For decades, real fur symbolized glamour, wealth, and high fashion, especially in Hollywood. But in 2025, that image is rapidly unraveling.

This fall, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced that beginning in September 2026, real animal fur will be banned from all CFDA-supported New York Fashion Week runways. The decision reflects growing awareness of animal cruelty in fur farming and a clear shift in consumer values toward more humane, sustainable fashion.

A rare and exciting wildlife moment was captured on a trail camera at Prairie Oaks Metro Park: a bobcat trotting down a trail before slipping back into the brush. Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks shared the video publicly and noted the sighting happened in the early morning hours of Nov. 21.

In Penelope: The World of Each Other, author Paul Bochner offers a moving and intimate memoir that challenges the way we understand and relate to wildlife. Through his evolving relationship with a wild deer named Penelope, Bochner invites readers to witness the depth of connection, communication, and shared experience that can exist between humans and the animals who live alongside us.

Ohio is facing its most severe outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) to date, with nearly 7,000 deer confirmed sick or dead across 22 counties, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

In Wyandot County, compassion has a home — and it started in a garage.

Founded in 1985 by Dave and Lynda Balz, the Wyandot County Humane Society (WCHS) began as a simple effort to help stray and unwanted animals find safety and care. Forty years later, that small act of service has evolved into a multi-faceted organization that includes the HOPE (Helping Our Pets Everywhere) Clinic and the Wyandot County Equine Rescue, all working together to save lives of every species imaginable.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has reported an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, in whitetail deer in several counties across the state.

In Orange, Vermont, beavers have been given a chance to thrive thanks to an innovative flow device known as a “beaver deceiver.” Installed by Beaver Deceivers LLC and funded primarily by In Defense of Animals (IDA), the device allows beavers to remain in their natural habitat while also preventing flooding that can damage roads and culverts.

In the spring of 2025, a striking silver fox captured the attention of Medina County residents—and raised a red flag for wildlife advocates. The animal, later named Lake, was not just beautiful, he was out of place.

Unlike Ohio’s native red and gray foxes, Lake’s dark, shimmering coat marked him as a melanistic or “silver” fox—a trait rarely seen in the wild, but common in captive-bred foxes raised to be pets. His calm behavior around humans and lack of fear signaled something else: this was no wild animal. Lake had been bred and likely raised in captivity.

And, like many exotic pets, he had been abandoned.

The Sandhill Crane is a striking, tall bird standing 3 to 4 feet high with a wingspan of up to 6.5 feet. It’s recognized by its long legs, long neck, grayish-brown feathers, and distinctive red crown on its head. These cranes are known for their trumpeting calls that echo across wetlands and open fields, especially when traveling in large migratory flocks.

What happens to primates after their lives in research labs, roadside zoos, or private homes come to an end? For many, the future is uncertain. But in Perry County, Ohio, a new future is being built — one that promises safety, healing, and a second chance.

Tessa Wilde founded For the Love of Primates in 2019 with a bold and compassionate mission: to create and support a sanctuary for primates retired from research, used in the entertainment industry, or previously kept as “pets.” The organization is grounded in the belief that, after spending their lives in human environments, these animals deserve a future filled with peace, safety, and compassionate care.

Nonhuman primates used in research at state facilities in Virginia had only one option after their time in the lab was over: euthanasia. Thanks to a new bill passed by the Virginia Senate, that may finally change. On February 4, 2025, the Senate approved SB 907, a bill that paves the way for retired research primates to live out the rest of their lives in sanctuaries rather than being euthanized.

This month, as our Humane Education Resource of the Month, we are excited to highlight an exceptional resource that aligns perfectly with our mission of fostering compassion and understanding towards animals: Coyote’s Wild Home, by Barbara Kingsolver (2023 Pulitzer Prize Winner in fiction; 2000 National Humanities Medal winner) and Barbara’s daughter, Lily Kingsolver (American ecologist and author), with illustrations by Paul Mirocha. Published in 2023 to extremely positive reviews, this 32-page picture book offers two intertwined stories that describe the adventures of a young coyote pup and a girl named Diana, both embarking on their first journeys into the Appalachian wilderness.