Search AWI Online

“Animal welfare is our top priority.”

Serendipity tells the story of ecologist James A. Estes’ work researching the unexpected collapse of sea otter populations in the Aleutians—specifically, how these declines played into a larger collapse of other coastal-living marine mammals in the same region.

For the time being, big trucks will not barrel through Serengeti National Park, a World Heritage Site and location of one of the world’s most important animal migration routes.

As the USDA considers a Petition for Rulemaking to establish criteria to promote the psychological well-being of primates, a discussion concerning regulations based on “performance standards” as opposed to “engineering standards” is timely.

In the summer of 2014, AWI and allies won an injunction banning all coyote hunting in the federally established recovery area for red wolves in eastern North Carolina. The injunction stems from a lawsuit against the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), alleging that the NCWRC—in permitting the coyote hunting—was causing red wolves to be harmed and killed, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

For more than a decade, the legal advocacy of AWI and allies has helped ensure the continued existence of red wolves in the wild.

Two bills recently signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott mean good news for animals. HB 1579 prohibits buying and selling shark fins in the state, and makes Texas the 10th state to institute such a ban, following California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

On November 19, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee passed the Shark Conservation Act of 2009.

The Shark Conservation Act (P.L. 111-348) was introduced in January 2009 by Representative Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU) in the House of Representatives and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in the Senate in April 2009. The long-awaited bill was approved by both chambers by unanimous consent on the last days of the 111th Congress in December 2010. President Obama signed the bill into law on January 5, 2011.

Despite overwhelming support in the U.S. Senate for a bill to close loopholes in a law banning the finning of sharks, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) took it upon himself to block this and several other responsible animal protection bills at the last minute in an effort to make a point about government spending.

Humans are killing sharks at a much faster rate than sharks can repopulate. Sharks mature slowly, have slow reproductive rates, and produce few offspring, which makes them extremely vulnerable to extinction. Over one quarter of all known shark species are considered threatened or endangered. As apex predators in many ecosystems, the disappearance of sharks is causing dangerous imbalances in marine communities worldwide. Without sharks, the health and productivity of our oceans—and dependent livelihoods and economies—are at risk.

Dear Supporters:

US Fish and Wildlife Service officials seized 18 boxes of dried shark fins at PortMiami in late January.

Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to officially prohibit the possession, sale or distribution of shark fins. On May 28, Governor Linda Lingle signed the shark-finning ban into law after the bill passed the state House and Senate with broad support.