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The Endangered Species Act was signed into law in December 1973 to prevent the extinction of wildlife both at home and abroad. Fifty years later, it remains one of the strongest and most effective conservation laws in the world.

In October 1972, during the Nixon administration, the United States passed an environmental law well ahead of its time.

Almost 3 million whales were killed for their oil and meat in the 20^th century, bringing many species and populations to the brink of extinction.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects and organizes information on crime in the United States.

Orcas are too intelligent, too wide-ranging, too socially complex, and simply too large to adjust to captivity in concrete tanks that are a tiny fraction the size of their natural home ranges. The compromised welfare of captive orcas is evidenced, among other things, by broken and worn down teeth from chewing on concrete walls and metal gates and collapsed dorsal fins.

In March 2022, the US Department of Agriculture issued an exhibitor’s license under the Animal Welfare Act to the new owners of Miami Seaquarium that omits the Whale Stadium and its residents—the orca Tokitae (Toki)

Technology entrepreneurs have designed an animatronic dolphin so lifelike that volunteers who swam with it were unaware it was not alive until told the truth. Its battery lasts 10 hours, and it is resistant to saltwater for up to 10 years.

The past three years have seen considerable progress on the campaign to end the display of captive cetaceans. The change appears to date from the tragic death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by the orca Tilikum. Sadly, it is just such a calamity that too often serves as the catalyst for reform.

Along with the unexpected outcome of the presidential race (see page 2), Election Day 2016 resulted in the defeat of two lawmakers who have worked to improve animal welfare.

Executive director Susan Millward has been appointed the organization’s new chief executive upon the retirement of Cathy Liss at the end of 2022.

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In other news related to horse welfare, a major victory was gained when the Chicago City Council voted 46–4 to ban the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city. The law takes effect next year.

Nestled in the Western New York community of Alfred, Windy Ridge Natural Farms is a pasture-based poultry farm that raises its laying hens in accordance with AWI’s Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) standards.

Residents of Delaware’s Inland Bays community are crying foul on a nearby Mountaire Farms chicken plant that produces millions of gallons of wastewater a month from slaughtering and processing chickens.

Though the proverb warns that "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones," it makes no mention of primates in zoo exhibits. Santino, a 30-year-old chimp in Sweden's Furuvik zoo, has been doing just that for 14 years now, angrily launching rocks and discs of concrete into crowds of tourists, New Scientist reported on their website in March.

On April 4, 2014, in a Notice of Agency Decision, NIH announced its new requirement regarding the minimum floor space required for each of the remaining chimpanzees in NIH-supported research (see Summer 2013 AWI Quarterly). NIH’s Council of Councils Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research (Working Group) had originally recommended 1,000 ft2 per chimpanzee. This recommendation, however, was rejected.

China’s health ministry has announced new dietary guidelines for the nation’s 1.4 billion inhabitants. The guidelines now recommend no more than 40 to 75 grams (1.4 to 2.6 ounces) of meat per person per day—a 50 percent reduction of the current average consumption.