In May, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed what could arguably be considered two of the most detrimental changes ever to the listing process under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Today, PETA, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Cetacean Society International, whale expert Dr. Lori Marino, PETA Foundation veterinarian Dr. Heather Rally, and AWI's Dr. Naomi Rose have filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) over the federal agency's position that it doesn't have the legal authority to enforce permit provisions requiring the submission of necropsy reports and veterinary records for the deceased orcas Tilikum, Kasatka, and Kyara, which would then be made available to the public.
The Animal Welfare Institute is pleased to report that a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District Of Columbia Circuit today denied SeaWorld of Florida’s petition for review of the citation issued in August 2010 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). SeaWorld had sought to overturn a May 2012 ruling by Administrative Law Judge Ken Welsch, who sided with OSHA in finding that SeaWorld exposed its orca trainers to recognized hazards when working in close contact with the animals during performances, and that the abatement procedures recommended by the Secretary of Labor were feasible.
A federal court today affirmed the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) denial of Georgia Aquarium’s application for a permit under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to import 18 beluga whales from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk for public display at several facilities in the United States. The court ruled in favor of Defendant NMFS and Intervenors Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), Cetacean Society International (CSI), and Earth Island Institute (EII), finding that NMFS followed the statutory mandate of the MMPA in its previous denial of the aquarium’s permit application.
Federal district court Judge Roger Titus of the US District Court for the District of Maryland has issued a comprehensive ruling that an industrial wind energy facility in Greenbrier County, West Virginia will kill and injure endangered Indiana bats, in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The court concluded that "the development of wind energy can and should be encouraged, but wind turbines must be good neighbors."
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today called upon Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to immediately revoke the dealer license of Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (SCBT)—one of the nation’s largest commercial suppliers of research antibodies—in connection with apparent egregious violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
US District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman today issued a preliminary injunction to stop the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from proceeding with controversial experiments to surgically remove the ovaries of wild mares in Oregon. The experiments were set to begin this month on mares recently rounded up from the Warm Springs Herd Management Area.
In April 2014, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it was suspending imports of sport-hunted African elephant trophies taken in Tanzania and Zimbabwe through the remainder of 2014.
Charging that a massive wind energy project threatens endangered bats, the Animal Welfare Institute, a national animal protection organization, along with the West Virginia-based Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy and other conservationists, have filed what is believed to be the first federal lawsuit challenging an industrial wind energy project on environmental grounds.
Federal lawmakers today introduced legislation to prevent the establishment of horse slaughter operations within the US, end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horse meat.
On November 6, 2015, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that he would introduce the Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement (ORCA) Act. With eight original cosponsors, the ORCA Act (HR 4019) takes a long-overdue step: it would prohibit the breeding, wild capture, import, and export of orcas for the purpose of public display.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is urging the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Agriculture to initiate enforcement actions against Miami Seaquarium (MSQ) for failing to protect the health and welfare of its animals, particularly Toki (also known as Tokitae, Lolita, and Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut), the world’s oldest captive orca.
At long last—and with little time to spare—leaders in the US House of Representatives and Senate have released a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for the remainder of fiscal year 2023. For animals, the bill offers a mixed bag.
Feeding of captive siamangs (Hylobates syndactylus) as part of the daily routine normally works without problems. It is usually based on experience, but there is little or no representative information on the quantity and quality of food or on the way in which it should be presented to the animals in order to ensure an optimal simulation of natural conditions.
David Ausband and Mike Mitchell of the Montana Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit were recipients of a Christine Stevens Wildlife Award to study the effectiveness of “biofencing”—natural scent barriers—to keep wolves away from livestock and out of harm’s way.
Football is America's toughest major professional sport. Its players are renowned for their size, strength, agility and laser-like focus - as well as their ability to give and receive bruising, bone-wrenching, gut-busting hits and tackles.
There is good news in the fight against a particularly egregious form of animal cruelty. On June 13, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010 is unconstitutional.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, landmark legislation that, in the face of relentless political attacks, continues to serve as a global model for the preservation of imperiled wildlife.
Two lynx were found shot dead in northern Maine in November 2016, prompting an investigation by local and federal officials. A reward of $19,000 for information leading to convictions for the killings is being offered by AWI and other nonprofit, state, and federal sources.
In her book Filling the Ark, the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Associate Professor of Sociology, Leslie Irvine, asks the question "When a disaster strikes, who should enter the ark?"
Ahead of World Kangaroo Day on Oct. 24, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has been collaborating with Australian filmmakers to help bring international attention to the relentless and cruel commercial killing of kangaroos.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes today’s Associated Press (AP) report that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will phase out its elephant acts by 2018. All 43 of Ringling’s captive elephants will be retired to a central Florida property owned by Ringling’s parent company, Feld Entertainment. According to the AP, the decision was prompted by “growing public concern about how the animals are treated.”
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the US House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees for including monumental victories for animal welfare in the final Fiscal Year 2020 spending package.
