The 2023 commercial whaling seasons ended with over 800 whales killed, yet fewer than anticipated. Norwegian whalers killed 507 minke whales, falling short of the 1,000 quota.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is teetering on the brink of a frightful precipice. In June it will decide on a plan to legalize commercial whaling for the first time in over two decades.
There is something magical about seeing a wild animal up close—especially when it's as big as a bus! Humans have an understandable fascination with whales and dolphins, and the best way to see them is in their natural environment, on their terms. Over 13 million people across over 100 countries go whale watching every year, feeding a multi-billion dollar industry. AWI supports responsible watching of cetaceans in the wild as opposed to patronizing captive facilities. As well as providing entertainment to those watching, responsible whale watching can provide significant financial returns to local communities, accurate education to passengers, and can foster strong conservation principles.
As a child, I enjoyed standing in the shallow water of creeks, lakes, rivers, and the ocean watching fish. Later, as a scuba diver, I plunged deeper, observing the behavior and interactions of a wide array of fish in their natural habitats. What a Fish Knows, by ethologist Jonathan Balcombe, however, took me on a whole new journey into the vast and astounding world of fish.
… Support Legislation to Protect Horses, Donkeys, and Mules Contact your representative and senators and … legislation to help horses, including the SAFE Act to end horse slaughter , the PAST Act to end horse soring , and the WildHorseandBurro Protection Act to end helicopter …
Less than 1 percent of farmed animals are raised on pasture, with space, fresh air, and sunshine and the chance to interact with others of their kind. It would be very difficult—if not impossible—to raise 10 billion animals under these conditions. To give all farmed animals a life worth living, Americans need to eat fewer of their products—that means less meat, dairy, and eggs.
When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness, by philosopher Dr. David M. Peña-Guzmán, is part storytelling and part dense academic text. The book tackles a fascinating topic: Is there evidence that nonhuman animals dream, and if so, what does that tell us about their capacity for consciousness?
More and more, advances in animal cognition research are changing the ways in which people perceive animals. Belinda Recio’s latest book, When Animals Rescue: Amazing True Stories about Heroic and Helpful Creatures, powerfully contributes to this change by allowing readers to look beyond the data.
Knowing how features of the environment, such as perches, might restrict or stimulate the expression of specified behaviors may help us to incorporate functional design alternatives in our housing plans for captive primates. Animal holding facilities and showcase facilities alike are commonly limited in the space available to resident primates such that the design of the vertical space may play a significant role in determining not only the comfort and quality of the housing, but also the appropriate physical place and social opportunity for animals to exhibit behavioral activity typical of the species.
Where the Animals Go is a unique book that contains full-color maps with detailed tracking information for one after another animal species—from whales, elephants, and orangutans to turtles, ants, and plankton.
The very title of Andrew Linzey’s book is likely to evoke an emotional response, but Why Animal Suffering Matters makes a rational, ethics-based case for treating animals humanely.
The United Egg Producers (UEP) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) announced in July that they had reached an agreement to phase in modifications to conventional battery cages over the next 15 to 18 years.
Egg-laying hens in confinement bear some of the worst abuses the agricultural industry offers. To the detriment of their own well-being, hens are bred for increasing egg production.
National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs) that experiment on nonhuman primates stand to gain an additional $30 million in taxpayer funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for fiscal year 2024, despite all seven receiving multiple citations deemed “critical” by US Department of Agriculture inspectors for primate injuries and deaths over the last decade, according to a new analysis by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI).
Although more than 85 countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of steel-jaw leghold traps, the United States—one of the world’s largest fur producing and consuming nations—continues to defend these inhumane devices.
Congress could once again ban the use of federal funds to inspect horse slaughter plants in the United States if it follows the lead of the White House—a move that is strongly supported by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), The Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). President Obama’s FY 2014 budget proposal includes a request for Congress to block spending by the US Department of Agriculture to inspect US horse slaughter plants.
Bat conservationists throughout North America are holding their breath this winter, waiting nervously for the grim news of spring: how much farther has white-nose syndrome (WNS) spread and how many more bat hibernation caves will be littered with the bodies of bats killed by this tragic disease?
The Animal Welfare Institute is dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild.
