Sentient, The Veterinary Institute for Animal Ethics

07/06/2026

Sentient will be submitting to this consultation into restricting the use of SGAR poisons to licensed personnel, such as pest control. We will advocate a complete ban but if the restriction is accepted, this will at least minimise harm until these horrific products are banned. Submissions are due this Thursday 11th June, with the option of a survey. AJP NSW has shared great tips, see below.

These poisons don’t just kill rats and mice but they are killing our native wildlife too.

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) cause animals to bleed to death internally over days. Owls, kookaburras, quolls, goannas, possums and wedge-tailed eagles are among the victims of these cruel poisons through secondary poisoning.

Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst has been fighting for years to get these poisons off shelves and out of our environment.

Now, the federal government is consulting on restricting SGAR poisons, and public submissions are urgently needed before 5PM Thursday 11 June.

The proposal would restrict these poisons so they could only be sold to authorised users like licensed pest controllers, not the general public.

This is a crucial step toward a full ban.

Making a submission only takes a few minutes. There’s a short survey, an optional written submission, and we’ve created a simple step-by-step guide with example responses to help.

Every submission matters. The more people who speak up, the harder it becomes for the government to ignore the suffering these poisons are causing.

Check our our guide and add your voice today: https://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/submission-guide-sgar

07/06/2026

It will be no surprise to anyone that Victoria's Game Management Authority, the purported 'regulator' of hunting in the state, has been accused of bullying wildlife rescuers and anti-hunting campaigners, to the extent of even taking shots at some. This is on top of their usual role of turning a blind eye to shooters who breach their own regulations. The proposal to shift this body to fall under the jurisdiction of the Victorian Fisheries Authority will change nothing. This requires another inquiry to ban the recreational shooting of native birds.

The Game Management Authority is accused of turning a blind eye to illegal behaviour by shooters while bullying wildlife rescuers and anti-hunting campaigners.

04/06/2026

We welcome recent findings that suggest the popularity of dogs with extreme brachycephaly is declining in the UK. According to breed registration statistics from the UK’s Royal Kennel Club, in the first three months of 2026 there was a 37% drop in registrations of French Bulldogs, a 34% drop in registrations of Bulldogs and a 43% drop in registrations of Pugs compared with the same period in 2025. These dogs have delightful temperaments but their conformation to existing breed standards causes severe suffering. Sentient supports calls for a complete overhaul of these standards, with canine health and wellbeing upheld as the top priorities.

Royal Kennel Club figures show significant declines in registrations of French bulldogs, bulldogs and pugs

04/06/2026

The First Responders Veterinary Team is a great initiative in the US, where veterinarians are contacted to attend accidents and disasters where animals are involved. This works on a voluntary basis, with interested veterinarians signing up with their local fire department, which requires about 20 hours of training and being on call when needed.

When emergencies happen, animals are often part of the story too. 🐾

The First Responders’ Veterinary Network (FRVN) is working to connect veterinarians with local emergency response teams so they can help during car accidents, fires, disasters, and other emergencies involving animals.

The goal? Faster care for injured pets and safer outcomes for both animals and people.

It’s a powerful reminder of the many ways veterinary professionals serve their communities every day.

Read more about the initiative: https://hubs.li/Q04jdHHh0

26/05/2026

This study highlights the horrendous impact on cattle and sheep who are moved long distances from farms to saleyards, between properties or to slaughterhouses. All endure high stress levels and many are injured or die during the journey, or are euthanised upon arrival at saleyards. There are also regular incidents of truck accidents with fatalities on route. Despite mandatory 'standards and guidelines', our treatment of livestock is at odds with their sentience and capacity to experience a rich life.

This isn’t just a major animal welfare issue – it’s an economic one as well. And there are steps we can take to resolve it.

17/05/2026

Sentient is thrilled to hear that for the first time in Australia, in-ovo s*xing technology will be available to egg producers to identify the s*x of chicks before they hatch, which will prevent the horrendous killing of freshly hatched male chicks. We have personally witnessed this on standard vet student rotations in the egg industry and it is completely heart breaking and wrong.

A positive step forward for animal welfare 💛🐣

For the first time in Australia, egg producers can access in-ovo s*xing technology, which can identify the s*x of chicks before hatching. This innovation will help reduce the routine killing of male chicks in the egg industry.

RSPCA Australia welcomes advancements like this that support improved animal welfare outcomes and hopes to see wider use across the industry in Australia.

The technology is expected to be presented to the wider industry later this month as conversations continue around higher welfare practices for farmed animals.

08/05/2026

Today is World Donkey Day. These animals give so much to people through their work but are so often neglected and increasingly affected by the wars that humans create. Safe Haven for Donkeys is a wonderful organisation that helps donkeys is many ways, particularly with much needed veterinary care. These vets are often working in high risk areas to treat their patients. This is a registered charity that deserves our support.

08/05/2026

What sort of person would use wildlife as 'target practice' by shooting at them with arrows? This story of a Brush Turkey who had an embedded arrow for 6 months has a good ending, but the majority suffer a painful death. It is heartening to hear about Mr Rutherford, the caring citizen who went to great lengths to catch this bird, and to Somersby vet Dr Crisman who removed the arrow. The undercurrent of cruelty this story exposes suggests we need some serious strategies for apprehending such perpetrators.

A maimed brush turkey that was shot with a bow and arrow on the NSW Central Coast is rescued after wandering in to a resident's kitchen.

30/04/2026

Here is a horrifying story of greed and complete indifference to our wonderful, unique wildlife. Unbelievably, the Forestry Corporation NSW has been approved to bulldoze Glenbog Forest in the Southern Highlands for the purpose of exporting woodchips. Countless precious wildlife species will lose their habitats, which for wombats, means losing their lives as their burrows are blown up. Please sign and email this proforma letter to your local member, and we thank Animals Australia for this initiative.

SPEAK UP NOW: Glenbog State Forest in the Southern Highlands of NSW is a refuge, one of the last places in southern NSW where greater gliders and yellow-bellied gliders still thrive. A cool, mist-laced “cloud forest” that generates its own climate, it offers sanctuary for many animals already pushed to the brink.

And tomorrow, logging machinery will arrive to destroy it all.

This forest is not empty land waiting to be “harvested.” These trees and the ground they grow from is home to gang-gang cockatoos, lyrebirds, flame robins and bare-nosed wombats just to name a few.

This month, citizen scientists identified and mapped out over 130 greater glider dens, and more than 960 wombat burrows as evidence that this forest provides critical habitat for native animals.

Yet, despite these significant populations of wildlife, Forestry Corporation NSW plan to bulldoze this area imminently, leaving many animals within it exposed with no legal protection from being killed, injured or displaced. And it will reduce habitats to woodchips, fence posts and firewood to be exported overseas.

Please take this urgent action to let decision makers know that this thriving forest is more valuable than cheap exports, and the wildlife currently living here should be protected and respected: https://animalsaus.co/421joCi

24/04/2026

This deeply sad story is a reminder of the strength of the human animal bond. Hats off to Queensland, where landlords are legally obliged to allow renters to keep a dog in their homes, also applicable to social housing. There is otherwise a huge gap in services that house homeless people. Nobody should be forced to abandon their loyal companion animal.

Steve James said he was given the choice between surrendering his dog or continuing to be homeless.