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In 2019, Wildlife Services killed 2.2 million animals, including 1.2 million native wildlife species, according to data released in October 2020.

While the images of singed rescued koalas have dominated media attention, many other species are impacted by the Australian fires.

One of the important goals of AWI’s Animals and Interpersonal Violence program is to reach judges—especially judges who interact with juveniles and families. AWI has enjoyed a good working relationship with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), which has facilitated AWI’s efforts to help judges become more cognizant of the importance of animal cruelty in the home and community—how to recognize it, how to ask questions about it, and what resources are available once it is identified.

AWI recently launched a new “Extreme Weather” page on its website to bring awareness to the detrimental impacts adverse weather events can have on the welfare of farm animals.

It may be hard for modern suburbanites to believe, but deer became so scarce in the early 1900s due to intense hunting that the species would have been considered endangered. That, of course, is no longer true. A mix of hunting restrictions, predator eradication, and suburbanization—creating deer-friendly open spaces—has produced a dramatic comeback. The white-tailed deer is now the most widely-distributed large mammal in North America.

AWI’s Rosalyn Morrison and Chris Heyde met in December with Dave Kush from the office of Rep. Chris Smith (D-NJ) and Ariel Penaranda, Minister for Legislative Affairs and Consul at the Embassy of the Philippines, concerning the illegal dog meat industry in that country.

Just as some people fail to recognize their responsibility to their dogs and cats, so too is the case with horses, many of whom are abandoned by their owners each year.

When AWI discovered in July that the first unannounced inspection of the US Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) resulted in four citations for lack of adequate veterinary care, inadequate handling of animals with heat distress, and lack of adequate

On August 17, AWI and allies filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for allowing trappers in Maine to seriously injure and kill (“take”) Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), a federally protected species. The lawsuit requests that the court close down the state’s trapping season. As we go to press, we await news on when the case will be heard.

In a desperate attempt to save the last remaining vaquita porpoises, AWI and other groups filed suit against several federal agencies in December.

AWI and Wildlife Preserves, Inc., filed suit against the National Park Service and the superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) on November 29 over a wildlife management plan that calls for killing many of the seashore’s white-tailed

The use of animal welfare and sustainability claims has increased dramatically over the past decade, as consumers have become more aware of and concerned about the well-being of animals raised for food and about the negative impacts of animal agriculture on the environment. But despite their interest, consumers are confused about the meaning of animal welfare and sustainability claims on labels, the accuracy of which they are typically unable to verify for themselves.