The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of the country’s strongest environmental laws. It has reportedly safeguarded 99 percent of the 1,482 species placed under its protection from extinction—in contrast to the high extinction rate for species not protected by the Act. Yet few citizens realize that some key provisions of the ESA are interpreted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to allow the very species protected by law—some of them extinct or barely clinging to survival in the wild—to be hunted in captivity.
In September 2016, thousands of government delegates, scientists, industry representatives, and conservationists will gather in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CoP17 will tackle an ambitious agenda of working documents and species proposals to influence the treaty’s future and the species it is supposed to protect.
The “exempt” in custom-exempt signifies that this type of slaughter is excused from continuous inspection, unlike federal- and state-inspected slaughter, where government officials must be on the premises of the establishment whenever slaughter is being conducted. With custom-exempt slaughter, inspectors need not be present, and, in fact, inspection typically occurs only once or twice per year.
In a chilly hotel ballroom in the Washington, D.C. suburbs this September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) heard from the public on the question of whether a farm-raised Atlantic salmon named "AquaAdvantage" should be approved as the first genetically engineered (GE) food animal.
Multiple serious and disturbing Animal Welfare Act citations by USDA veterinary inspectors at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) were reported in the Spring 2012 AWI Quarterly. In June, according to The Boston Globe, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International put Harvard on probation.
This year’s commercial whaling season began in April with the first kills by Norway and Japan. Although Norway’s quota allows up to 1,406 minke whales in total to be killed by the 15 registered whaling vessels, fewer are expected to be taken.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is honored to announce the exclusive release of the Rolling Stones’ classic "Wild Horses" - performed and produced by the legendary Willie Nelson and his family members. Willie & The Nelson Family are donating the proceeds from the sale of the song to AWI’s campaigns on behalf of wild and domestic horses. Willie and the entire Nelson family are long-time supporters of AWI and its efforts to end horse slaughter and preserve the right of wild horses to roam free.
After the precedent setting ruling by a federal court late last year that an industrial wind energy project in West Virginia will kill and injure endangered Indiana bats, AWI and other parties to the lawsuit have reached an agreement that will provide for more protections for bats and additional wildlife, while allowing some elements of the project to go forward.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee held its annual meeting in mid-May, once again choosing Bled, Slovenia, as its venue. AWI’s Dr.
In this issue, AWI discusses the outcomes of two major international conferences affecting animal welfare, the 66th meeting of the International Whaling Commission and the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Get the story on another research lab that has been accused of major Animal Welfare Act violations. California passes a historic law to free orcas from captivity in the state, and AWI offers our take on what state and federal election results mean for animals.
In this issue, AWI examines the fate of illegally traded wildlife—how confiscated animals are handled and what should be done to ensure their well-being once they are out of the clutches of wildlife traffickers. Hundreds of cats and dogs are rescued in the nick of time from the Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma. AWI exposes an attempt to gloss over animal abuse at federal agricultural research labs. France ends the breeding of orcas and other cetaceans in captivity.
An AWI court victory induces the BLM to abandon a cruel and reckless surgical sterilization plan for wild horses in Oregon. A tip from AWI leads to prosecution over illegal shark fin sales in Texas. A first-of-its-kind report by AWI reveals the tremendous toll in animal lives each year from barn fires, and what can be done to prevent them. Dogs from shelters get a new lease on life as service dogs. Recent international meetings produce important outcomes for the world’s whales and other animals.
In this issue, we report on our investigation of enforcement of state farm animal welfare laws. We break down the NIH’s unconscionably decision to continue housing former research chimps at NIH research facilities rather than send them to a proper, federally approved sanctuary. We highlight personal steps you can take to protect birds and profile important animal welfare bills before Congress on which you can take action.
AWI is funding studies to promote peaceful coexistence between wolves and humans, while the US Fish and Wildlife Service is stripping away Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves and abandoning its once-successful recovery program for red wolves. Meanwhile, a bit of positive news for some wolf descendants: Greyhound racing is coming to an end in Florida and other states, and a long-lost canine reunites with his family.
Two horrendous animal dealers have their licenses revoked. AWI takes a hard look, however, at the USDA’s failure to act with resolve and urgency to rescue animals at such facilities, as well as to prevent suffering of horses in the hands of unscrupulous trainers and of poultry outside slaughterhouses—where too often they are abandoned for days in transport trailers without food or water and subjected to extreme temperatures.
Congress Passes the Big Cat Public Safety Act! AWI offers on-the ground accounts of how animal protection efforts fared at two major international conferences: the International Whaling Commission meeting in Slovenia and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting in Panama. Even as CITES was preparing to meet, a shocking federal indictment was announced over an alleged conspiracy to smuggle endangered monkeys from the wild into the United States for research.
