PHOTO provided by Anna Dubrovskaya, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. When a circus troupe tried to load the animals into a truck to head to the next destination, they resisted, and walked away.

In Russia's third-largest city, Yekaterinburg, some residents recently witnessed two elephants wandering snowy streets, after escaping from an Italian circus passing through town. Read the rest

Police in Spain raided two puppy mills and rescued 270 small dogs, many of which were sick and stuffed inside cramped cages.

Five people suspected of running the illegal animal breeding and sales operation were arrested outskirts of Madrid on Thursday. Read the rest

In Pragadavaram village in India's state of Andhra Pradesh, a man was killed by a rooster during an illegal cockfight. The birds' owners tie razors to the animals' natural spurs and fight them to the death. From the New Zealand Herald:

As one of the organisers held the bird, preparing to release it into the arena, it struggled free and lashed out, inflicting a deep wound on the victim who stood nearby.

Cockfights were banned by the Indian Supreme Court as part of the 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act but the practice remains popular in some areas, especially as part of celebrations for Makar Sankranti, a Hindu festival day...

A dozen other injuries were reported from cockfights held during the celebrations.

image: detail of "Cockfight in London, c. 1808" (public domain) Read the rest

In Tampa, Florida, a man pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme to that trafficked live water monitor lizards from the Philippines to the United States. Read the rest

Todd Kincannon was found "bloodied and covered in dog hair" by police officers after killing and mutilating his mother's 10-year-old beagle.

Kincannon reportedly told Simpsonville police officers that he killed the dog because, "I'm the second coming of Christ and I got a command from God to do it." ... Kincannon said "that every 1,000 years there needs to be a sacrifice and blood must be spilt."

An incident report noted that Kincannon held up injuries to his arm and wrist - which an officer said were likely from a dog bite - and said, "I have a sign. I'm about to get crucified in the media."

Todd was last in the news for sending racist tweets during the 2013 Super Bowl and for being charged with criminal domestic violence after threatening family members. Read the rest

Handbook of Tyranny tells the story of human cruelty in a series of beautifully designed inforgraphics, like this chart showing methods of crowd control. Read the rest

A 53-year-old Florida woman was arrested and charged with a DUI, though she wasn't really driving, but rather drunk riding a horse down a road.

Breath samples showed that her blood alcohol level was that of .161. Florida's legal limit is .08.

According to NBC News:

"Ms. Byrne was obviously not in any condition to be on the road," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release. "She not only put herself and the horse in danger, but also anyone who was driving on the road, which is typically very busy."

Byrne was charged with DUI and animal neglect for endangering and failing to provide proper protection for the horse.

This isn't Byrne's first arrest. She's had 5 felony and 10 misdemeanor charges, including charges for drug possession and animal cruelty. And yet, even with a history of animal cruelty, she somehow still has a horse to drunk drive.

Image: Polk County Sheriff's Office Read the rest

In "The Haribo Check," aired on German public broadcast ARD, a documentary team audits Haribo's supply chain and finds "modern day slaves" in Brazil working to harvest carnauba wax, a key ingredient in the sweets: the plantations pay $12/day, and workers (including children) sleep out of doors, drink unfiltered river water, and have no access to toilets, under conditions that a Brazilian Labor Ministry official called "modern-day slavery." Read the rest

Los Angeles County's Animal Care and Control department is investigating "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan after he allowed a dog to attack and bite a pet pig on his show, Cesar 911.

In the February 26 show, Millan was working with Simon, an aggressive French bulldog-terrier mix with a history of attacking his owner's potbellied pigs and other animals, a National Geographic Channels spokesman confirmed. The episode showed Simon biting the ear of one of the pigs during a training session. Complaints started after the episode aired. There have also been calls for the show to be canceled.

Simon killed two pigs prior to the show; Cesar unleashed it in another pig's presence to demonstrate the effectiveness of his dominating approach to animal correction.

National Geographic backed Millan and promised to co-operate with the investigation. Chris Albert, SVP Global Communications and Talent Relations for National Geographic Channels, wrote that the pig "nipped by [French Bulldog mix] Simon was tended to immediately afterward, healed quickly and showed no lasting signs of distress."

Cesar Millan has dedicated his life to helping dogs and to showing how even the most difficult “problem dog” can be rescued and rehabilitated. In a recent episode of the Nat Geo WILD series Cesar 911, Cesar works with an aggressive French bulldog/terrier mix named Simon, who has a history of attacking other animals, including his owner’s pet pot-bellied pigs. A short clip from the episode was shared online and showed Simon chasing a pig and nipping its ear, causing the ear to bleed.

A man who decided to shoot a bunch of puppies was himself shot by one of his intended victims. NBC News reports that Jerry Allen Bradford, 37, of Pensacola, Florida, sustained a gunshot to the wrist when "one of the dogs put its paw on the revolver’s trigger."

On Monday, Bradford was holding two puppies — one in his arms and another in his left hand — when the dog in his hand wiggled and put its paw on the trigger of the .38-caliber revolver. The gun then discharged, the sheriff’s report said. Deputies found three of the puppies in a shallow grave outside Bradford’s home, said sheriff’s Sgt. Ted Roy.

The other four appeared to be in good health and were taken by Escambia County Animal Control, which planned to make them available for adoption.

During his visit to Washington last month, China's President Xi Jinping vowed to stop the commercial trade in ivory in his nation, but didn't say much about when or how. Read the rest

Accusations are flying that 27 animals died of mistreatment on the set of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, causing PETA to get up in arms and protest the movie. PETA will protest just about anything, but is there some truth to this story? Jackson and his fellow producers have responded (through an official representative), saying that the 150 animals at the New Zealand location were treated well, and that the vast percentage of deaths that did occur were due to natural causes. But were there any deaths that could have been prevented? Or is this a case of disgruntled former wranglers? Jackson's rep says the animals were overseen by the American Humane Association after two "avoidable" incidents (including a horse found dead after falling over a bluff), and hundreds of thousands of dollars went into improving the animals' living conditions. Here is the full statement, via The Hollywood Reporter: Read the rest

Photojournalist (and author) Erin Siegal has a wonderful photo-essay up on the The Reuters Photographers Blog about "Fast Friends," a group that adopts/rescues "retiring" greyhound dogs that have been used in racing in Tijuana, Mexico. On Erin's personal blog, there are more photos that didn't fit in. What beautiful creatures. Read the rest