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Animal Welfare Institute
(202) 337-2332
[email protected]
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Latest News
US House Leaders Introduce Federal Legislation to Prohibit Slaughter of American Horses
Friday, January 13, 2017
Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to prevent the establishment of horse slaughter operations within the US, end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horse meat...
Organizations Petition EPA to Halt Use of Deadly Predator Poison
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Five animal protection organizations submitted a petition today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asking the agency to cancel its registration for sodium fluoroacetate, a pesticide commonly known as Compound 1080. Currently, the pesticide is...
AWI Statement in Response to Death of SeaWorld Orca Tilikum
Friday, January 06, 2017
Tilikum, the SeaWorld orca who changed the captive cetacean world when he killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010, has died. He was approximately 36 years of age and the father of...
AWI Sues USDA for Failure to Prevent Suffering of Animals at Slaughter
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) late yesterday filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its unreasonable delay in responding to an AWI petition —filed in May 2013 —to amend the Humane...
Despite Serious Allegations, SNBL USA Dodges Significant Penalty from USDA
Thursday, December 08, 2016
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) denounces the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its weak settlement agreement with SNBL USA—a subsidiary of Japan-based Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories that allegedly committed dozens of Animal Welfare Act...
Organizations Petition USFWS to Develop Updated Red Wolf Recovery Plan
Thursday, December 08, 2016
Seven animal protection and conservation organizations issued a petition today to the US Department of Interior (DOI) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) urging them to fulfill their obligation to develop an updated...
Reward Offered over Killings of Two Endangered Lynx in Maine Grows to $19,000
Monday, December 05, 2016
Wildlife advocate organizations, including the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Wildlife Alliance of Maine, are offering an $8,000 reward for information leading to convictions for the shootings of two protected...
Court to Consider Lawsuit Aimed at Protecting Canada Lynx from Trapping Deaths, Injuries in Maine
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
A federal district court will hear arguments Thursday on a lawsuit brought by wildlife conservation and animal welfare organizations against the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for allowing trappers in Maine to kill and...
Poll Reveals Arizonans Oppose Captive Dolphin Swim Programs
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
A statewide poll released today by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Animal Defense League of Arizona (ADLA), revealed that more Arizonans oppose than support the practice of keeping dolphins in captivity for interactive...
NMFS' Designation of Russian Beluga Whales as Depleted Makes Their Import into US Illegal
Thursday, October 27, 2016
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Cetacean Society International (CSI), Earth Island Institute (EII), and Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) lauded the US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) today for its final designation of the Sakhalin...
On 30th Anniversary of Whaling Moratorium, Norwegian Whaling Ignored
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
During the 66 th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), conservation organizations openly criticized the fact that actions against commercial whaling are absent from the IWC agenda. A petition directed at the European Union...
Court to Monterey County: Lawsuit over Wildlife Services Animal-Killing Contract Can Move Forward
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
The California Superior Court issued an order yesterday denying Monterey County’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed in June by animal protection and conservation organizations, that challenges the county’s contract renewal with the US Department...
Darden Restaurants' CEO Undeserving of Leadership Award, Say Activist Groups
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
In a letter sent today to Nation’s Restaurant News, a coalition of 15 environmental, animal welfare and worker justice organizations with over 10 million supporters expressed dismay over the publication’s decision to honor Gene Lee...
END Wildlife Trafficking Act Becomes Law
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
In a big step forward for animals around the world, President Obama signed the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act into law. This bipartisan legislation was championed by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and...
Twenty Senators Sign Letter to Keep Energy Bill Clear of Anti-Wildlife Riders
Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Twenty US senators signed a letter voicing their concerns over numerous anti-wildlife provisions that are currently being negotiated in the energy bill conference.
Lawsuit Filed to Protect Endangered Ocelots in Arizona, Texas from Government Killing
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
The Animal Welfare Institute and the Center for Biological Diversity today filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that endangered ocelots aren’t inadvertently killed...
Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Recipients Honored at International Wildlife Trade Conference in Johannesburg
Monday, October 03, 2016
JOHANNESBURG —Wildlife law enforcement champions from nine countries were recognized today with the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award at the 17 th Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on International Trade...
Court Stops US Fish & Wildlife Service from Capturing and Killing Wild Red Wolves
Thursday, September 29, 2016
The US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina today issued a preliminary injunction that orders the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to stop capturing and killing—and authorizing private landowners to capture...
Conservation Groups Confirm Shipment of 1500+ Metric Tons of Endangered Fin Whale Products to Japan
Thursday, September 22, 2016
A coalition of conservation and animal protection organizations confirmed today that more than 1,500 metric tons of products from endangered Icelandic fin whales were shipped to Japan in July 2016. The discovery comes just prior...
On Eve of CITES Conference, 54 Members of Congress Urge US Delegation to Protect African Elephants from Poaching
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Fifty-four members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter today to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, urging the United States to vocally and strongly support the highest level of protections for African...