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Animal Welfare Institute
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Latest News
US to Ban Seafood Imports from 42 Nations to Protect Whales, Dolphins
Friday, August 29, 2025
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined today that 42 nations may not export certain seafood products to the United States because fishers in these countries catch marine mammals in violation of US standards. The...
“A Voice for Animals” Contest Winners Devise Practical Strategies to Improve the Lives of Animals
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
From examining how plastics smother and abrade coral reefs, to spreading awareness about donkeys being sacrificed for the donkey-hide gelatin trade, participants in the 2025 “A Voice for Animals” contest use creative prose and compelling...
AWI Funds Research to Alleviate Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Animal Suffering
Thursday, August 21, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the eight recipients of its Christine Stevens Wildlife Award who are developing humane solutions to human-wildlife conflicts and less intrusive methods to study wildlife.
North American Environmental Commission Confirms Mexico’s Role in Imperiling Vaquita
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
A commission under the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) released a report yesterday confirming that Mexico’s unwillingness to enforce its own wildlife protection, trade, and fisheries laws is driving the extinction of the critically endangered...
Federal Appeals Court Reins in BLM Wild Horse Wyoming Eradication Plan
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
After 14 years of litigation, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC), Western Watersheds Project, and their allies have secured a legal victory that delivers a major setback to the largest attempted...
House Appropriators Again Reject Wild Horse Slaughter in Funding Bill
Monday, July 14, 2025
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) commend the US House Committee on Appropriations for advancing bipartisan language in its fiscal year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill...
Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act Reintroduced to Protect Wildlife and Pets on Public Lands
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act, reintroduced today in the US House of Representatives by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). This bill would prohibit the use of archaic body-gripping traps...
AWI Statement on Trump Administration’s Plan to Reduce Animal Experimentation Amid Attack on Science
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds recent announcements by the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration about their plans to reduce the use of animals in research and testing.
Yahoo! Japan Sells Polluted Whale and Dolphin Meat Products to Unsuspecting Consumers
Monday, June 16, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and an international coalition of animal protection and environmental groups are calling on Yahoo! Japan and its parent company, the LY Corporation, to stop selling products containing whale and dolphin...
President’s Budget Could Usher in Mass Horse Slaughter, Lethal “Management”
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is deeply concerned that the administration's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget omits critical protections for wild horses and burros, which could allow them to be sold off for commercial slaughter...
Colorado Now Leads Country in Comprehensive Approach to Fighting Wildlife Trafficking
Monday, June 02, 2025
Today, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed S.B. 25-168 into law to combat wildlife trafficking. The bipartisan legislation, which is unique among states for the number of species covered, establishes criminal penalties for selling, possessing, transporting...
New Poll: Consumers Overwhelmingly Support Meaningful Standards for “Humanely Raised” Food Label
Friday, May 30, 2025
Eighty-eight percent of American consumers believe that claims such as “humanely raised” or “sustainably farmed” on meat and poultry products should be based on meaningful, measurable standards, according to a newly released survey.
New Research: USDA Fails to Pursue Prosecutions of Slaughter Plants, Despite Repeat Violations
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Repeat violators of the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA) continue to escape meaningful enforcement by the US Department of Agriculture, resulting in continued animal cruelty and suffering, according to a new report released...
New AWI Grant Funds Analysis of Animal Cruelty Data to Better Protect Animals and Communities
Monday, May 12, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has awarded an inaugural research grant to encourage the analysis of animal cruelty data to identify distinct characteristics of animal abusers, leading to more targeted intervention and prevention efforts. Abigail...
AWI Scholarship Winners Campaign for a Better World for Animals
Friday, May 09, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the 12 winners of a scholarship designed to invest in future leaders who seek to improve the lives of animals—from advancing medical research techniques that don’t rely on...
Congress Launches First-Ever Wild Horse Caucus to Protect America’s Iconic Mustangs and Burros
Thursday, May 08, 2025
In a landmark move for America’s wild horses and burros, today US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Jaun Ciscomani (R-AZ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) launched the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. This is the...
Captive Primate Safety Act Would End the Cruel and Dangerous Primate Pet Trade
Tuesday, May 06, 2025
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds yesterday’s reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA), which would end the cruel and dangerous pet primate trade in the United States. Nonhuman primates, including chimpanzees, capuchins, and...
AWI Supports Phasing Out Animal Use in Research and Testing, but Proper Planning is Essential to Protect Animals and Science
Thursday, May 01, 2025
In April, both the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration announced plans to phase out the use of animals in scientific research. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) strongly supports transitioning...
As Iceland Calls Off Fin Whale Slaughter, Japan and Norway Launch Cruel, Unsustainable Whale Hunting Seasons
Friday, April 25, 2025
Japan and Norway resumed slaughtering whales this month, while Iceland’s only fin whaling company has decided that it will not hunt this summer, citing a declining demand for whale meat products in Japan. Japan killed...
Trump Administration Seeks to Slash Habitat Protections for Endangered Wildlife
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Today the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Services) issued a proposed rule that would undermine protections for habitat that threatened and endangered species need to survive by rescinding...