Julie O'Connor

[Oceana @oceana]

With only 380 endangered North Atlantic right whales left, delaying protections they desperately need can mean extinction.

Yet a new bill by @RepGolden and @lawler4ny would delay additional protections until 2035. This is the wrong bill for right whales.

More from @pxwhittle 👇

https://t.co/QODAVTF7cW

[Team Wolf @teamwolf_org]

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Reps. @BrianFitzUSA (R-PA) and @RepMikeQuigley (D-IL) have introduced the bipartisan Safeguarding Endangered Species Act to reverse the Trump administration’s latest attack on wildlife protections. 🧵
(1/3)

[Crystal Heath DVM @drcrystalheath]

I finally got the FOIA documents I requested from USDA-APHIS in 2024 about Miami Seaquarium.

I don't think y'all realize the dossier of evidence that one can accumulate, and a place will still remain open.

This is why USDA inspection doesn't mean anything in terms of animal welfare.

Here are some that stand out 🧵 (I saved the juiciest ones for the end of the thread):

A July 2023 USDA email documented alarming conditions at Miami Seaquarium: animals reportedly dehydrated and underfed, new rib fractures, years without weights or medical workups, inadequate staffing, unsafe restraint, cold stress, poor water conditions and concerns that the facility could not afford fish, medications or medical supplies.

"Hi Charlie,

I’ve sent several other concerns related to me forward and I know Laurie has too.

Here is a synopsis of some concerns that I am aware of:

Lags- pool integrity and ingestion (below). Low salinity, too high temperatures
Bimini- new rib fractures
Dolphin interactions- food base being significantly cut again
Romeo- FWS reported: wasn’t eating, dehydrated, too little food being offered, needs more shade (when there circles in small area where shade was), when obtained blood several weeks ago was not properly restrained (not enough staff) and rolled all over the pool, increasing stress. FL FWS was there to help but they didn’t let them assist. No weight obtained and hasn’t had a weight for years
Clarity- FWS: no weights and work up for some years (they require annuals per FWS LOA)
Juliet- FWS: no weights and work up done for some years, she can’t submerge (suggested submerging food at various depths w/feeders to see if she actually can submerge), sunburned back
FWS: manatee general- a recent rehabbed and released animal (in Romeo’s pool) had evidence of cold stress. Their pools need to have a heater in the winter. No less than 68 degrees.
No experienced manatee staff, need experienced manatee vet
Both vet techs recently left leaving no support for the AV.
Learned today that recent Toki videos and pictures are being posted to Friend’s of Toki website. https://t.co/2ewX9COI97
Have heard from several people that are alleging there are serious financial concerns. Please make sure they have adequate fish on hand, they are performing water tests, are submitting labs when needed, and that they are able to acquire needed medication, supplements and medical supplies.
Laurie may be able to contribute further.

Thanks,
Carolyn"

#foiafriday #msq #tokitae #lolita #miamiseaquarium

[Julie O'Connor @DingoPrincess1]

@kellykeegs @NYCCouncil @SpeakerMenin @KeithPowersNYC @NYCMayor Thank you for caring for both the horses and public safety ❤️

[Johnny Oberg @JohnOberg]

Animal agriculture gets around animal cruelty laws by referring to a particular cruel practice as “standard agricultural practice.” 👎👎

This includes castration without painkillers. 😫

RT if you agree that ALL cruel practices should be outlawed to ALL animals.

[Julie O'Connor @DingoPrincess1]

@cwebbonline Conversation? One person spoke the entire time 🙄

[Frank Morano @frankmorano]

Really pleased that @SpeakerMenin is showing this kind of leadership.
She's making sure the @NYCCouncil is on the right side of history.

[Julie O'Connor @DingoPrincess1]

@SpeakerMenin Thank you!

[Humane World Action Fund @humaneactfund]

Today, @Interior and @CommerceGov announced they are rescinding the regulatory definition of “harm” under the #EndangeredSpeciesAct.

For more than half a century, the Endangered Species Act has helped save iconic wildlife in large part because it protects the habitats animals need to survive. Claiming the law's protections remain intact while stripping away habitat protections under the definition of 'harm' rule is like saying a house is secure after you've removed its foundation.

Habitat protection is species protection, and that's why the ESA has been one of America's greatest conservation success stories and with this action the Departments of Commerce and Interior have taken the nation way off course.

[Voters For Animal Rights @theanimalvoters]

New poll from the Central Park Conservancy just confirmed what we've been saying all along: more than two-thirds of New Yorkers want to ban horse carriages.

That's not a slim majority. That's an overwhelming one.

Right now we have 17 co-sponsors on Intro 943 — Romanch's Law — but we need 26 YES votes to actually pass it.

The gap between what New Yorkers want and what the City Council has done is exactly where political power comes in. This is how we close it.

🐴 If you're one of the New Yorkers who want this ban — CALL your City Council Member right now. It takes two minutes: https://t.co/GGd2eCpk2e

🌎 Don't live in NYC but want to back this? Sign the petition: https://t.co/MKoYtt1X65

[Maria Belo @maria_m_belo]

#Meta can instantly remove nudity or banned words, yet leaves posts selling live tigers, chimpanzees, rhino horns and ivory for sale online indefinitely.

Powerful new report by Daniel Stiles exposes how Meta’s algorithm fuels wildlife trafficking for profit.

Read “Clicks That Kill: Meta’s Algorithm of Extinction”
#WildlifeTrafficking #Meta #EndWildlifeCrime #Conservation

[Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer]

I OPPOSE the Save Our Bacon Act and any attempt to jam it into the Farm Bill.

This bill would gut state food safety and animal welfare laws, wipe out voter-approved protections, and strip states like NY of the right to set basic standards.

It's a giveaway to Big Ag and meat monopolies, punishing family farmers who followed the rules, while giving the biggest corporations more power to squeeze farmers and families.

Congress should be lowering food costs, not rewarding the monopolies driving them up. The Save Our Bacon Act does not belong in the Farm Bill, and I will fight to keep it out.

[Julie O'Connor @DingoPrincess1]

@Lewis_Bollard This 👆

[WHSVnews @WHSVnews]

An Alabama homeowners’ association board voted this week to euthanize hundreds of geese. Story: https://t.co/o4hVD6Lgvb

[PETA @peta]

Bullhooks, steel-tipped weapons used to control elephants through pain & fear, are BANNED in many jurisdictions, & nearly every major circus has retired elephant acts.

Elephants deserve dignity—they are the GOP’s own proud symbol.

This should have never happened @TexasGOP.

[Josh Balk @joshbalk]

BREAKING NEWS: Sen. Marshall (KS) — the former Senate sponsor of the "Save Our Bacon" Act — has had a change of heart. This is the most significant moment yet in the campaign to stop SOB. Credit where it's due: it takes integrity to evolve on an issue. Kansas farmers and animals are better for it. The momentum against SOB continues to grow.

[Tomi Lahren @TomiLahren]

Another carriage horse has died in New York City.

End this barbaric bullshit.

If that means we no longer have an industry of animal abusers who cart fat tourists around Central Park, so be it.

End it.

[Voters For Animal Rights @theanimalvoters]

Tonight, a carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park. We do not yet know this horse’s name, age, history, or what caused their death — but we do know this: no horse should spend their life pulling a carriage through the streets of Manhattan.

We have seen this before. Ryder. Lady. Aisha. Charlie. Smoothie. And now another horse whose life ended on the pavement.

This moment demands more than outrage. It demands action. On Thursday, the City Council will reintroduce Ryder’s Law — legislation to finally transition New York City away from horse carriages and retire the horses to sanctuaries.

That future will include the workers, too. Carriage drivers deserve a real transition plan with stable jobs, protections, and benefits — and we are ready to work with TWU and all stakeholders to make that happen.

But doing nothing is not an option. Another horse is dead on the streets of New York City.

For the horses. For the workers. For New York City.

Pass Ryder’s Law.

[In Defense Of Animals @IDAUSA]

Thanks to veterinarians and authorities, this Connecticut woman's reign of terror is finally over, but she has yet to be held accountable.
Take action: https://t.co/CaOqzTHq89
Pls RT & support https://t.co/1dgfcgpKKj
#Justice4Animals

[Voters For Animal Rights @theanimalvoters]

NEW YORK STATE RESIDENTS ONLY! We have only 8 days left in the 2026 legislative session. Our bill to prohibit octopus farming has cleared all the committees, but now we need to convince the state Senate and Assembly leadership to bring it up for a floor vote in both houses before the end if session next week. Otherwise, we have to start the entire legislative process over in 2027.

☎️ HOW TO HELP: Make just three phone calls to leadership below!

🗣️SAY THIS: “Hello, my name is _____ and I’m a resident of _____, New York. I’m calling to urge you to bring the octopus farming ban bill S.7421A/ A.8043B to the a floor for a vote. Please help protect octopus from cruelty. Thank you.”

📞 WHO TO CALL:
▪️ Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins: 518-455-2585 or 518-455-2715
▪️ Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: 518-455-3791
▪️ Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris: 518-455-3486

Please make these calls every day this week! Octopuses are counting on us. 🐙

@AndreaSCousins @sengianaris