New Jersey joins the list of countries like Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, the Netherlands and India that have banned the use of wild animals in circuses. Wild animals are not willing performers. Elephants have no desire to balance on their front legs, tigers don’t freely leap through fiery hoops and bears have no interest in riding bicycles. Click here for full article.

In a landmark victory for dogs, Florida, the hub of the country’s dog-racing industry, has voted in favor of a greyhound-racing ban by the close of 2020, which will end live races and simulcast betting on dog races at the state’s 11 tracks. 
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After many years of legislative battle, finally, Canada government passed Bill S-203, a bill to outlaw keeping cetaceans like whales and dolphins in captivity. 
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Traveling circuses have toured the United Kingdom for over two hundred years and will continue to be welcome in Wales, but they will not be permitted to use wild animals under the Bill. The eight-week consultation will seek the public’s views of the proposed Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses(Wales) Bill. 
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Portugal has banned the use of wild animals in circuses by 2024 with a new law passed by parliament and applauded by animal rights groups. Lions, tigers, elephants, camels, and zebras are among the more than 1,000 animals banned under the new law covering around 40 species. 
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Sault Ste. Marie passed a progressive new animal care and control by-law that will mean greater protection for animals. Among other things, the by-law enhances animal care standards, bans circuses from using live animals in performances, and prohibits new zoos from operating in the City. 
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The city of Montreal is putting the owners of caleches on notice: the last day horses will be allowed to promenade through the streets is on Dec. 31, 2019. 
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Sri Lanka’s government has agreed to ban animal sacrifice rituals in the country’s Hindu temples following years of protests, particularly by the nation’s Buddhist majority. 
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Also known as the “Festival of Slaugher”, Nepal’s sacrifice is the world’s largest and it has happened every 5 years for the last 300 years. Over 200,000 thousand animals use to killed but now, members of The Gadhimai Temple Trust itself have decided to choose compassion over sacrifice and have chosen to celebration it the “Festival of Life” Instead. Read more here. 

Both the brands said they would stop using real fur in their collections, joining a growing list of luxury labels turning their backs on fur. Fashion houses around the world are bowing to pressure and using alternatives to real fur amid pressure from animal rights groups and changing tastes of younger customers, who are increasingly aware of the environmental issues linked with the clothes they buy. 
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Animal rights campaigners are ‘delighted’ at the decision by DKNY and Donna Karan to ban fur from their collections. The fashion giants, owned by parent company G-III, are expected to go fur-free in 2019, hot on the heels of luxury labels Versace and Gucci who have made similar moves in recent months.

The luxury leather brand has just announced that they will no longer use real fur in their products and have pledged to phase fur out completely by the debut of their Fall 2019 collection next February. 
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Chanel Becomes the Latest in Luxury Fashion to Ban Fur and Exotic Animal Skins. Joining other fashion houses such as Gucci, Versace and Michael Kors, Chanel will no longer use animal fur or skins such as crocodile, lizard, snake, and stingray in the production of their garments and accessories. 
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French designer Jean Paul Gaultier will no longer use fur in his collections. The designer made the announcement on the French television station Canal+ during the alive interview, calling the fur industry “absolutely deplorable.” 
Read for more details.

Burberry no longer uses select animal furs in its products. Starting with Riccardo Tisci’s debut collection September 17, Burberry banned rabbit, fox, mink, and Asiatic raccoon fur, as well as angora. Shearling and leather are still used in collections and the remaining fur products are slowly being phased out of the line.” 
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The city of Los Angeles, a leading center of the world’s fashion industry, moved toward becoming the largest U.S. metropolis to outlaw the sale and manufacture of most fur products within its limits. 
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After receiving pressure from animal advocates, lawmakers in New Zealand have passed a strong law to protect sheep from abuse. The country banned mulesing, a painful procedure performed on sheep on wool farms in which large chunks of flesh are carved out of their backsides. 
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Luxembourg has become the tenth nation in the European Union to ban fur farms. Whilst there are no known farms of this nature currently operating in the country, the new bill will ensure that none will be established in the future, and firmly places Luxembourg as an anti-fur industry country. 
Read here for more details.

Hong Kong’s lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to ban the trade in ivory, in a move campaigners described as “a lifeline for elephants”. A similar ban was brought in across mainland China earlier this year. Ivory from animal tusks – mostly those of elephants – has been traded in Hong Kong for more than 150 years. 
Read here for more details.

In a historic vote, the Brussels Parliament has unanimously backed a draft ordinance which recognizes animals as sentient beings. The vote means that animals will no longer carry the legal status of “object,” in the category of property and immobile goods. Instead, they will be classed as a specific group in society and afforded a more sophisticated degree of legal protection. 
Click here for more details.

Officials in South Korea has started to dismantle the country’s largest dog slaughterhouse. About one million dogs are consumed every year and activists have sought to end the custom. Dog meat was once considered a delicacy in South Korea, but attitudes have changed in recent years. 
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Hanoi, Vietnam, will officially ban the dog meat trade by 2021, Southeast Asia Globe reports. The announcement follows a statement released in mid-September by the Hanoi People’s Committee, which urges residents of the Vietnamese capital to stop eating dog meat. 
Read here for more details.

In a new law, the Swiss government banned the common culinary practice of throwing the crustaceans into boiling water while they are still conscious. The move is a response to studies that suggest lobsters are sentient with advanced nervous systems that may feel pain. From March 2018, lobsters being prepared in Switzerland are being knocked out before they’re put to death or killed instantly. They’ll also get other protections while in transit.

Considered one of the cruelest trades in the world, animals have suffered unconscionably the last 50 years in Australia’s live export trade. Animals Australia has been fighting against this cruel industries for decades. This year, the largest sheep exporter was banned from operating permanently. Also a new bill is now in place, if passed, this will prohibit live sheep exports in the summer months and an eventual complete ban. There is more pressure than ever on the Australia government to end this trade. Read here for more details. 

The province’s college of veterinarians passed a resolution that prohibits licensed vets to perform declaw surgeries on cats. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019, thereby allowing member veterinarians who offer the service a chance to educate their clients about the change. 
Read here for more details.

A ban on third-party sales will ensure the nation’s much-loved pets get the right start in life. People who have a complete disregard for pet welfare will no longer be able to profit from this miserable trade. 
Read here for more details.

This new law makes cat-declawing illegal for both animal guardians and veterinarians. Anyone who does so faces up to six months in jail along with a $25,000 fine for a first offense. And that is not all! This legislation also means that tail docking, ear cropping, devocalizing of dogs, and any other practice that is purely for the cosmetic appeal of an animal is now banned. 
Read here for more details.

Animal advocates applaud Surrey ban on retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. Those caught selling a prohibited animal could face a fine of up to $500. 
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The state’s legislature became the first in the U.S. to pass a comprehensive bill that bans the sale of products that have been tested on animals anywhere in the state.  The most commonly used animals are mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The vast majority are killed when testing is complete. 
Click here to read full article.

The Government of Brussels-Capital has banned animal testing on Dogs, Cats, and Primates from January 2020. This landmark decision will reduce the number of animals in experiments by almost a fifth. It goes to show that it is possible for governments to move away from the use of animals in experiments. 
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Dove—one of the most widely recognized and conveniently available personal care product brands in the world—has banned all tests on animals anywhere in the world and has just been added to PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies cruelty-free list. 
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As major fashion brands strive for more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, beauty brands have also been in the spotlight when it comes to environmental ethics, particularly concerning testing on animals. CoverGirl happily revealed that it is Leaping Bunny-certified, therefore guaranteeing that all of its products are cruelty-free, making it the largest beauty brand to earn the certification. 
Read here for more.