News for Florida animal advocates

Can you feel that? That cold wind means the Cole Bros. Circus is in the state. Today the circus big top is set up at a mall in Destin. On Friday the circus moves to the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds for three days of performances.
2011 has been a very bad year for the Cole Bros. Circus. […]

Last month, ARFF was contacted by a woman who had purchased a Shiba Inu puppy from a Petland store in Orlando on August 8. She named the puppy Castiel.

A few days after leaving the store, Castiel was diagnosed with kennel cough and Coccidiosis, an intestinal disease. The following week, the puppy started vomiting and was […]

The 2012 legislative session will begin in January, and even though that’s three months away, legislators are beginning to introduce bills that they will support during the session.
On Monday, the first animal protection bill was filed: Senate Bill 288, “Domestic Violence Against Family Pets.” The bill, introduced by State Senator Mike Fasano, would redefine the […]

In early 2008, the National Elephant Center, a partnership of over 70 U.S. zoos, announced plans to create an elephant holding/breeding facility in St. Lucie County (the Center is not a sanctuary). Shortly after the first official announcement, ARFF and other animal advocates contacted county officials with our concerns. Among the animal welfare concerns about […]

During this week’s meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Naples, commissioners voted to prohibit the recreational and commercial killing of tiger sharks and three species of hammerhead sharks. The numbers of these sharks have significantly declined in recent decades. Hammerhead sharks in particular are highly valued within the shark fin trade […]