where science and ethics intersect with politics
From mass killings of free-roaming dogs in India to the launch of a public animal cruelty registry in Florida, the opening weeks of 2026 reveal both the fragility of animal protections and the growing role of courts and policy in addressing systemic harm. This World News Wednesday report examines the most significant animal rights and welfare developments from January 1–26, 2026.
As a rare and powerful winter storm moves across a wide swath of the country, The Humane Herald looks beyond forecasts and infrastructure to examine what preparedness rooted in care looks like — for people, companion animals, and wildlife — in regions both accustomed to winter weather and newly vulnerable to its extremes.
From global food labels to wild-horse roundups, 2025 pushed animal issues into the center of climate, policy, and public-health debates. New transparency laws, plant-based investment, companion-animal protections, and growing scrutiny of industrial livestock marked a year in which governments could no longer ignore the ethical and environmental costs of animal exploitation.
The Humane Herald 