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Mexico is considering wholesale revisions to fishing regulations, originally promulgated in September 2020 to protect the vaquita porpoise and its habitat in the Upper Gulf of California, the species’ only home. The vaquita population has dwindled to 10 or fewer animals due to illegal fishing with gillnets, which entangle and kill vaquita. The 2020 regulations—were
When the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management took public comments last summer to inform its forthcoming offshore oil and gas leasing plan, AWI submitted comments on behalf of dozens of wildlife protection groups opposing the agency’s intent to drastically expand offshore oil and gas development to all US coasts. The draft plan published in late
In February, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed two rules to allow most poultry and pig slaughter plants to increase line speeds (the rate at which animals are slaughtered, eviscerated, and processed). One rule would allow chicken processing plants to boost line speeds from 140 to 175 birds per
Another devastating year for barn fires is in the books: More than 573,000 animals are known to have died in fires during 2025. What isn’t in the books: state-established fire safety standards that might have spared many of these animals from such a horrible fate. As in previous years, the overwhelming majority (99%) of the
In late February, The Harris Poll, on behalf of AWI, conducted a national online survey of consumer attitudes regarding the treatment of dairy cows. The survey asked over 2,000 Americans to rate the acceptability of specific dairy production practices and indicate the extent to which a producer’s engagement in such practices might affect their own
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has released an updated edition of its Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals, which the federal and some state governments use to set policy related to the mass killing of flocks or herds of farmed animals for disease control or other reasons. When a draft of the Guidelines was released for comment,
The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)—the largest of the seven National Primate Research Centers and one with a notoriously poor welfare record—may cease biomedical research and be transformed into a nonhuman primate sanctuary. Last year, amid criticism from animal advocates, state legislators, and the public, OHSU was directed
The National Institutes of Health plans to award $87 million in contracts to launch a Standardized Organoid Modeling Center. Organoids are collections of cells that serve as miniature three-dimensional models of various organs. They are among a suite of “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) that, increasingly, are allowing scientists to conduct research and testing without using
A study in the journal Current Biology (Zipple et al., 2025) has shown that one week of living in nature prevents the development of anxiety or reverses established anxiety in mice who were formerly held in laboratories. The elevated plus maze is a common laboratory tool to measure rodent anxiety under various conditions. It is used, for
Alpha Genesis, Inc. (AGI), a massive supplier and user of monkeys in biomedical research, made headlines in late 2024 due to the escape of 43 monkeys, the deaths of another 22 from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, and the emergence of whistleblower reports alleging grave negligence and incompetence at the company’s South Carolina facility. Despite these disturbing
In January, Charles River Laboratories (CRL)—a major provider of biomedical products and services—announced a $510 million agreement to acquire K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd., one of its suppliers of captive-bred monkeys for use in research and testing. CRL stated the acquisition would “enable greater oversight and operational control of a key supply source.” Prior to 2023, CRL
According to the journal Science, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been instructed to phase out all research involving monkeys by the end of the year. The CDC primarily uses monkeys in HIV-prevention research. The directive was reportedly passed down by a former Department of Government Efficiency employee (a recent college graduate
This year, as with any other, AWI staff are hard at work protecting animals across the globe. But 2026 also holds special significance: This year, AWI turns 75—an occasion to celebrate three quarters of a century of progress for animals in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild.
In a surprising move, the US Departments of Agriculture, Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security jointly announced the creation of a “coordinated effort to crackdown on chronic dog welfare violators” with a focus on dog fighting and Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations at puppy mills. As part of this effort, the DOJ is
In March, the House Committee on Agriculture finalized its version of the long-overdue farm bill—HR 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026—and it is a mixed bag for animal welfare. On the plus side, it reauthorizes until 2031 the Protecting Animals with Shelter grant program, which helps service providers expand their capacity
The US Department of Agriculture announced in January that it would delay implementation of Horse Protection Act (HPA) regulations until year’s end—the third postponement since regulations aimed at eliminating the soring of Tennessee walking horses were finalized in May 2024. Soring methods include applying caustic chemicals to flesh, using chains to strike against sore legs,
The House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing in December entitled “Sea Lion Predation in the Pacific Northwest.” While several members of Congress and witnesses claimed that expanding the killing of pinnipeds is necessary to save endangered salmon, others were aligned with AWI’s position that the lethal take
The Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), enacted in 2022, ushered in historic protections for lions, tigers, and other big cats. However, a new bill in Congress, HR 7159, seeks to weaken these hard-won protections and line the pockets of special interests at the expense of big cats and public safety. The BCPSA protects communities from
The Trump administration is seeking to reinstate four regulations issued in 2019 during President Trump’s first term that severely weakened critical Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. These regulations curtailed protections afforded to threatened species, allowed economic considerations to be weighed when deciding whether to list a species, significantly undermined the process for designating protected habitat,
In September, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) reintroduced the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act (HR 5286)—bipartisan legislation to improve transport conditions for farmed animals in the United States. The bill would establish fitness for travel standards—mirroring those already in place for livestock exported abroad—to prevent animals who are sick, injured, disabled, or are otherwise in