New Petitions to Sign This Week: Help Reclassify Marijuana as a Lower-Risk Substance, Tell New York to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests, Demand Justice for Couple Who Starved Horses, and More!

Unfortunately, the world is not a very peaceful or safe place for many individuals. From conflict to abuse to exploitation, there is so much cruelty inflicted on both humans and animals. While this can get disheartening and difficult to hear about, petitions are a great way to use your voice for good. Just by signing one, you are a part of helping those who are not treated fairly. You can even share them with your friends and acquaintances to increase your impact.

Through petitions, we can reach those in power and demand justice for others. They are valuable tools for making positive changes in the world. If you are looking for a way to help animals and humans, here are 10 petitions you should sign this week, including Help Reclassify Marijuana as a Lower-Risk Substance, Tell New York to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests, and Demand Justice for Couple Who Starved Horses.

We want to thank you for being the change you wish to see in the world and giving a voice to the voiceless.

1. Demand Norfolk Southern Complete a Full and Thorough Cleanup of Waterways

Source: Washington Post/YouTube

Besides poisoning the water, air, and soil in East Palestine, Ohio, the Norfolk Southern train crash also led to the death of almost 45,000 aquatic animals. This is not only terrible for the fish who lost their lives, but the massive loss of life will likely negatively impact the local ecosystem as well. The government has ordered the train company to clean up its mess, but it’s also important that we put pressure on the company to do a thorough job. Please sign this petition to tell Norfolk Southern to fully clean up its toxic mess!

2. Tell Biden to Stop the Willow Project in Alaska

After years of advocacy by environmentalists and people working to fight Climate change, President Biden has agreed to ban nearly half of all oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is a massive victory, and certainly one worth celebrating.

Source: Reuters/YouTube

But unfortunately, Biden is falling short of fully committing to protect the region. He approved the notorious Willow Project earlier this year, which would allow oil giant ConocoPhillips — a company that saw profits of over 18 billion dollars last year alone — to move forward with the largest oil development project in the entire country.

Please sign this petition to tell President Biden: keep the climate momentum going! Stop the Willow Project!

3. Help Displaced Flamingos Return to Their Habitats

Recently, flamingos have been found hundreds of miles away from their native habitats, even as far north as Virginia and Ohio! Scientists speculate that Hurricane Idalia caused them to fly off course, sometime when the birds were traveling between Central America and the Caribbean. Thankfully, the birds have been found in reasonable health so far, but they are exhausted from the extended travel.

Source: FOX 13 Tampa Bay/YouTube

While most of the birds seem to be fine, they are still at risk in non-native habitats. We must ensure these majestic tropical animals get back home safely!

Please sign this petition to tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor these flamingos to ensure they safely return to their habitats!

4. Urge the DEA to Reclassify Marijuana as a Lower-Risk Substance

Under the current classification system, marijuana is set as a Schedule I drug, meaning the federal government considers it equally as dangerous – and addictive – as heroin or LSD. This is in direct contradiction to most research, which tells us that not only is marijuana much safer to use than drugs like heroin, but it also can have medicinal benefits.

Source: PBS NewsHour/YouTube

Now, even the Department of Health and Human Services agrees that marijuana should be classified as Schedule III (lower risk), not Schedule I. This would have huge implications for improving access to marijuana for scientific, medical, and recreational purposes, as well as reducing the brutal effects of non-violent drug-related incarceration.

For decades, millions of Americans have suffered the consequences of bad marijuana policy. Many of our neighbors and family members have been thrown in jail or prison for using or possessing marijuana. This is even though some studies suggest it is less dangerous than alcohol, a fully legal drug.

Please sign this petition to tell the Drug Enforcement Agency to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk substance!

5. Tell Alaskan Authorities to Adopt Ethical Wildlife Management Practices

The Alaska Board of Game has extended its predator control program, resulting in the murder of numerous bears and wolves — 94 brown bears, five black bears, and five wolves — in just May and June. These actions, meant to boost caribou calf survival, lack scientific evidence and severely disrupt Alaska’s ecosystems by slaughtering innocent wildlife.

The Board of Game, which is composed of six governor-appointed men and one woman who are hunters and big game guides instead of scientists, decided to extend the predator control program meant to kill bears and wolves.

Please sign this petition to demand that Alaska end harmful predator control programs and adopt ethical wildlife management!

6. Tell New York to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests

The state of Oregon finally listened to experts and Animal rights advocates and became the 9th state in the country to ban wildlife killing contests!

Source: HSUS/YouTube

The New York state legislature just passed a bill to do the same, and it awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. We must encourage her to stand on the right side of history and ban these archaic, gruesome contests, too!

Wildlife killing contests are as brutal as they sound: participants compete with one another to kill as many specific animals, such as coyotes as possible, including members of the species that are especially large or especially small, to win cash and other prizes. Those who run and participate in the contests claim that this brutality is necessary to “manage coyote populations.”

But more scientific studies are telling us a different story. Recent research has found that these contests do not even reduce coyote numbers or prevent conflicts with livestock. They may even increase them.

Please sign this petition to demand that New York Governor Kathy Hocul sign a state ban on wildlife killing contests, too!

7. Mandate Intensive Counseling for Women Who Tortured and Killed Parrot

Sparky the parrot’s human loved her dearly. But one day, after he allowed two drunken friends to stay at his home, all of that fell to pieces.

He left to complete shopping errands, and when he returned, he found they’d sadistically tortured and killed his beloved friend.

The details are gruesome. After Sparky’s human came back home, he noticed Sparky inside her cage, head limp and eyes glassy and unresponsive. Terrified, he rushed to inspect the bird closer. That’s when he learned what his former “friends” had done to her.

In his absence, they covered the African grey parrot with hazardous chemicals, including heavy-duty oven cleaning spray, metal polish, furniture polish, and finally glossy paint. But their cruelty didn’t end there.

That’s when the women tried to feed poor Sparky the bird to a dog. When that didn’t kill the animal, they struck her with a towel, then turned on a tumble dryer for clothes and tossed the parrot inside. She was still alive by the end of the cycle, “gasping [her] last breath.”

That’s when one of the friends reached out and strangled the pet.

Please sign this petition to tell authorities in the UK to sentence both of these animal abusers to intensive psychotherapy!

8. Tell Wisconsin Legislature to Reject Bill That Would Weaken Protections for Animals in Zoos

Legislators in Wisconsin are trying to exempt state license requirements for zoos accredited by the Zoological Association of America (ZAA). But the ZAA has a scary track record when it comes to conditions and treatment, and Animal rights advocates are rightfully worried.

What animals in zoos need are stronger protections from states, not weaker ones.

Zoos accredited by the ZAA have a history of poor conditions, including ones that are dangerous for humans. At ZAA-accredited facilities, people have been hurt by lion cubs, a tiger, a bear, an elephant, and an orangutan. This accreditation doesn’t mean much!

Some zoo workers and animal experts have argued that a ZAA accreditation means nothing at all. ZAA zoos also allow dangerous breeding conditions and often give literal roadside zoos – glorified playgrounds with cages where animals are torturously kept – accreditation.

Please sign this petition to tell the Wisconsin legislature to reject this dangerous bill!

9. Help Ban Battery Cages in Kenya and Uganda

Animal rights advocates in East Africa are demanding a ban on battery cages in poultry farming, and for good reason.

It is no secret that chickens trapped in battery cages live horrible lives. In many cages, the animals can hardly turn around, let alone comfortably lie down. A lack of space to move about and exhibit natural behaviors like scratching leads to psychological trauma and painful physical conditions like osteoporosis — brittle bones that break and smash easily.

Chicks often end up having their beaks trimmed before going into these torture chambers, because if they don’t, they’ll resort to pecking out their own feathers or cannibalizing one another. What kind of a life is this for a living, breathing animal?

With a growing number of people eating poultry around the world, the demand for chicken has grown. And, to make matters worse, European nations where these cruel contraptions are banned are “dumping” their secondhand battery cages across East Africa, according to some advocates. Some are calling it “a transfer of animal cruelty to Africa,” where many farmers who need to make a living don’t have options other than to use cheaper equipment that is less geared towards animal welfare.

Please sign this petition to demand a ban on the cage system in poultry farming in Kenya and Uganda!

10. Demand Justice for Couple Who Starved Horses

A husband and wife in Alabama allegedly abandoned several of their horses to die last year after they moved away to a new home – leaving the animals behind to fend for themselves.

Luckily, someone else stepped up to try and keep the horses alive by feeding them in their owners’ absence. But it was barely enough to sustain them. Months after the couple had moved away, the helper messaged them to say the animals were all out of food and to request help.

The husband said they’d come to move the horses away, but that never happened. Instead, authorities eventually arrived to discover the animals half-dead, with at least one lying on the ground nearly incapable of moving.

Deputies reported that the horses had been so badly neglected and starved, that their ribs and bones were severely protruding through their skin. One animal had fallen and was so emaciated, they couldn’t get back up – instead laying their head and neck deep in feces. The fences and ground around showed the horses had desperately tried to escape to seek food elsewhere but had been unsuccessful.

Authorities removed the two horses, as well as a pony and goat, and have charged the couple with animal cruelty.

Please sign this petition to ensure these neglectful individuals are never allowed to live with animals again!

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and essential stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in typical household and personal care products!