“No subject of Tikal shall torment or slay any four-legged beast or winged bird solely for pleasure or the enjoyment of spectacle. The killing of animals shall be only for consumption, to protect humans, or as dictated by tradition at the proper holy ceremonies.”

For decades, archaeologists have struggled to decode unusual inscriptions found on stelae near the base of the Tikal royal palace. In her groundbreaking new translation, Dr. Hoshi Sato has revealed them to include some of the world’s earliest animal welfare laws. Legislated between 680 and 730 CE, they represent some of the first animal welfare laws anywhere in the world, with older examples known only from China, India, and southeast Asia…

(Test post… another plausible-sounding, but not as of yet true “current events” story)

“No subject of Tikal shall torment or slay any four-legged beast or winged bird solely for pleasure or the enjoyment of spectacle. The killing of animals shall be only for consumption, to protect humans, or as dictated by tradition at the proper holy ceremonies.”

For decades, archaeologists have struggled to decode unusual inscriptions found on stelae near the base of the Tikal royal palace. In her groundbreaking new translation, Dr. Hoshi Sato has revealed them to include some of the world’s earliest animal welfare laws. Legislated between 680 and 730 CE, they represent some of the first animal welfare laws anywhere in the world, with older examples known only from China, India, and southeast Asia…

(Test post… another plausible-sounding, but not as of yet true “current events” story)