“Sadly, the stench of death overwhelmed the Kentucky Derby and its magnificent athletes on Saturday. Five horses perished in the past week at Churchill Downs. … Then, on the Derby undercard, two more died. Seven horses gone.” So begins a May 6 Associated Press article, in what has turned into an all-too-familiar refrain of eulogies for racehorses who died at the country’s most prominent racetrack. Year after year, news of “catastrophic injuries” and dying horses make the headlines — some of which play out in the public eye. In one notorious case in 2008, Eight Belles, [...]

This article was originally published in the Marin Independent Journal.  Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article on the availability of eggs in Bay Area grocery stores. The pun-laden piece interviewed customers and shared some of their theories as to why the shelves seemed emptier than usual. It ended with a quote from a customer who, when faced with only Just Egg’s plant-based egg scrambles, opted for wine instead. Yes, the chickens have come home to roost nationwide — if roost they could in a factory farm system that denies them even basic instincts — [...]

WildCare recently helped Marin Humane animal services officers free a dark-eyed junco from a sticky trap. Thirteen years ago, I had just moved into a large apartment complex in New Jersey. One evening, I peered underneath the bed to retrieve an item that had fallen and rolled out of sight. It was at that moment I spotted something that seemed completely out of place. I shrank away from the object in horror. Underneath my bed was a dead mouse stuck on a glue trap. After the initial shock, I vividly remember the guilt and [...]

This article was originally published in the Marin Independent Journal on January 18, 2021. A calf chained to a veal crate in the winter. (Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals) Is dairy farming cruel to cows? A recent essay by Andrew Jacobs in the New York Times asks an uncomfortable question. Contrary to the “happy cow” caricatures depicted in dairy industry advertising, these social and nurturing animals endure systematized suffering on factory farms. In recent years, the public discourse has continued to reflect a growing awareness — and concern — regarding farm animal welfare issues. More and [...]