AWI Awards $70,000 to Lab Animal Sanctuaries After Giving Tuesday Campaign

AWI Giving Tuesday. Photo by Primates Incorporated
Photo by Primates Incorporated

Washington, DC—Following the most successful Giving Tuesday fundraiser in recent memory, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has awarded $70,000 to three sanctuaries that provide socialization, veterinary care, enrichment activities, and more for animals previously used in research.

With your generous support, AWI raised more than $58,000 during November’s Giving Tuesday campaign—nearly doubling our initial goal of $30,000. AWI provided an additional contribution of more than $10,000, allowing us to distribute a total of $70,000 to give these animals a second chance at life.  

From rats to macaques, many animals in laboratories live alone in relatively barren cages that offer nothing similar to the complexity of the species’ natural environment, leading to anxiety, depression, and abnormal behaviors.

In contrast, rats who are rehomed have the opportunity to explore, play, and forage. Primates released from labs can thrive at sanctuaries—climbing on tree branches, splashing in water pools, chewing on pumpkins, and grooming their companions.

The organizations we have funded are:

  • New Life Animal Sanctuary in Lake Elsinore, CA, received $25,000 to help rescue and rehabilitate former lab animals, including pigs and rabbits, and is the only sanctuary for rodents used in research. 
  • Primates Incorporated of Westfield, WI, received $25,000 to offer a sustainable and spacious indoor/outdoor sanctuary for monkeys coming from research facilities, private homes, and the entertainment industry. 
  • Peaceable Primate Sanctuary of Winamac, IN, received $20,000 to provide fresh, healthy diets, dynamic social groups, veterinary care, and daily enrichment to baboons and macaques who were rescued from university labs, roadside zoos, and private ownership.

AWI is deeply grateful to those who donated so that these animals can live out the rest of their days in a happier, healthier environment.

Media Contact Information

Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institute
[email protected], (202) 446-2128

The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. AWI engages policymakers, scientists, industry, and the public to achieve better treatment of animals everywhere—in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates and other important animal protection news.