Advocates and voters helped deliver several key victories for animals in November’s election, including a prohibition on pet store bird sales, foie gras bans, and the defeat of an amendment that opponents warned could undermine wildlife protections.
Lemon Grove Voters Reject Commercial Bird Sales
Residents in Lemon Grove, California, struck a blow against the commercial bird trade by approving Measure E, a citizen-led initiative that ends the retail sale of birds in pet stores while allowing shops to host adoptions through qualifying shelters and rescue organizations.
Birds sold in the pet trade can come from high-volume breeding operations, also known as bird mills, or can even be the result of wildlife trafficking. These birds often face lives of confinement, isolation, and neglect, with many engaging in stress-related self-harm or being surrendered to shelters when their complex needs can’t be met. These intelligent, social animals deserve far better than to be treated as merchandise.
Making this triumph even sweeter, Lady Freethinker supporters helped bring the proposal to the ballot by funding a grant that supported Strategic Action for Animals’ work to knock on doors, rally neighbors, and gather the required signatures.
Representative Image (vittaliya/Adobe Stock)
Colorado Voters Block Effort to Enshrine Hunting and Fishing Rights
Colorado scored another victory for animals by rejecting Amendment 83, which would have established a constitutional right to hunt and fish and prioritized killing over humane methods of wildlife management.
Governor Jared Polis warned that, if passed, the amendment could have even revived banned practices, including “steel-jawed leghold traps, strangulating snares, poison bait, and wildlife killing contests.”
Hunting and trapping can inflict immense suffering on wild animals — leaving them gravely wounded or trapped in agony as they slowly die. Mislaid or forgotten leghold traps can have devastating consequences for companion animals, too. No animal should be subjected to such harm.
Representative Image (Lisa Kim/Adobe Stock)
D.C. and Denver Voters Take a Stand Against Foie Gras Cruelty
In a major win for ducks and geese, Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, approved bans on force-feeding birds to enlarge their livers and on the commercial sale and distribution of products made through the practice, including foie gras.
The measures also prohibit importing these products for commercial purposes and establish penalties ranging from fines to business license suspensions for repeated violations.
Ducks and geese exploited for foie gras endure horrific suffering, with tubes repeatedly forced down their throats to pump enormous amounts of food into their stomachs. This cruel practice leaves them with swollen, diseased livers and can even make breathing and walking difficult.
D.C. and Denver are the latest in a growing list of cities across the country that have banned foie gras, prioritizing animal welfare over luxury food products.
Representative Image (idambeer/Adobe Stock)
While much work remains to protect animals from abuse and exploitation, this progress offers hope for a kinder future. Lady Freethinker thanks the voters, advocates, and supporters whose efforts helped make these wins possible.
