Animal Welfare

American shoppers face an array of labels in their grocery stores, most designed to help them make healthful choices. Soon they'll see yet another label ? this one concerning the treatment of animals in the food chain. "There's organic, there's fair trade, but 'humane' is the next big thing," said Phil Lempert, a supermarket and consumer behavior analyst. "We ask shoppers what they're looking for, and that's what they're telling us. " The increasing consumer demand, though, has already touched off a controversy over labeling standards for meat and eggs ?

HBO did the right thing in shutting down production on"Luck" last week after the death of a third horse being used for filming. The series, which has been critically acclaimed for its gritty, up-close look at life at a racetrack, was created by David Milch, a longtime lover of horses and racing, and filmed at Santa Anita Park employing numerous safety protocols, according to HBO officials and Rick Arthur, the equine medical director of the California...

She spent years as an outspoken antiabortion activist, and that cause remains dear to her. But these days, Karen Swallow Prior has a new passion: animal welfare. She wasn't sure, at first, that advocating for God's four-legged creatures would go over well on the campus of Liberty University, a fundamentalist Baptist institution founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

An undercover law enforcement operation has resulted in charges being filed against 12 people in the Southland and Las Vegas who were allegedly trafficking endangered or illegal wildlife or products made from them. Called Operation Cyberwild, the investigation was a joint effort by the enforcement arm of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and volunteers from the Humane Society of the United States. Agents recovered live endangered fish, protected migratory birds, and all kinds of products made from endangered animals, including an elephant foot, skins from a tiger, a polar bear, a leopard and other animals, plus some boots made of the skin of threatened sea turtles.

If animal welfare advocates and the nation's leading egg farmers have their way, the future is looking rosy for chickens — and Americans will probably have to spend a bit more for their eggs. On Thursday, longtime adversaries the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers announced that they are jointly petitioning Congress for legislation that would require all farmers in the U.S. to adopt new standards on the size of cages used for hens that lay eggs. The new standard would require enclosures providing at least 124 square inches of space per bird, up from a minimum of 48 square inches that's now standard practice in many states.

The Los Angeles City Animal Regulation Commission has suspended its relationship with Mercy Crusade of Van Nuys, which is the subject of state and federal investigations brought on by reports the animal welfare group bought as much as $100,000 worth of assault-style guns. In Sacramento, meanwhile, state legislators--with encouragement from the city of Los Angeles--are moving to change state laws that authorize animal welfare groups like Mercy Crusade to name state humane officers.

Patricia Guiver, a longtime Orange County animal welfare advocate who turned her love of animals into a series of mysteries featuring a tea-sipping pet detective, has died. She was 76. Guiver died Tuesday of complications from heart surgery at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, said Chris Guiver, her son and sole survivor. She was divorced.

Veterinarian Bud Stuart was delighted when he was given a live lobster by a client as extra thanks for saving a dog -- at least until the Santa Barbara seafood lover thought about cooking it. Stuart put the lobster in the freezer, expecting the chill would anesthetize it. Yet, when he later held it above a boiling pot of water, it was still alive and pinching. The crustacean was tasty, but he now vows "never to bring another live lobster into this house.

Two animal welfare experts said they resigned as advisors to fast-food chain KFC after the company asked them to sign an agreement preventing them from speaking publicly about its policies on such issues as animal slaughter. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University and Ian Duncan of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, said they stepped down from KFC parent Yum Brands Inc.'

Shira, a sad-eyed mutt with swollen legs and crushed hips, can barely limp along the dirt roads of the squatter camp where she lives alongside South Africa's destitute--people who can barely afford to care for themselves, let alone their pets. But for Shira, hope has come in the form of animal welfare activists who visit squatter camps like Zandspruit, on the outskirts of Johannesburg. They come to treat sick cats and dogs but leave helping the people as well as their animals.

Among listings for fraying couches and used television sets, the Craigslist ad stood out — $2,800 for a prized Asian arowana fish, believed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. A grammatically challenged buyer from Las Vegas sent the seller an email expressing interest: "Is she a super red asian arowana? I all ready have all the other species and I need the endangered one to finilize my collection. " The seller responded cautiously — "Are you a cop?" she allegedly wrote in one text message — but ultimately agreed to meet the buyer at Laguna Hills Mall for the handoff.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s success with hormone-free dairy products, naturally raised meat and local produce has the restaurant chain taking its message to a broader audience. The Mexican-inspired fast-casual chain released an animated video to movie theaters last week and hosted the first of many food-and-music festivals. "We think the more people understand where their food comes from and the impact on independent family farmers, animal welfare, the more they're going to ask for better ingredients," said Chipotle founder and co-Chief Executive Officer Steve Ells.

Someone else may soon be tending to the misty artificial rain forest at the Los Angeles Zoo where Bruno, a 300-pound orangutan with a wispy orange beard and a hulking frame, makes his home. The city opened the zoo and botanical gardens in 1966, but officials are now considering a proposal to turn over management to a private operator. That means the gardeners, plumbers and other city employees who help run the zoo could be transferred to other departments and replaced with private workers.

If animal welfare advocates and the nation's leading egg farmers have their way, the future is looking rosy for chickens — and Americans will probably have to spend a bit more for their eggs. On Thursday, longtime adversaries the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers announced that they are jointly petitioning Congress for legislation that would require all farmers in the U.S. to adopt new standards on the size of cages used for hens that lay eggs. The new standard would require enclosures providing at least 124 square inches of space per bird, up from a minimum of 48 square inches that's now standard practice in many states.

The gig : Dr. Gary K. Michelson, 62, is a billionaire inventor of surgical devices and a retired orthopedic surgeon who has devoted an estimated $300 million of his fortune to an assortment of causes. Topping the list: animal welfare, medical research, online textbooks and tropical rain forests. An early influence: Michelson vividly recalls the childhood event in Philadelphia that set him on his path to medicine: His grandmother suffered from a crippling spinal deformity that made it impossible for her to distinguish between hot and cold in her extremities.

Bear hunting in California is not a popular sport. A fraction of 1% of Californians hunts bears in the state. But it is highly regulated by the state's Department of Fish and Game. The season runs roughly from October through December. Hunters must obtain an identification tag, make only one kill, and turn in the tag with information on where the bear was taken, along with the bear's skull so that state authorities can determine the gender and age to monitor the population. (The skulls are returned.)

The gig : Dr. Gary K. Michelson, 62, is a billionaire inventor of surgical devices and a retired orthopedic surgeon who has devoted an estimated $300 million of his fortune to an assortment of causes. Topping the list: animal welfare, medical research, online textbooks and tropical rain forests. An early influence: Michelson vividly recalls the childhood event in Philadelphia that set him on his path to medicine: His grandmother suffered from a crippling spinal deformity that made it impossible for her to distinguish between hot and cold in her extremities.

When a plan for a rodeo at the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds was tentatively approved last month, fans of ropin' and ridin' were elated. But officials Tuesday said a threatened lawsuit from animal welfare activists forced them to scuttle the local Sheriff's Department event, which was aimed at raising money for children's activities and organizations. The Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors "made a business decision that the benefits didn't outweigh the risks," said Steve Stagnaro, a board spokesman.

The dog had been left tied up in a yard in Fukushima, the largely emptied city synonymous with the words "nuclear disaster. " Despite the threat of radiation leaking from the nuclear plant 40 miles away, Toby Weymiller, a teacher who got the distress call from the shelter Animal Friends Niigata, drove to the city and rescued the dog and a stranded cat. Photos: Japan in crisis "The dog was really freaked out," said Weymiller, who...

American shoppers face an array of labels in their grocery stores, most designed to help them make healthful choices. Soon they'll see yet another label ? this one concerning the treatment of animals in the food chain. "There's organic, there's fair trade, but 'humane' is the next big thing," said Phil Lempert, a supermarket and consumer behavior analyst. "We ask shoppers what they're looking for, and that's what they're telling us. " The increasing consumer demand, though, has already touched off a controversy over labeling standards for meat and eggs ?