The 2007 pet food crisis in the United States started with a trickle of complaints about sick animals in December 2006 and eventually built into one of the largest pet food recalls in U.S. history. Britannica’s own Andrea Toback, executive director of human resources and, at home, the devoted caretaker of cats Ida and Teddy, has been following the story closely from the beginning. She writes this week for Advocacy for Animals on the pet food recall, what we have learned about the pet food industry and its regulation, and food safety in general.

On March 16, 2007, Menu Foods, a Canadian company, recalled more than 60 million containers of pet food that they had manufactured for numerous companies. Additional recalls by Menu Foods and other manufacturers followed. After weeks of foot-dragging despite the high unofficial death tolls compiled by concerned organizations, on May 1, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally acknowledged reports of more than 4,000 pet deaths, rather than the 6 or 17 the FDA had previously confirmed. The FDA on May 1 also ordered that all untested vegetable protein imported from China be detained. This includes the following products: wheat gluten, rice gluten, rice protein, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn by-products, soy protein, soy gluten, other proteins including amino acids and protein hydrosylates, and mung bean protein. […]

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In many people’s minds the name Ingrid Newkirk is synonymous with controversy. The organization she cofounded in 1980, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), has built a reputation for its attention-getting stunts, advertisements, and protests in the name of abolishing cruelty to animals. In fulfilling its simple motto, “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment,” PETA has done everything from sneaking a dead raccoon onto the plate of a famous fur-wearing fashion-magazine editor at a high-end restaurant to staging (every year since 2002) a “running of the nudes” in Pamplona, Spain, as a humane counterpoint to that city’s annual “running of the bulls.” Frequently using sex, celebrities, and shock value to make its points, PETA has many times garnered disapproval, from both those outside and those within the animal rights movement. The organization and Newkirk have been accused at various times of tastelessness, of misanthropy, and of hurting the movement. But despite the perceived extremity of its tactics over its 27-year history, PETA, through the unrelenting spotlight it has placed on the many instances of institutionalized animal cruelty, has achieved successes that have undeniably improved conditions for animals. […]

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In April 2007 the United States Senate unanimously passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act; the month before, an overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives approved nearly identical legislation, which had been under discussion for six years. If signed into law by the president, this legislation would for the first time establish meaningful federal penalties for animal fighting. The bill amends the federal criminal code and the Animal Welfare Act to establish fines for violations. These include the use of an animal in fighting, the use of the mails to promote animal fighting, and the buying, selling, or interstate transportation of animals and of implements for use in fights, such as the blades that are attached to the legs of fighting birds.

For animal lovers, it is difficult to understand why someone would deliberately cause a dog to engage in vicious fights, inflicting and receiving grievous injuries—often death. Yet, despite the cruelty involved and the fact that dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states, the practice is a serious and continuing problem all over the United States. A dogfight takes place in a ring (a “pit”) made of plywood and is usually held in a secluded location such as a vacant garage or the basement of a house or business. Fights can last for hours, and the dogs are made to keep going even after having sustained gruesome and painful injuries such as torn flesh and broken bones. The fight goes on until one of the dogs is unable to continue. Dogs may die immediately of their injuries or sheer exhaustion or later from infections. […]

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This week, Advocacy for Animals hosts a special guest author on the subject of caring for pet reptiles—including, especially, turtles and tortoises. Britannica’s own Barbara Schreiber tells the secrets to keeping them happy and healthy like her Horace (a red-footed tortoise) and Tom (a painted turtle).

Caring for Pet Reptiles

“I want one!” you hear kids cry as they stroke the shells of tortoises sitting calmly in their laps inside the tortoise pen at the annual ReptileFest in Chicago. The gentle disposition and easygoing manner of tortoises often make them seem like nice pets. And they are. Horace, my red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria), who will be five years old in July 2007, actually behaves more like a small, friendly dog than a reptile. He is highly inquisitive and will amble over to investigate any household activity going on in his immediate vicinity. I also have a semiaquatic midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) named Tom, who was rescued from an urban parking lot. He was only about the size of a quarter when he arrived, and he will be 13 years old in May 2007. These guys are definitely fascinating pets, but they require some special care. My turtle- and tortoise-keeping methods have proved to be quite successful, and I hope that the following information and advice will give you a good idea of what to expect if you decide to share your home with these unique creatures. (By the way, the difference between tortoises and turtles is that tortoises are land animals, whereas turtles are primarily aquatic.) With that said, welcome to the wonderful world of reptile keeping! […]

» Read more of Pet Reptiles: An Owner’s Approach to Caring for a Couple of Scaly Friends