For media information or interview opportunities regarding the Animal Welfare Institute, please contact:
Margie Fishman
Public Relations Manager
Animal Welfare Institute
(202) 337-2332
[email protected]
Need an Expert?
AWI offers a number of experts that specialize in various topics across the animal welfare arena; a list can be seen here. If you are interested in speaking with one of our experts, please contact AWI at [email protected] or (202) 337-2332.
Follow us on Social Media
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.
Latest News
Trump Administration Seeks to Slash Habitat Protections for Endangered Wildlife
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Today the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Services) issued a proposed rule that would undermine protections for habitat that threatened and endangered species need to survive by rescinding...
Department of Interior Weakens Migratory Bird Protections
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Late last week, the Department of the Interior reissued a legal opinion that weakens the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) by no longer penalizing individuals and corporations for the incidental killing of birds protected under...
CEQ Guts NEPA by Rescinding Regulations
Friday, April 11, 2025
Today the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) took the most drastic action since its creation in 1970 by rescinding 50 years’ worth of regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This decision, which...
National Endangered Species Coalition Responds to Republican-led Congressional Attacks on ESA and Gray Wolves
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Today, the Republican-led US House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries considered legislation that would dramatically weaken the widely popular Endangered Species Act and strip protections for gray wolves in 48 states.
AWI Expands Directory to Help Unhoused People and Their Pets
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Washington, DC —Today, Safe Havens for Pets, an initiative of the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), launched an expanded online directory to include sheltering services that assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness with a pet. The...
Mink Legislation Reintroduced to Protect Public Health and Compensate Farmers
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
US Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has reintroduced the Mink: Vectors for Infection Risk in the United States Act (Mink VIRUS Act), bipartisan legislation endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). This bill is a response...
AWI Mourns Congressman Raúl Grijalva, an Exceptional Champion for Animals
Friday, March 14, 2025
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a staunch advocate for animals and the environment who dedicated half a century to public service, died Thursday at the age of 77.
Illinois Bill Requiring Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms Passes House Committee
Thursday, March 13, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates today’s passage of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (H.B. 2627) in the Public Health Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the full...
AWI Awards Grants to Advance the Welfare of Animals Used in Research
Monday, March 10, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of the Refinement Research Award, which funds research projects that develop or test novel refinement methods, and the Implementing Refinement Grant, which funds...
USDA’s Bird Flu Strategy Inadequate to Control Disease and Prevent Inhumane Treatment
Friday, March 07, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) appreciates that the US Department of Agriculture has developed a revised strategy to address the staggering impacts of the current bird flu outbreak, yet the five-point plan continues to incentivize...
ProTECT Act Would Protect Species Killed as Trophies
Friday, March 07, 2025
The Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies (ProTECT) Act (H.R. 1934) was reintroduced yesterday by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Lieu for continuing to champion this legislation following the death...
Amid Legal Troubles, Monkey-Breeding Facility Backers Expand Operations
Monday, March 03, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is deeply concerned by the recent announcement that Safer Human Medicine (SHM)—the company behind a massive monkey-breeding facility planned in Georgia—has acquired a facility in Florida to hold non-human primates...
To Celebrate National Horse Protection Day, Lawmakers Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to End Horse Slaughter
Thursday, February 27, 2025
In honor of National Horse Protection Day on March 1, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers today reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to permanently protect American horses from commercial slaughter. Sponsored by...
More than 860 Veterinarians, Students Call on AVMA to Discourage Cruel Killing Methods
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Hundreds of veterinarians and veterinary students from across the country are urging the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to revise its guidelines regarding methods of killing farmed animals during emergencies. The veterinary professionals and students...
Illinois Bill Would Require Disease Monitoring on Mink Farms to Safeguard Human Health
Tuesday, February 04, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends today’s filing of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act in Illinois, which would protect public health and human safety by requiring disease prevention and surveillance measures at farms that...
Bill Introduced to Require Data Collection Linking Animal Cruelty and Child Abuse
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses the Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act (H.R. 712), reintroduced last week by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Julia Brownley (D-CA). This legislation would amend the...
Facing Industry Pressure, USDA Delays Crucial Horse Protections
Friday, January 24, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is disappointed with the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement today that it will delay implementation of regulations to protect horses from egregiously inhumane soring until April 2, 2025. Soring involves...
President Trump’s Day-One Actions Will Decimate Wildlife Habitat
Thursday, January 23, 2025
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders designed to advance policies that are disastrous to wildlife and their habitats. The orders expand oil and gas drilling, mining, and logging...
US Government Agrees to Halt Seafood Imports Tied to Deadly Bycatch of Whales, Dolphins, Other Marine Mammals
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Conservation groups reached an agreement today that will require the United States to stop importing seafood that does not meet US standards for protecting marine mammals.
More Than 1.5 Million Farmed Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2024
Thursday, January 09, 2025
More than 1.5 million farmed animals perished in barn fires in 2024, accounting for 60% of the deaths reported in the last three years, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) report released today.