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Writer's pictureDon Lichterman
Mar 11, 20218 min read

COVID Relief Bill, Big Cat, Santa Anita & Animal & Wildlife Welfare Show is now playing at Sunset TV

The Following topics are shown at Sunset TV on this week's Animal & Wildlife Report Show!
Animal & Wildlife in COVID Relief Bill

The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package passed by Congress on March 10 includes provisions for animals, according to the Humane Society for the United States (HSUS). Certain outlines within the bill improve surveillance and trade protections for animals.

President Biden is expected to sign the bill once it lands on his desk.

According to HSUS, these are the specific animal welfare-related activities included in the bill:

  • $300 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture monitoring and surveillance of animals susceptible to the virus.

  • $95 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for activities to proactively prevent pandemic spread by wildlife and crackdown on wildlife trafficking, including endangered and at-risk species.

  • Of this, $20 million would go toward wildlife inspections, interdictions, and investigations, as well as related activities to address wildlife trafficking;

  • $30 million would be allocated for the care of captive species listed under the Endangered Species Act, rescued and confiscated wildlife, and federal trust species living in facilities that have lost revenue due to the pandemic;

  • $45 million would go toward strengthening early detection, rapid response, and science-based management for wildlife disease outbreaks before they become pandemics, and expand capacity for early detection of zoonotic diseases that might jump the species barrier in the United States.

  • $10 million for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development for certain COVID-19 prevention, preparation, and response activities, including vaccinations, economic and food security stabilization, and disaster relief. These activities can also include zoonotic disease monitoring and surveillance. Congress is now considering the Preventing Future Pandemics Act (H.R. 151/ S. 37) (H.R. 151/ S. 37) which would bolster similar USAID and State Department programs to address the threats and causes of zoonotic disease outbreaks.

“The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is primarily designed to provide relief to the American people, protect them from further risks of infection, and prevent additional suffering, death, and economic losses stemming from the pandemic. We are excited that members of Congress, at our urging, also acknowledged the close link between public health and animal welfare by allocating millions of dollars to properly regulate or restrict businesses and trades that exploit animals most susceptible to contracting and spreading diseases. This includes the wildlife trade, in which millions of wild animals, including endangered and at-risk species, suffer every year, and mink fur farms. Since the onset of the pandemic last year, nearly 20 million mink have been gassed to death globally on infected fur farms,” Kitty Block and Sara Amundson wrote in their blog on the relief package.

Sign this petition calling for an end to fur farms in the United States.

Big Cats

"Tiger King" brought the cruel realities of big cat exploitation to the public eye. Behind the drama of the show, big cats were treated like unfeeling property and forced to interact with the public. The owners of big cats often do not provide proper veterinary care, nutrition, housing or behavioral enrichment. They then go on to breed more animals who continue this vicious cycle, while the ones who’ve grown too large for customer encounters are discarded, often sold as pets. The Big Cat Public Safety Act will stop this.


The Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263) will prohibit physical contact between big cats of any age and the public and will ban the possession of these animals as pets. Lions, tigers and other big cats deserve better than small cages and empty lives. They're meant to roam in the wild, free to live their natural lives. These animals are not entertainers for the public, nor are they companion animals suited to life as pets.


Another Horse Dies At Santa Anita Race Track, The 11th Since Late December - a Brakkton Booker Post and Article...

Horses run in the fourth race at Santa Anita Park in front of empty stands, Saturday, March 14 in Arcadia, Calif. Racing at the facility has been suspended since March 27 because of the coronavirus.

The racehorse M C Hamster was injured during a three-furlong workout along the dirt track at Santa Anita Park this week, fracturing a front left ankle. She was later euthanized. In a vacuum, this would be a sad event.

But given the Arcadia, Calif., racetrack's recent history, the four-year-old filly's death becomes all the more appalling.

M C Hamster's death is the 11th horse fatality at the track since racing began in late December, according to the Associated Press. The news service also reports the injury happened on just the second day of training has been allowed at the track since last week because of rain. As NPR has reported there were at least 49 equine deaths at the prominent Southern California racetrack between July 2018 and June 2019. Of those the vast majority of them, 39, were disastrous breakdowns while training or in the midst of a race.

Messages left by NPR for Santa Anita officials were not immediately answered. An email and phone message left at Hansen Racing, which trained M C Hamster have not yet been returned.

Santa Anita has been closed for racing since March 27, following a directive from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, citing the coronavirus. The facility was permitted to remain open for training if weather permitted, the Los Angeles Times reports. The paper also notes that M C Hamster's last race was a fifth-place finish at Turf Paradise in Arizona on Feb. 24. "Since that race, she worked twice at Turf Paradise and was moved to Santa Anita, where she worked four furlongs March 30 and had the second fastest time of 63 horses at that distance. On Wednesday, her time of 35.20 seconds was the fastest of 35 horses going three furlongs," the LA Times said.

The paper also said track officials are scheduled to meet with the local Health Department over the weekend to see about reopening the track for racing, but without fans.

The L.A. District Attorney's office in December issued a 17-page report on the horse deaths at Santa Anita. It made dozens of recommendations to improve safety at the track and to identify preexisting conditions in racehorses.

But ultimately the D.A.'s office found no wrongdoing on the part track officials.

"After a thorough investigation and review of the evidence, the District Attorney's Task Force did not find evidence of criminal animal cruelty or unlawful conduct relating to the equine fatalities at Santa Anita Park," the report.

The Great Farm Sanctuary Tour

Go on a live virtual tour of 10 farmed animal sanctuaries (including Animal Place!) from New York to Hawaii all in one day! The event takes place this Sunday, February 14th. Enter to win prizes and see amazing rescued animals from all over the country in the comfort of your home. There's no better way to feel the love this Valentine's Day! You’ll only need one ticket per household/viewing device! This means your entire household can join the fun for the price of one! Register now!

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

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