Effective Animal Advocacy for New Mexico
Other accomplishments by year
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For over 30 years, Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) has been working in New Mexico’s communities to make animals count. What began as a small, dedicated group of residents concerned about the unmet needs of animals has grown into an influential organization that is making a noticeable difference for New Mexico’s animals and the communities in which they live.
Overall Accomplishments
Ensuring crimes against animals are taken seriously.
- Passed law that allows those charged with animal cruelty to be required to pay for care of their animals if seized
- Passed law that created spay-neuter license plate, and which channels funds from their sales to county spay-neuter programs
- Passed law making cockfighting illegal
- Passed law creating and funding state board to oversee animal shelter and euthanasia standards
- Passed law requiring bittering agent in antifreeze sold in New Mexico
- Passed law making extreme animal cruelty a felony crime
- Passed law banning the cruel sport of horse tripping
- Passed law making dog fighting a fourth degree felony
- With others, passed law requiring sterilization of all animals adopted from New Mexico impounds and shelters
- Offer rewards of up to $10,000 for information about crimes against animals, often in conjunction with Crime Stoppers
- Launched billboards along interstates and other roads to advertise rewards
- With others, pressured the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revoke the license of and levy a $200,000 fine against King Royal Circus for the negligent death of an elephant
Institutionalizing the humane treatment of animals/conservation of wildlife.
- Underwrite training in effective animal control methods and animal cruelty and fighting investigations for Animal Control officers, sheriff deputies and state police
- Launched and coordinate Attorney General's Animal Cruelty Task Force, resulting in more than 25 raids on cockfighting, dog fighting and hoarding establishments
- Elevation of animal cruelty cases has resulted in establishment of cruelty investigators within sheriffs’ and district attorneys' offices
- Supported animal sheltering board by gathering statewide animal shelter statistics on animal intake, euthanasia rates, capacity
- Through Animal Protection Voters, secured over $5 million in state funding for animal-related capital projects and programs (shelters, spay-neuter, wildlife)
- In conjunction with New Mexico Department of Public Safety, published comprehensive report on public safety and humane implications of dog chaining
- Underwrote conversion of two counties to humane euthanasia practices
- Delivered statewide training on link between domestic violence and animal cruelty, and implementation of animal cruelty laws
- Helped launch annual New Mexico Governor’s Conference on the Link Between Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence
- Maintain Companion Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) network that provides emergency housing for animals of domestic violence victims
- Launched Equine Protection Fund in New Mexico Community Foundation
- Convinced N.M. Public Education Department to require “dissection choice” for students
- Provide training to wildlife agency personnel and the public on installing devices that mitigate impacts from beaver dams; co-authored with New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) “guide for solving beaver-human conflicts”
- Convinced NMDGF to establish cougar hunt quotas, to protect female cougar populations, and to require hunter education
- Convinced NMDGF to cancel plans for lethal coyote “control” in the name of deer management
- Long-term emphasis on safe wildlife corridor planning resulted in state government staff focus, planning and prioritization of the issue
- Convinced several municipalities and fraternal groups to discontinue sponsoring or allowing circuses with animals
Elevating animal protection issues in the public consciousness.
- Publish “New Mexico Animal Resources Guide,” a county-specific directory of organizations and agencies providing animal protection services
- Host Milagro Awards to recognize champions for animals
- Maintain online documentation of New Mexico animal laws and ordinances
- Sponsor award-winning humane education for thousands of New Mexico school children
- Maintain library of humane alternatives to dissection for students
- Organized first state Conference for the Animals, attended by over 350 people
Challenging the use of government resources to harm animals.
- In conjunction with California-based In Defense of Animals, closed down The Coulston Foundation, the world’s most notorious primate vivisection laboratory, freeing 327 chimpanzees and monkeys
- In conjunction with Indian nations, stopped state-sponsored bison hunt on Fort Wingate
- Closed down appalling U.S. Forest Service-run roadside zoo
- Won release of records on inhumane use of animals in experiments at Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute
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