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Animal Welfare Institute
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Latest News
New AWI Grant Funds Analysis of Animal Cruelty Data to Better Protect Animals and Communities
Monday, May 12, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has awarded an inaugural research grant to encourage the analysis of animal cruelty data to identify distinct characteristics of animal abusers, leading to more targeted intervention and prevention efforts. Abigail...
AWI Scholarship Winners Campaign for a Better World for Animals
Friday, May 09, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the 12 winners of a scholarship designed to invest in future leaders who seek to improve the lives of animals—from advancing medical research techniques that don’t rely on...
Congress Launches First-Ever Wild Horse Caucus to Protect America’s Iconic Mustangs and Burros
Thursday, May 08, 2025
In a landmark move for America’s wild horses and burros, today US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Jaun Ciscomani (R-AZ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) launched the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. This is the...
Captive Primate Safety Act Would End the Cruel and Dangerous Primate Pet Trade
Tuesday, May 06, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds yesterday’s reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA), which would end the cruel and dangerous pet primate trade in the United States. Nonhuman primates, including chimpanzees, capuchins, and...
AWI Supports Phasing Out Animal Use in Research and Testing, but Proper Planning is Essential to Protect Animals and Science
Thursday, May 01, 2025
In April, both the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration announced plans to phase out the use of animals in scientific research. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) strongly supports transitioning...
As Iceland Calls Off Fin Whale Slaughter, Japan and Norway Launch Cruel, Unsustainable Whale Hunting Seasons
Friday, April 25, 2025
Japan and Norway resumed slaughtering whales this month, while Iceland’s only fin whaling company has decided that it will not hunt this summer, citing a declining demand for whale meat products in Japan. Japan killed...
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 listings...
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...