Front page on bear kill, and B1 on puppy mills, LA Times 9-24-24

Californians:

The wonderful Los Angeles Times deserves some attention today! The lead front page story, by Lila Seidman, is titled,  “A bear swipes at a woman and a furious wildlife debate ensues.” It is extraordinarily thoughtful, including the information that the woman swiped and injured by Victor the Bear, who was then killed by authorities, “didn’t want her brother bear to hurt.” If you are stopped by a paywall, you’ll find the same article online at the Gazette Extra.

The lead California Section story, Page B1, by Melody Gutierrez and Alene Tchekmedyian, is titled, “Action urged to rein in illicit puppy trade.” The online version opens with three bullet points which summarize it:

–A Los Angeles Times investigation found a pipeline of puppies from Midwest breeders that are sold in California as locally bred.
–Lawmakers and animal welfare advocates said California must stop purging health records that could help trace dogs back to puppy mills.
–A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will take “a hard look” at closing loopholes in current law to address the issues.

Unfortunately, I cannot find a version online without a paywall but if you hit one and then try the same URL in a different browser, you will likely be able to view the article.

The Los Angeles Times so deserves thank you notes for the impact of their investigation, and we have another opportunity, with those notes, to speak for animals in shelters – or elsewhere. I urge you to respond to one of the articles above. And to inspire you I can share two letters printed in today’s Los Angeles Times, which suggest that one way to help deal with “problem bears” is to lock doors and windows. I share them with so much gratitude for all who use the letters pages to give animals a much-needed voice in the mainstream media. Legislators and other decision makers look to the letters pages as barometers of public opinion. Your letters matter.

I send thanks to Elaine Livesey-Fassel, as always, for keeping a close eye on the LA Times for us.

Yours and all animals’,
Karen Dawn of DawnWatch