by John Di Leonardo | Oct 24, 2023 | Victories
After hearing from Humane Long Island that snakes and tarantulas are illegal to sell or possess in Islip, Petco Bay Shore promptly removed these animals from its shelves and pledged never to sell them again in the...
by John Di Leonardo | Oct 19, 2023 | Victories
After hearing from Humane Long Island that Sloth Encounters owner Larry Wallach was frequenting a Starbucks in Rockville Centre with baby sloths, the Nassau County Department of Health issued the store a written warning for allowing Wallach to bring a sloth into its...
by John Di Leonardo | Oct 1, 2023 | Victories
After Humane Long Island discovered that constrictor snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas were being exhibited and sold at the Long Island Reptile Expo at Suffolk Community College’s Brentwood Campus in violation of Islip town code, the Long Island Reptile Expo...
by John Di Leonardo | Sep 19, 2023 | Victories
After a decade of protesting outside UniverSoul Circus in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, we can finally hang up our costumes! The circus has gone animal-free! Thank you to our friends at PETA and everyone who joined us over the years! As a guardianship lawyer, my...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 18, 2023 | Victories
After an individual was spotted exhibiting a baby wallaby in Washington Square Park and on a subway earlier this month, Humane Long Island contacted the NYPD Animal Cruelty Investigations Squad, launched an investigation, and set up patrols at the park and on Coney...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 15, 2023 | Victories
Following numerous complaints from Humane Long Island, Sloth Encounters owner Larry Wallach was yet again cited by USDA APHIS for violations of the Animal Welfare Act in August 2023 after failing to keep a written program of veterinary care for kangaroos, capybaras, a...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 26, 2023 | Victories
Sloth Encounters owner Larry Wallach has pled guilty to illegal possession with intent to sell Nile monitors, venomous reptiles who grow up to 7ft long. The district attorney’s office sought incarceration, however, the Honorable Judge Jonathan Bloom sentenced...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 24, 2023 | Victories
Thanks to the bipartisan efforts of Legislators Trish Bergin and Jason Richberg, Suffolk County has adopted IR 1777, a local law to restrict the use of exotic animals in traveling performances. This important bill not only protects the welfare of animals and the...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 16, 2023 | Victories
An April 12, 2023 USDA APHIS inspection report—which was just released to the public—reports that Sloth Encounters’ owner Larry Wallach was recently cited for mishandling animals after a USDA inspector observed a Sloth Encounters’ employee improperly...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 11, 2023 | Victories
On July 11, 2023, the Suffolk County Supreme Court found Sloth Encounters and its landlord 777 Chris’s Way, LLC guilty of civil contempt of court, writing: It is the opinion of this Court that the location continues to be operated as a petting zoo under the...
by John Di Leonardo | Jun 7, 2023 | Victories
When Hopscotch Montessori School’s hatching project vendor informed the school that they would no longer be taking back babies when the science experiment was completed, educators scrambled for a backup plan, however, these plans fell through after 4 ducklings...
by John Di Leonardo | May 4, 2023 | Victories
After hearing from Humane Long Island and its international Duck Defenders program, St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School has pledged to end its 40-year tradition of hatching baby ducklings in classrooms! The last eleven ducklings hatched last week are being cared...
by John Di Leonardo | Apr 5, 2023 | Victories
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney has charged multiple Suffolk County businesses with misdemeanors for selling day-old baby chicks in quantities less than allowable by New York State law. “Each spring around Easter time, people purchase newly born...
by John Di Leonardo | Apr 3, 2023 | Victories
Senator Monica R. Martinez introduced bill S6211 which establishes a definition for exotic animals and expands the existing definition of wild animals. The bill further prohibits exotic animals from being harbored, traded, imported, sold or owned as pets in the same...
by John Di Leonardo | Mar 30, 2023 | Victories
Supreme Court Justice Joseph A. Santorelli has granted Islip a Preliminary Injunction against Sloth Encounters and its landlord 777 Chris’s Way, LCC ordering the defendants to “immediately cease any operations that are a violation of the Town of Islip...
by John Di Leonardo | Mar 26, 2023 | Victories
After hearing from Humane Long Island, the Patchogue-Medford Library has pledged that today will be the last time former Iditarod musher Karen Land will speak at the library and has apologized for promoting the Iditarod in materials ahead of her visit. Ms. Land will...
by John Di Leonardo | Mar 9, 2023 | Victories
After hearing how Sloth Encounters’ owner Larry Wallach has been cited for more than 50 federal violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including for lying to USDA inspectors about an incident involving the bite of a child at his illegal Hauppauge facility, the...
by John Di Leonardo | Jan 27, 2023 | Victories
After Humane Long Island informed Best Western Hotels & Resorts that Sloth Encounters’ owner Larry Wallach was hiding baby sloths from federal authorities inside the Best Western Mill River Manor in Rockville Centre, the brand labeled Wallach’s actions...
by John Di Leonardo | Jan 1, 2023 | Victories
After veterinarian Greg Nelson witnessed contractors with the Town of Hempstead removing Monk parakeet, also known as Quacker parrot, nests from light posts at Merrick Road Park and removing the current light system that provided both a platform for nest-building and...
by John Di Leonardo | Dec 29, 2022 | Victories
Plans are underway to rescue more than 100 domestic ducks abandoned outside of The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio after Wooster residents Maiara and Helder Bertolucci braved thin ice to rescue two ducks frozen to the icy pond outside the restaurant on Christmas...
by John Di Leonardo | Dec 16, 2022 | Victories
Governor Hochul has signed the Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act, ending the manufacture and sale of cosmetic products in New York State that have been tested on animals starting in January 2023! Thanks to Assembly Member Linda B. Rosenthal, Senator Alessandra Biaggi, and...
by John Di Leonardo | Dec 15, 2022 | Victories
Governor Hochul has signed S.1130/A.4283 into law, which will prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits by retail pet shops in New York state starting in 2024. Thousands of pet stores across the country have already evolved to no longer sell animals from...
by John Di Leonardo | Dec 9, 2022 | Victories
After Save the Geese Bloomsburg sounded the alarm that USDA APHIS Wildlife Services would be removing up to 70 domestic ducks from Fairground Road Park in East Buffalo Township, Humane Long Island’s Duck Defenders program offered a solution beneficial for both the...
by John Di Leonardo | Nov 29, 2022 | Victories
Following a complaint filed by Humane Long Island, the Cabana restaurant in Long Beach was issued a warning by the Nassau County Department of Health for allowing Sloth Encounters to exhibit sloths in its dining area in violation of Section 14-1.183 of the New York...
by John Di Leonardo | Oct 19, 2022 | Victories
On International Sloth Day 2022, Sloth Encounters owner Larry Wallach planned to haul two baby sloths to the Bethpage Equestrian Center for “baby sloth selfies,” however, following Humane Long Island’s plans to protest and meeting with the...
by John Di Leonardo | Oct 3, 2022 | Victories
An August 10th inspection report—which was just released to the public—shows that Sloth Encounters was cited for interfering with APHIS inspectors carrying out their duties and for handling animals in a way that is dangerous to the animals and the public, apparently...
by John Di Leonardo | Sep 15, 2022 | Victories
A Suffolk County Supreme Court judge has ordered Sloth Encounters—an illegal business that subjects sensitive sloths, including vulnerable babies, to grabbing hands, noisy crowds, and ramshackle cages during daylight hours when these animals would naturally be...
by John Di Leonardo | Sep 1, 2022 | Victories
Following protests and complaints filed by Humane Long Island, the Town of Islip is taking Sloth Encounters to court, slapping the illegal business with four court appearance tickets for possession of wild animals, occupancy of a building without fire marshal...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 20, 2022 | Victories
After Bayport resident Karen Hill Maloney discovered more than one hundred Snapping turtle hatchlings killed on the front lawn of the recently mowed Meadow Croft Estate in Sayville, Humane Long Island launched an investigation and contacted the Suffolk County Parks...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 1, 2022 | Victories
Following protests and official complaints from Humane Long Island, Sloth Encounters has been issued notices of violations for possession of wild animals, change of use without a permit, lack of fire extinguishers, lack of carbon monoxide detectors and for electrical...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 28, 2022 | Victories
While on a run at Norman J. Levy Park & Preserve in Merrick, a veterinary technician stumbled upon the grisly body of a yellow warbler stuck to a glue trap along with countless insects literally pulling themselves limb from limb trying to escape the torturous...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 22, 2022 | Victories
Following inquiries made by Humane Long Island, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services cited Sloth Encounters – which subjects sensitive sloths, including vulnerable babies, to grabbing hands, noisy crowds, and ramshackle cages during daylight hours...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 14, 2022 | Victories
After Humane Long Island received reports from local wildlife rehabilitators that birds were becoming entangled and killed in the tattered anti-bird netting at the Brittania Yachting Center in Northport, Humane Long Island reached out to the owner with an urgent...
by John Di Leonardo | Jun 22, 2022 | Victories
After resident Bonnie Tischler discovered several ducks and roosters suffering from severe confinement and extreme neglect at the Santos White Community Garden on Coney Island, Humane Long Island worked with the New York Police Department and New York Animal Care...
by John Di Leonardo | May 6, 2022 | Victories
For the past three years, the Town of Babylon has been considering slashing its setback for keeping fowl from 100 feet to 10-15 feet, a change that would not only allow nearly everyone in the town to keep birds in cramped, filthy spaces without adequate space to roam,...
by John Di Leonardo | May 3, 2022 | Victories
In the words of Adison Smith, co-founder of Utah animal protection organization Wasatch Wanderers, “For months after I found out that Highland Park District was going to kill dozens of domestic ducks abandoned at Highland Glen Park, I was frustrated and spinning...
by John Di Leonardo | Jan 13, 2022 | Victories
After being contacted by neighbors about ducks allegedly freezing to death outside a home in Forest Hills, Humane Long Island uncovered an illegal backyard slaughter operation across the street from a school. Fed a diet of moldy bagels and stale bread and denied any...
by John Di Leonardo | Dec 1, 2021 | Victories
Following Humane Long Island’s collaboration with South Huntington Union Free School District to safely relocate thousands of fishes and amphibians whose habitat was doomed due to construction, Humane Long Island garnered a commitment from South Huntington...
by John Di Leonardo | Nov 12, 2021 | Victories
After South Huntington Union Free School District began draining a sump for repairs, residents raised concerns about the plethora of animals who called the sump home. Humane Long Island made contact with decisionmakers who immediately agreed to halt the project while...
by John Di Leonardo | Sep 1, 2021 | Victories
Following a meeting with Humane Long Island President John Di Leonardo and Cornwall resident Tom DiCarrado, the mayor of Cornwall-on-Hudson opted to pursue only nonlethal, humane geese management practices within his village. Humane Long Island provided coyote decoys...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 19, 2021 | Victories
Humane Long Island worked with Party Pets of New York to shut down its Malverne petting zoo and retire three sheep, two dozen chickens, 20 ducks, a goose, and a turkey to reputable sanctuaries. Many of the birds were suffering from bumblefoot infections, eye...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 7, 2021 | Victories
For 8 years, Islip School District employed the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to round-up and kill birds by the hundreds at Islip Schools year after year, including 200 on July 1, 2021. Following a meeting with Humane Long Island President...
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 7, 2020 | Victories
Following a spirited protest by members of Humane Long Island and PETA against animal exhibitor Wild World of Animals at the Bellmore Street Festival, the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores in New York agreed not to host animal acts again at the fair or any of its...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 8, 2019 | Victories
Following a nearly year-long campaign that included spirited protests, testimonies at town board meetings, an urgent letter to town officials, and documenting dead and dying birds outside the applicant’s existing Queens slaughterhouse, the Islip Zoning Board of...
by John Di Leonardo | May 19, 2019 | Victories
Following a 7-month campaign by Humane Long Island and PETA that included spirited protests, appeals to town officials, support from Alec Baldwin, and testimonies at town board meetings, SeaQuest has withdrawn its application to open an aquarium inside the Westfield...
by John Di Leonardo | Aug 20, 2018 | Victories
After the Village of Brightwaters invited the DEC and the USDA to discuss management of geese in Brightwaters, LION received several e-mails and calls from the public concerned over the geese’s safety. LION voiced these concerns at a village meeting, promoting...
by John Di Leonardo | Apr 18, 2018 | Victories
From monkey rodeos to lion, tiger, and bear acts, the Brookhaven Fair was long the most notorious fair on the Island due to its exploitation of wild and exotic animals. After years of letters, protests, and town meetings, Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine made his...
by John Di Leonardo | Oct 20, 2017 | Victories
In a monumental victory for elephants, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a ban into law that prohibits the use of elephants for entertainment in circuses and other traveling shows! Known as the “Elephant Protection Act,” the new law will take effect in two years....
by John Di Leonardo | Jul 11, 2017 | Victories
When LION heard that the Banana Derby—a cruel monkey rodeo where monkeys are chained to dogs and raced around a track—was coming to the Northport Firemen’s Fair, we pleaded with the Fire Department to cancel the act and protested when our messages were not...
by John Di Leonardo | Jun 21, 2017 | Victories
For years, LION led protests calling on New Yorkers to stay away from UniverSoul Circus, the now-defunct Ringling Bros. circus, and other traveling shows that use and abuse elephants, tigers, and other wild animals—and the New York City Council has now prohibited all...
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