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Animal Welfare Institute
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Latest News
AWI Grants Promote Humane Solutions to Human-Wildlife Conflicts and Less Intrusive Methods of Wildlife Study
Friday, August 04, 2023
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced the eight recipients of its Christine Stevens Wildlife Award who are developing innovative, less intrusive wildlife study techniques and more humane, nonlethal methods of resolving conflicts between wild...
“A Voice for Animals” Contest Winners Harness Multimedia to Save Dwindling Species
Monday, July 24, 2023
From documenting how tourist attractions intruded on the habitat of the Grand Cayman blue iguana, to discussing how post-pandemic housing insecurity impacts animals, the winners of the 2023 “A Voice for Animals” contest use creative...
The “Blackfish” Legacy: Captive Marine Mammal Industry Continues Decline
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
A decade after the documentary “Blackfish” examined the ethics and consequences of keeping orcas in captivity, marine theme parks and aquariums that feature cetaceans are struggling to remain relevant.
President Biden Declines to Embargo Products from Mexico for Vaquita Violation
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
President Biden announced yesterday that he will not embargo products from Mexico despite its failure to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.
New York to Become Ninth State to End Wildlife Killing Contests
Thursday, June 29, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the New York legislature for recently passing a bill to ban wildlife killing contests.
AWI Files Federal Complaint After Baylor’s Failure to Protect Rats in Undergraduate Course
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has filed a complaint with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), raising significant issues about Baylor University’s mistreatment of rats in an undergraduate Learning & Behavior Lab course and the...
AWI Welcomes Halt to Iceland’s Whaling Season Due to Welfare Concerns
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes Iceland’s decision Monday to stop fin whale hunting until August 31, 2023.
Animal Welfare Groups Commend US Senators for Reintroducing Legislation to End Horse Slaughter
Friday, June 16, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and other animal protection organizations applaud today’s reintroduction in the US Senate of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (S. 2037/H.R. 3475).
As Bird Flu Infections Persist, Producers Must Develop Emergency Plans to Minimize Animal Suffering
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to change its animal disease regulations to require that producers have in place audited emergency response plans, including strategies to humanely “depopulate” animals...
Bill Reintroduced to Ban Deadly “Cyanide Bombs” on Public Lands
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
A bill reintroduced today by US Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Steve Cohen (D-TN), and US Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) seeks to ban the use of wildlife-killing M-44 devices, commonly known as “cyanide bombs,” on...
USDA Announces Plans to Strengthen Substantiation of Animal-Raising Claims on Meat and Poultry Product Labels
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today that it will soon take steps to improve its label approval program for meat and poultry products to avoid misleading consumers.
Bill Reintroduced to Strengthen Vital Protections under the Animal Welfare Act
Wednesday, June 07, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the reintroduction today of the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act (AWEIA) by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Nancy Mace (R-SC).
US-Funded Experiment Kills Minke Whale in Northern Norway
Wednesday, June 07, 2023
A controversial US-backed research study that aimed to capture whales in northern Norway and test how they would respond to ocean noise has resulted in the death of a minke whale, the Norwegian Defense Research...
Legislation Introduced to Phase Out Dangerous Mink Farms, Reimburse Farmers
Tuesday, June 06, 2023
US Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) has introduced legislation to phase out US mink farms within one year and establish a grant program to reimburse farmers for the full value of their operations.
United States Finds Mexico Is Undermining Wildlife Treaty, May Impose Embargo
Friday, May 26, 2023
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced today that Mexico has failed to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, diminishing the effectiveness of an international wildlife treaty.
Bill Introduced to Ban Brutal Helicopter Roundups of Wild Horses
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) commend US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) for reintroducing today the Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act...
Animal Welfare Groups Commend Members of Congress for Reintroducing Legislation to End Horse Slaughter
Thursday, May 18, 2023
A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act—federal legislation that would permanently protect American horses from commercial slaughter. This legislation would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition...
Animal Protection Groups Call on USDA to Require Cameras Inside CO2 Stunning Areas of Pig Slaughter Plants
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Today, a coalition of animal protection groups submitted a rulemaking petition to the US Department of Agriculture to require pig slaughter plants to install cameras inside gondola cages used in carbon dioxide stunning systems.
Environmental/Wild Horse Advocates File Lawsuit Over Government Plan to Eradicate One-Third of Wyoming’s Wild Horse Population
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Today, a coalition of wild horse advocates, environmentalists, and academics filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Wyoming against the US Department of the Interior over a federal plan that would...
Marine Mammal Bycatch in Ecuador’s Fisheries Threatens Access to US Seafood Market
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
A report released today by conservation and animal protection groups finds that Ecuador’s fishing industry does not meet US standards for limiting whale and dolphin bycatch.