitutional challenge to 18 U.S.C. § 48 ("Section 48"), the federal law that criminalized the sale of depictions of animal cruelty. The Court held that the law violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment and is therefore unenforceable.

On April 2, 2010, a jury found Allison Dinsmore not guilty of felony animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning her two cats for weeks, leaving them to die horrible deaths by starvation in her apartment.

In November 2008, Glynn Johnson, a former L.A. County assistant fire chief, picked up a rock and beat his neighbor's German shepherd puppy, Karley, so viciously that she later had to be euthanized. On January 26, 2010, Johnson was found guilty of felony animal cruelty and faced a maximum sentence of four years in prison. On April 2, he received instead a 90-day sentence and three years' probation for beating Karley.

Only two months after he was convicted for third degree felony assault in a different case, Joshua Ray Gordon, 18, of St. Louis County, Minnesota allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and severely beat a 12-week-old puppy named Griffin.

St. Louis County, Minnesota
Case Closed

NYPD cops prove to be pussycats with hearts of gold.

Since the Animal Legal Defense Fund launched our national abuser registry campaign on February 22 -- the same day California Senator Dean Florez announced an abuser registry bill for that state -- legislators from eight states have expressed interest in abuser registries, and Louisiana introduced its own offender registry bill.

In 1995, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and animal advocates in Oregon made tremendous improvements in the state's criminal anti-cruelty laws when they seized an opportunity presented by the confluence of two events.

Vikki Rene Kittles, also known as Susan Dietrich, Rene Depenbrock, and Lynn Zellan, has a history of animal hoarding that goes back decades and spans the United States from the Southeast to the Northwest.

Bill to make torturing cats and dogs a felony dies in the legislature.

In the world of animal crimes prosecutions, it is common knowledge that those who participate in the underground world of animal fighting have a very real and frequently indulged need to communicate about their illegal exploits.

As California's Senate Majority Leader, I take the job of protecting Californians and their animals very seriously. Experts have proven a strong correlation between violence against animals and incidents of domestic abuse. I believe we should have tough laws in place to protect both people and animals from violence.

Please visit ExposeAnimalAbusers.org and urge your state lawmakers to propose legislation for an animal abuser registry in your state.

Amy Slameka has been with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office since January 2001. She co-founded the Animal Protection Unit (APU) in 2008 with Rajesh Prasad. The APU is designed to combat the underground criminal community that breeds, trains, houses and sells fighting animals.

Ron Beggs is a fifteen year veteran of the Dearborn, Michigan Police Department. Ron was the detective-in-charge of the investigation into alleged animal hoarder Kenneth Lang Jr. who was found to have over 100 live and 150 deceased Chihuahuas in his home.

Tammy Somers joined the Office of the Indiana Attorney General in October of 2008 as a Deputy Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division. The Attorney General's Office shut down a puppy mill and removed 74 dogs and four horses, and then shut down a second mill, rescuing nearly 300 dogs.