Animal Partisan

We are currently looking to hire a part-time, contractor to act as a Communications & Fund Development Associate. More details on the position and desired qualifications here: https://lnkd.in/e_2hvGht.

This week, we filed an administrative complaint seeking an investigation into the Iowa State Veterinarian’s alleged failure to investigate reports of systematic abuse to pigs slaughtered at the massive Swift Pork plant in Ottumwa, Iowa. The complaint was filed with the Iowa Office of Ombudsman and the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine. As outlined in the complaint, the USDA notified the State Veterinarian of possible abuse occurring at farms supplying pigs to the Swift Pork plant. The USDA’s notification came after years of citations issued by the agency over pigs bearing bruises and other marks indicating they had been beaten with paddles or excessively prodded. According to public records obtained by Animal Partisan, the Swift Pork plant claimed the marks were inflicted before the pigs arrived for slaughter. As USDA has no jurisdiction for animal welfare outside of the slaughterhouse, it notified the State Veterinarian to investigate whether abuse was occurring on Iowa farms. Additional public records obtained by Animal Partisan depict that virtually nothing was done to investigate these claims. Our complaint alleges this failure to safeguard the welfare of pigs in Iowa was a breach of legal duties imposed on the State Veterinarian and seeks an investigation and disciplinary measures. Read more about the ongoing abuse of pigs slaughtered at the Swift Pork plant at https://lnkd.in/erZEu2nn

This week, we filed a request with the Montgomery County (VA) Commonwealth’s Attorney seeking criminal charges against a former researcher at?Virginia Tech. The complaint stems from the neglect of two fruit bats shipped to Virginia Tech from Colorado for use in research. Despite acknowledging that the bats appeared “weak and lethargic” after the grueling transport, the researcher failed to summon emergency veterinary care as required by both law and Virginia Tech protocol. The bats suffered for 12 hours until they died. Virginia Tech has a deplorable history of animal welfare in its research program, including agreeing to pay nearly $19,000 to the USDA in 2024 because of repeated animal welfare issues. These issues included failure to provide proper veterinary care for pigs involved in traumatic brain injury experiments, the prolonged starvation of a 6-day old piglet, and the strangulation of a gerbil while attempting to restrain the animal during a botched blood draw. Despite this history of animal welfare issues, Virginia Tech has openly resisted legislative efforts to improve transparency in animal research. Our complaint seeks two counts of animal cruelty against the former researcher.

We've partnered with Rise for Animals for a second installment exposing cruel and senseless experiments at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Read at the link below how UAB is "destroying the eyes of?tree shrews?and leaving them to suffer – and literally go mad – in the filthiest of cages."

Our second full year was even busier and more impactful than the first. We're indebted to the scores of people who donated, provided pro bono legal support, volunteered, or helped in so many ways to challenge the animal agriculture and research industries.

Each year, countless pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, and other animals are crammed into trucks and trailers to be shipped to farms and slaughterhouses. Along the way, they suffer overcrowding, bitter cold, and relentless heat. Millions die along the way, their lifeless bodies often trampled on by other animals forced to endure the transport. In addition to this suffering, transport trucks regularly crash, killing or pinning animals inside or throwing them onto the roadway or off highway overpasses. Animal Partisan has uncovered hours of footage and images showing the aftermath of these gruesome accidents across the country. In multiple cases, law enforcement responding to the accident took efforts to shield the casualties from news media and bystander cameras in order to protect the animal agriculture industry. The animal agriculture industry IS suffering. Whether at farms or slaughterhouses or being shipped between, animals suffer terribly at the hands of an industry that views them as inanimate objects.?

Alongside Rise for Animals, we're exposing cruel and senseless experiments at the University of Alabama-Birmingham that involve forcing ferrets to "smoke". "UAB researchers force ferrets to 'smoke; cigarettes by cramming them into “exposure tubes” fitted with “custom-designed [] exposure system[s]” that?blast cigarette smoke up their noses and into their lungs?as often as twice a day for months-on-end."

Earlier today, we filed an administrative complaint against a Pennsylvania slaughterhouse with both the USDA and OSHA. The complaint stems from graphic undercover investigations video obtained by Animal Partisan and alleges violations of federal laws regarding humane handling, food safety, and workplace safety. The complaint alleges that the slaughterhouse violated the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act by failing to adhere to protocol allowed under the law's "ritual slaughter exemption." The complaint further alleged that the slaughterhouse violated sanitation practices by allowing trash and debris to accumulate on the killing floor. Finally, the complaint alleged that the slaughterhouse allowed children to roam freely near flailing animals, sharp knives, and blood slicked floors on the killing floor in potential violation of federal workplace safety laws. More details at the link below, including graphic video.

This week, we filed a criminal complaint against Graystone Small Animal Sale, a small animal auction, for the alleged neglect and abuse of animals in its care. The complaint stems from undercover video recorded at the auction facility over two separate days this summer when temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. As documented on video, thousands of animals suffered while crammed on top of one another in cages with little reprieve from the heat. Many exhibited clear signs of heat stress, including panting, lethargy, shallow breathing, and in some cases convulsions. Other animals died and were thrown into bags or boxes like garbage. In some instances, workers and customers roughly handled animals, yanking them from cages and stuffing them into crates with little regard for the potential injury or distress caused. Our complaint was filed under a novel legal procedure that allows private citizens to formally request criminal charges and asks for 15 separate counts of neglect and cruelty.

On November 17, 2023, the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) responded to the scene of an accident involving a truck carrying 1,900 piglets to Iowa. At the scene, one trooper, who was acting on a request from the pork industry, censored local news media from video recording dead and injured piglets being removed from the overturned truck. More troublingly, another trooper kicked, threw, and beat the terrified piglets with a metal baton. We filed an administrative complaint, demanding an investigation and action against the troopers involved. OSHP took disciplinary action against several troopers for improperly turning off their body worn cameras and for using "unprofessional language," but failed to take any action for the media censorship or animal cruelty. OSHP would not provide us with any information on its investigations into those actions, so we sued?the agency to find out more. As a result of our lawsuit, OSHP has now released records indicating that it whitewashed the entire incident and never undertook any meaningful investigation or disciplinary action. The records show that OSHP essentially ignored the complaint against the trooper who censored local news media upon request of the pork industry. The records also reveal that OSHP investigated our animal cruelty complaint against the trooper who violently beat, kicked, and threw piglets but classified his conduct as merely "tapping," "directing," and "lightly striking" the terrified animals. While our lawsuit resulted in obtaining records and court costs, OSHP's conduct in defense of the pork industry remains unaddressed and we continue to explore other legal avenues to bring justice to the scores frightened piglets abused on a dark highway in Ohio last fall.???