News for Florida animal advocates

Coyotes are intelligent, adaptable, amazing animals. They’ve successfully expanded their range to every state in the nation (except Hawaii). Coyotes arrived in the Florida Panhandle in the 1970s and first started showing up in South Florida a few years ago.
Coyotes eat just about everything, including rodents and watermelon and lizards. A hungry coyote will also […]

On Wednesday, the City of Pembroke Pines became the 11th city* in Broward County to enact an ordinance banning or restricting the chaining/tethering of dogs. The ordinance, among other provisions, makes it unlawful to tether a dog outdoors unless a guardian is outside along with the dog. ARFF representatives spoke in support of the ordinance […]

The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for counties across central and north Florida. Yesterday, the St. Augustine Record ran an article about what locals can do to stay cool in this summer’s record heat. The paper spoke to a landscape worker who complained, “We are out here all day, and the hotter it […]

ARFF is mourning the death of “Dondi,” a solitary female Asian elephant who was a regular performer at Flea World, a flea market in Sanford, and at Santa’s Enchanted Forest, a Christmas festival in Miami. (Click here to view video of a performance at Flea World in February.)
Dondi died of unknown causes on July 28.
ARFF […]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed designating the Burmese python, boa constrictor and seven other large constrictor snakes as “injurious wildlife.” The rule would prohibit the import and interstate transport of these species.
Before a final decision is made, the proposed rule is open for public comment until August 2.
It is very important for […]

Sunday’s St. Petersburg Times will feature a wonderful profile of Stella Pavlides, a Clearwater resident who founded the American Vitiligo Research Foundation in 1995 after being diagnosed with the skin disorder.
In the article, Stella explains how she was conflicted in starting the foundation because she is an animal rights advocate: “I wanted vitiligo research, but […]

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual survey of animals used in research. In 2009, over 11,000 animals were used in teaching, testing or experiments in Florida. Included in this number* were 2117 nonhuman primates, 1272 pigs, 937 dogs, 778 rabbits, 491 cats and 250 sheep.
In 2009, 1,000 more animals were […]

Recently the St. Petersburg Times spoke to a Clearwater homeowner who doesn’t like armadillos because they dig holes in his yard in their search for worms and insects to eat.
We don’t believe everything we read in the newspaper, but the man said something that we want to believe! He told the newspaper that his previous […]

Exotic pets no longer for sale at Flamingo Gardens. An article in Saturday’s Sun-Sentinel confirmed that Flamingo Gardens, a botanical garden in Fort Lauderdale, has ended its involvement in the sale of non-native reptiles and other exotic pets.
In late 2009, ARFF received complaints about events held several times each year at Flamingo Gardens during which […]

This week, Miss Florida USA announced who the judges will be at this weekend’s pageant. The line-up includes a former Miss USA, a fashion designer, a TV news anchor, and other local notables. Also joining them at the judging table will be Keith Kaplan, executive director of the Fur Information Council of America.
Mr. Kaplan makes […]