FWC: Be careful! Sea turtles laying eggs on Florida beaches from March through October

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking visitors to Florida beaches to be careful and watch out for sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs.  The nesting season starts this month and lasts through October.  Five different types of turtles nest on Florida shores, all of which are threatened or endangered.

Check out FWC's sea turtle nesting slideshow here.   For more information on sea turtles, go to MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle.

Law would allow sale of dyed animals

The Orlando Sentinel reports that one of the bills that passed late in the legislative session would overturn the current law that prevents the sale of animals that have been dyed.  The bills sponsor indicates in the article that the sale of bunnies and chicks that are days old was an unintended consequence of the bill.  Various animal groups have labeled the practice as animal cruelty and are urging the Governor to veto the measure.

Governor Rick Scott officially proclaims 4th Annual Florida Week for the Animals February 4-12, 2012

Hello everyone - and thank you for still checking in during my latest and longest hiatus from posting.  Florida Animal Law has continued to advance in leaps and bounds, even in the absence of posts.  I'm going to be adding new material soon, but wanted to send out the press release below and the website for a list of events.  Have a great Week for Animals!

Governor Rick Scott officially proclaims

4th Annual Florida Week for the Animals February 4-12, 2012!

(Tallahassee, FL) Governor Rick Scott has proclaimed Florida Week for the Animals that is designed to celebrate and build awareness on behalf of all animals, as well as recognize the organizations and citizens who support them. Florida Week for the Animals is bringing together educators, advocates, animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, businesses, students, artists and community leaders in an exciting week of community-building activities. Over 100 events will be featured.

The exciting week will feature awesome pet adoption festivals and events, pet therapy in hospitals, school/art displays and activities, veggie events, horse events, educational activities, bird watching/walking tours, kid’s art days, library and R.E.A.D. dog activities, blessings of the animals, book signings, low cost and free spay and neuter opportunities, volunteer appreciation days, meet and greet events, pet therapy in classrooms, salute to working/search & rescue K-9’s, Eglin Air Force thank you, sanctuary activities and much more!

All these events will shine the spotlight on the amazing animals and compassionate people of Florida who love them.  The week presents a unique opportunity to change the history for the animals by collectively coming together.

Precious lives which will be saved and communities will be transformed during this week through a wide variety of animal-related events and activities.  Special events are being scheduled and can be viewed on the website calendar, and more are being added regularly. If you would like to learn more, become involved, list an event, please call 877-454-0807 or visit the official website at http://www.floridaanimals.org/

Animal Law Forum - April 2 in Orlando at Barry Law School

Sorry for the another long posting hiatus, but I wanted to mention that the Barry Law School will be holding a animal law forum this Saturday in Orlando.  There are a number of great speakers and topics, including Adam Karp, who is a nationally recognized name in the area of animal law. Hope to see you there!

USDA acknowledges role in mass bird death

The Christian Science Monitor has an interesting article about the USDA's "Bye Bye Blackbird" program that was started in the 1960s to kill birds on behalf of farmers.  While the agency denies any role in the mass deaths in Louisiana and Arkansas, it did admit to using a poison to kill 5,000 birds that died in South Dakota. The birds were apparently defecating in a farmer's cattle feed across state lines in Nebraska.

The article also links to a chart that lists the number of animals that were taken by the USDA in 2009.   In 2009 alone more than 4 million red-winged blackbirds, starlings, cowbirds, and grackles were killed.  Moreover, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows blackbirds, starlings, and grackles to be killed under so-called depredation orders.  These killings are undertaken by private contractors that do not need to report the culls to any authority.

Bill to ban crush videos passes Congress, sent on to President for signature

After the Supreme Court struck down the ban on depictions of animal cruelty as a violation of the 1st Amendment, animal advocates have been urging Congress to enact a narrower law to address crush videos.  HSUS reports that the bill has passed the Senate and is being sent on to President Obama for his signature.  Wayne Pacelle's blog entry on passage of the bill is also being linked to over at the Huffington Post. 

Move to Limit Factory Farming Gains Momentum

The New York Times reports on a deal in Ohio that will curb some of the worst practices in factory farming, such as battery cages for egg-laying chickens, veal crates for calves, and gestation crates for pregnant pigs.  The article briefly references the less-sweeping restrictions that were adopted in Florida.  The article also features several quotes by Wayne Pacelle, the chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States.

Oil Spill: News roundup

• Scientists Discuss Potential Impacts of Oil Exposure on Florida Keys (Natural Resources Defense Council).
•  Gulf Coast Turtle hatchlings released on Florida's east coast (CNN).
•  NOAA: Impact of spill to linger for decades (Atlanta Journal Constitution).
• 20 turtles found in oil flown to Florida, 6 arrive at Mote. (Bradenton Herald).
• Gulf Rescuers Find Lesson, Hope in Oiled Birds, 89 Turtle Eggs (Bloomberg).

FWC cracks down on illegal internet sales

WINK News reports that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's Internet Crimes Unit is cracking down on illegal sales of wildlife on the Internet. In just the past six months, FWC has made 151 arrests and issued 51 warnings.  To report wildlife law violations, including illegal Internet sales, visit MyFWC.com/Violation or call 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Animal intelligence underestimated

The news stand edition Time Magazine has a cover story this month on animal intelligence. The web has an excerpt, but the full article focuses on how science has underestimated animals' abilities to think and their cognition of the world around them.