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]
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Latest News
House Votes to Ban Unsafe Horse Transport in Federal Transportation Legislation
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the US House of Representatives for passing the Horse Transportation Safety Act (HTSA) today as part of a massive infrastructure package that was approved. The HTSA would ban the...
Ventilation Shutdown Used to “Depopulate” Farm Animals During Pandemic Causes Severe Suffering
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
COVID-19 has shut down, at least temporarily, dozens of pig, chicken, and turkey slaughter plants in the United States, leaving millions of farm animals with nowhere to go.
Lawsuit Seeks Trade Sanctions Against Mexico as Vaquita Porpoise Faces Extinction
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to force a long overdue decision to sanction Mexico for its illegal fishing and trade that is causing the vaquita porpoise’s extinction.
Trump Administration Reverses Ban on Egregious Wildlife Killing Methods on Alaska National Preserves
Tuesday, June 09, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) condemns today’s decision by the National Park Service (NPS) to reverse a 2015 rule prohibiting unethical and unsporting methods for killing wildlife on the 10 national preserves managed by the...
Safe Horse Transport Included in New Federal Transportation Legislation
Monday, June 08, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends lawmakers from the US House of Representatives for including the Horse Transportation Safety Act (HTSA) in transportation legislation unveiled last week.
A Statement from AWI:
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
AWI has chosen to go quiet this week on social media. While the animal welfare issues we work on remain as pertinent as ever, we are cognizant of the fact that people around the country...
Humboldt County Agrees to Prioritize Nonlethal Solutions to Urban Wildlife Conflict
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
In response to advocacy by a coalition of animal protection and conservation groups, Humboldt County today unanimously approved a new contract with the federal wildlife-killing program, Wildlife Services, that will result in far fewer native...
Washington, DC, Passes Law to Ban the Sale of Ivory and Rhino Horn
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
The District of Columbia has passed a law to address the surging local market for goods that contribute to declines in endangered wildlife.
Help Feed Animals in Need on #GivingTuesdayNow
Friday, May 01, 2020
For many years, AWI has participated in Giving Tuesday—a global day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. #GivingTuesdayNow is a newly created global day of giving and unity that takes place on May 5...
Colorado Becomes Sixth US State to Outlaw Cruel and Unsporting Wildlife Killing Contests
Friday, May 01, 2020
A coalition of leading wildlife protection organizations is applauding the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for their vote yesterday to ban wildlife killing contests for furbearer and certain small game species in the state.
Report: JBS, Smithfield Worst Slaughter Plants in US
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Amid reports of COVID-19 outbreaks at the largest meat processors in the United States, a new analysis of government documents by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has found that, over a three-year span, JBS USA...
After “Tiger King,” 53 Members of Congress Urge USDA to Crack Down on Animal Abusers
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
In the wake of Netflix docuseries “Tiger King” and heightened public attention to the exploitation of captive big cats, 53 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter yesterday to the US Department of Agriculture calling...
Mystic, Georgia Aquariums Lobby Commerce Secretary for Beluga Import Permit
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Lobbyists and executives for Mystic Aquarium and Georgia Aquarium used back-door politics to try to win approval for a controversial permit application to import five captive-born beluga whales from Marineland in Canada, an Animal Welfare...
60+ Members of Congress Urge International Groups to End Live Wildlife Trade
Friday, April 10, 2020
In a strong bipartisan showing, more than 60 members of Congress sent a letter this week to the World Health Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the...
AWI Releases State Scorecard on Animal Cruelty Reporting
Friday, April 03, 2020
An analysis by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has found that the majority of states have gotten off to a slow start reporting animal cruelty incidents to the FBI’s national crime database.
AWI, 10,000+ Consumers Urge Poultry Association to Save Birds from Barn Fires
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) sent a letter to the US Poultry & Egg Association urging the world’s largest poultry organization to immediately implement fire prevention strategies to stop devastating barn fires that have...
A Note from the President of AWI Regarding COVID-19
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Dear Members and other friends of AWI: As you know, coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading around the globe, and the human species is facing a pandemic unlike any the vast majority of us have endured in...
US Government Expands Mexican Seafood Ban to Save Vaquita Porpoise
Wednesday, March 04, 2020
The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced today that it will ban imports of Mexican shrimp and other seafood caught in the habitat of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
New Rules Would Protect Farm Animals Transported By Sea in Hawaii
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Following the recent deaths of 21 pregnant cows on a barge traveling from Oahu to Kauai, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) formally committed last week to adopting regulations to better protect farm animals on...
Animal Protection Groups Sue Perdue, USDA over Slaughter of Sick, Injured Pigs
Thursday, February 06, 2020
Animal protection groups sued Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the Department of Agriculture today for failing to protect pigs who are too sick or injured to walk at slaughterhouses, posing serious risks to animals...