Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School

Yesterday, the Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, on behalf of a coalition of eleven scientists who are experts on either the American Burying Beetle or climate change impacts on vulnerable species. The brief supports the Center for Biological Diversity’s lawsuit challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) 2020 decision to reduce the status of the American Burying Beetle from an endangered species to a threatened species. The Service took this step despite acknowledging that the Beetle may cease to exist in a majority of its remaining habitat as soon as 2040 due to climate change impacts.  Photo Credit: Egor Kamelev

Read here: @kweintraub in @usatoday deep dive into new @AnimalLawHLS and @NYU_CEAP report on worldwide animal > human disease risks https://lnkd.in/eNMt3rYC 

The Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School, in collaboration with NYU's Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, has released a groundbreaking report titled "Animal Markets and Zoonotic Disease Risk: A Global Synthesis of a 15 Country Study." This comprehensive study covers 15 countries across six continents and highlights the global nature of zoonotic risks. Key findings include: 🐷 Zoonotic disease is a global threat, and practices in every country contribute to global risk. 🐖 Current regulations are insufficient, with many high-risk human-animal interactions left underregulated or entirely unregulated. 🐏 Many zoonotic outbreaks are preventable through better regulation and monitoring of animal markets and their supply chains. 🦇 Policy recommendations include enhanced regulation, improved public health protections, and sustainable agricultural practices to minimize habitat destruction. For more information and to access the full report, click through and read. Together, we can protect public health and prevent future pandemics.  #ZoonoticRisks #PublicHealth #PandemicPrevention #AnimalLaw #GlobalHealth #SustainableAgriculture

The Harvard Animal Law & Policy Clinic is inviting applicants for a full-time Clinical Instructor position starting immediately. The position is sponsored by Open Philanthropy, and more information can be found on our website under "Open Positions." 

On behalf of a coalition of Massachusetts residents, the Animal Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School petitioned the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to immediately suspend the registrations of anticoagulant rodenticide products that are killing eagles, owls, and other wild animals throughout the Commonwealth. Coverage from Hadley Barndollar of MassLive Media Group.

The Animal Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School has submitted public comments to the National Park Service, which support the agency’s proposal to remove a fence that has prevented Tule elk in Tomales Point from migrating to access adequate food and water during periods of drought. The comments also call upon the agency to develop a comprehensive, park-wide elk management plan, provide interim supplemental water for the elk for two seasons following removal of the fence and, in the long-term, entirely phase out cattle ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore. The Park Service is expected to publish a final decision regarding removal of the fence in August of this year.

Today @HarvardLawSchool's Animal Law & Policy Clinic submitted petitions urging two Massachusetts agencies to take action to protect owls, eagles, and other #wildlife from #rodenticide poisoning. Kudos to Clinic students Lexi Neilan (’25), Allyson Gambardella (’24), Lla Anderson (’25) and Kira Horowitz (’24) for their work! https://lnkd.in/eVYxukvR Photo: Erin Hutchings, Cape Ann Wildlife

Today, the Animal Law & Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School sent a letter to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to safeguard wildlife by prohibiting the use of leghold and body-gripping traps. These barbaric devices, generally set underwater in the state, are designed to slam shut on an animal’s foot or body, causing an agonizing death by drowning. If the animal doesn’t drown or the leghold trap is set on land, victims endure prolonged panic and may chew or rip off their own limbs to escape. The letter also highlights a variety of safe, humane alternatives to trapping that promote coexistence with wildlife. Nine states—including Connecticut’s neighbors Massachusetts and Rhode Island—have banned or significantly limited the use of leghold traps.

Happening now! "You fight until you win and if you still have not won, you are not done fighting." - Elizabeth Forsyth, Earthjustice Zoom webinar link: https://lnkd.in/e-AQRAVC

At 12.15pm EDT today Elizabeth Forsyth HLS '11, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, will close out Animal Law Week with “How the Endangered Species Act Remains Our Most Powerful Tool for Wild Animal Protection - A Practitioners Perspective." Join us in person Harvard Law School or via Zoom: