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Hundreds of wild species gained important protections at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in late 2025. After more than a fortnight of debate among more than 3,200 delegates representing over 160
This year, we celebrate a pair of milestones in the history of international wildlife governance: December 3, 2026, is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), the treaty that established the International Whaling Commission (IWC). It has also been 40 years since the IWC’s global prohibition
Even before humans started plying the oceans in noisy ships, the oceans produced a symphony of natural sounds emanating from marine life, rain, crashing waves, and the Earth itself. When the noise from ship engines, seismic testing, and active sonar was added, the symphony became a cacophony, with potential adverse impacts to marine life. Unlike
This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the addition of animal cruelty data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This accomplishment came after a hard-fought campaign of as many years by AWI and allies. Previously, information collected about animal cruelty crimes was relegated to the catch-all “All Other Offenses”
The growing momentum to phase out the use of animals in research and testing has been encouraging. At this stage, however, many circumstances remain in which effective nonanimal alternatives are not yet available or approved for use, and AWI is committed to safeguarding and advancing the welfare of animals who continue to be used in
Many bat species use human-made structures for nightly roosts due to habitat loss from human causes. Disturbingly, recent research suggests that bats roosting in commonly used bat boxes often overheat during the summer due to size, box placement, and overcrowding, ultimately leading to mortality in vulnerable bat species. Though research has begun to define both
Dr. Bill Clark The African elephants have lost their great champion. Nature herself has lost a knowledgeable and eloquent advocate. And I have lost a friend. The always-astute Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton has been laid to rest after six decades of determined and usually successful efforts to protect Africa’s elephants from the barbarisms and cruelties of
When a hunter shoots a deer, elk, or other animal with lead ammunition, the damage extends far beyond the target. Upon impact, the bullet splinters into tiny fragments that scatter throughout the body. Many of these particles are so small they are not detectable even by X-ray, and they are impossible to completely remove from
The ability of individuals to move among habitat patches and disperse to other locations is fundamental to population connectivity. Without such mobility, gene flow between populations is reduced or eliminated. When populations colonize new habitats, such as in urban areas, they can become isolated from the original population. In urban areas, dispersal and migration may
On December 2, AWI bestowed the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award on eight recipients at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The award—launched in 1994 and named in honor of the late chief of
This past October, in Kingston, Jamaica, AWI participated in the biennial meetings for the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region. This international treaty—adopted in 1983 in Cartagena, Columbia, and commonly known as the “Cartagena Convention”—is dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the Wider Caribbean
The 2013 documentary Blackfish told the story of Tilikum, an adult male orca who killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in February 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando. In response to this incident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited SeaWorld for a willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s “General Duty Clause” (GDC), which requires employers
AWI Scholarship recipient Madison Kossow founded Mission Mutt Dog Rescue to tackle the pet overpopulation crisis one pup at a time. For Madison Kossow, the greatest benefit of attending virtual high school during the COVID-19 pandemic was that the less demanding schedule freed up her time to foster more than 30 cats, dogs, and rabbits.
AWI recently released new and improved versions of A Consumer’s Guide to Food Labels and Animal Welfare to help compassionate consumers purchase more humane food options. This guide includes definitions, and the animal welfare implications, of some of the most common labels applied to dairy, egg, meat, and poultry products. For those who wish to have something
Imagine not being able to lift your head for hours on end in a moving vehicle. For horses forced to travel in double-deck trailers, this is the reality. While experts agree that the proper ceiling height for horse trailers is 7–8 feet, double-deck trailers, which are designed to transport shorter livestock such as cattle and
The horse-drawn carriages in Central Park have long been a flashpoint in New York City, with some regarding them as a romantic tourist attraction and others viewing them as relics of the past that are harmful to the horses themselves. Indeed, in today’s urban areas, horses who pull carriages face a host of health and
The US Department of Agriculture’s long history of ineffective Animal Welfare Act (AWA) enforcement against noncompliant breeders, dealers, exhibitors, and research facilities appears to have reached a new low. AWI has analyzed extensive enforcement data and, in a recently published report, Trends in Animal Welfare Act Enforcement, presents evidence that a recent US Supreme Court decision
On any given day, you’ll find Nancy Blaney, AWI’s director of government affairs, sprinting through the halls of Congress, camped out at a committee hearing, and/or intercepting a potential ally at a reception to bend an ear. It’s never been an easy job. Early in her career, Nancy traveled to her home state of Pennsylvania
Experiments on animals (“in vivo” experiments) have long been the norm for learning about human health and disease, because testing on live animals enables researchers to investigate how chemicals, drugs, and disease affect a whole body, including the complex interactions between organs, tissues, and other biological systems. However, there are both ethical and scientific concerns
Every year, hundreds of millions of farmed animals are shipped across the United States to breeding, feeding, and slaughter facilities—transport that represents one of the most stressful experiences in a farmed animal’s life. AWI research, chronicled in the newly published second edition of our report Farmed Animals in Transport: The Twenty-Eight Hour Law, indicates that a