animal welfare

Members of the sea turtle team at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation analyze the remains in the final hatched nests of the season to assess the health of the sea turtle population on the islands after a record loggerhead nesting season

Loggerhead sea turtles nested in record numbers the summer after Hurricane Ian

Tom Bayles

The sea turtle nesting season that started just months after Ian hit ended up setting records for loggerhead turtles on Sanibel and Captiva island.

Four women crouch down to look at a turtle on a beach, with a large crowd behind them.

Environment

Diana Nyad marks anniversary of epic Cuba-Florida swim, freeing rehabilitated sea turtle

The Associated Press

A decade after swimming nonstop for more than two straight days from Cuba to Florida, Diana Nyad returned to the Key West beach where she completed her epic journey, helping return a rehabilitated sea turtle to the Atlantic.

Larger animals like coyotes, above, and bobcats did OK on Sanibel after Hurricane Ian's passage.

Environment

The good, the not-so-good and the missing: how animals have fared in Sanibel after Ian

Sheldon Zoldan/Special to WGCU

People living on Sanibel and Captiva weren’t the only ones driven from their homes by Hurricane Ian’s churning storm surge. Wildlife, amphibians and birds were displaced. Some species have come back fine, others are struggling to survive while others yet remain missing-in-action.

A shelter dog looks out from a crate after having been unloaded from a cargo plane, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

South Florida

Miami-Dade's ban on pit bulls is set to end - and could help Broward shelters

Valerie Crowder

A new Florida law will remove dog breed, weight and size restrictions in Miami-Dade County and all public housing authorities in the state on Oct. 1.

"Harris," an egg-bearing female hawksbill sea turtle, swims underwater Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, after being released in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary near Key Largo, Fla. The 171-pound reptile, estimated to be well over 50 years old, was rescued earlier in December with a large fishing lure embedded in its shoulder and was taken to the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital for treatment. Prior to its release, the critically endangered hawksbill was fitted with a satellite tracker to gather data on where it will likely nest and lay eggs. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Haylie Dawson/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO)

Environment

Rare rehabilitated sea turtle released off Florida Keys

A rare hawksbill sea turtle found injured earlier this month by divers on a shipwreck off Key Largo, was fitted with a satellite tracking tag and returned to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary after it was treated at the Keys-based Turtle Hospital.

An image of chickens in cages on Rockland Key, where the Monroe County Sheriff's Office made an arrest on cockfighting charges.

More Than 300 Chickens, Spurs And A 'Bloody Fighting Ring' — Keys Cops Make Arrest On Cockfighting Charges

Cockfighting has been illegal in Florida since 1986 but it still goes on — the Monroe County sheriff's office just made an arrest on cockfighting charges in the Florida Keys.

Sweet Farm animal sanctuary in Half Moon Bay, Calif., is offering Goat 2 Meeting: a virtual visit to meet the farm's animals. Pictured is Juno the goat.

Goat 2 Meeting: For Your Next Video Call, Invite A Farm Animal

James Doubek

The Sweet Farm animal sanctuary near San Francisco is offering up a new service to liven up video calls: guest appearances by llamas, cows and other animals through its new service, Goat 2 Meeting.

Florida lawmakers behind new federal law banning animal cruelty

There’s a new federal law that bans acts of animal cruelty, and subjects violators to prison.The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act represents…

America's animals have new federal protections against abuse.

Trump Signs Law Making Cruelty To Animals A Federal Crime

Richard Gonzales

Congress, wrought by division on many fronts, united to pass a bill making animal cruelty a federal felony. President Trump signed it into law on Monday.

County Animal Shelter Filthy And Hot, Mayor Says After Surprise Inspection

That spiffy county pet shelter that opened three years ago isn’t so spiffy these days.That’s according to an out-of-state expert sent in to do a surprise…

Mojo The Iguana Was A Jail Pet. Then An Inmate Fed Him Alive To A Gator, Police Said

A Florida Keys inmate decided to rid Key West of one more iguana. He fed it alive to an alligator at the sheriff’s petting zoo, police said.His fellow…

Dr. Amir Khalil, a veterinarian with the animal rescue charity Four Paws International, carries a sedated coyote at a zoo in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, during the evacuation of animals in April.

'I'm Just For Animals': The Veterinarian Who Rescues Animals From Conflict Zones

Oliver Whang

Dr. Amir Khalil has led rescue operations and created sanctuaries around the world for 20 years. In April, he embarked on his biggest mission: saving animals from a struggling zoo in the Gaza Strip.