Press Releases

Washington, DC—Wildlife trafficking and the unsustainable wildlife and plant trade is a multibillion-dollar industry and a major threat to species in the United States and worldwide, according to a new report released today that highlights...

Washington, DC—Only two days after finalizing a rule undermining the protection of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has published another final rule further weakening implementation...

Washington, DC—Tomorrow, the Trump administration is slated to finalize a rule that further erodes the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the nation’s most effective and most popular laws. Under the new rule, the administration...

Washington, DC—More than 1.6 million farm animals, including nearly 1.3 million cage-free hens, have perished in potentially preventable barn fires so far this year, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports...

Washington, DC—In the wake of the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King” and heightened public attention to the exploitation of captive big cats, the US House of Representatives passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act today by...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the reintroduction of the Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act yesterday by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC) and Nita Lowey (D-NY). This bill would prohibit the import and export...

Washington, DC—The US Department of Agriculture’s inadequate, haphazard oversight of the treatment of chickens and turkeys at slaughter has led to the widespread mistreatment and suffering of birds at some of the nation’s largest plants...

Washington, DC—Today, 58 lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of the Interior condemning the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to perform unsafe and inhumane...

Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving on December 1 this year, offers an opportunity for people around the world to stand together in unity — to use our individual power of generosity to remain...

Chapel Hill, NC—On behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute, the Southern Environmental Law Center today sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the U.S. District Court...

Washington, DC—American consumers are increasingly concerned about how animals raised for food are treated. But those wishing to purchase a higher-welfare turkey for Thanksgiving this year will be bombarded with a number of misleading turkey...

Washington, DC—Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) finalized a rule removing protections for all gray wolves in the lower 48 states except for a small population of Mexican wolves in Arizona and New...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) unveiled today a comprehensive website that aims to help domestic violence survivors and their pets escape abusive situations. Launched during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the newly revamped Safe...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses legislation introduced today, the Preventing Future Pandemics Act of 2020, which seeks to prevent future pandemics by addressing the spillover of emerging infectious diseases from wildlife to humans...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (H.R. 1754) today. This bill aims to reduce fatalities and injuries that have plagued U.S...

Washington, DC—As many teachers virtually welcome their students back to school this month, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) offers a variety of free digital educational resources for students of all ages that encourage respect and...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and other animal and environmental protection groups applaud the Department of Commerce’s decision to prohibit Mystic Aquarium from breeding five captive-born beluga whales from Canada as part of an...

Washington, DC— Norwegian whalers slaughtered more whales in 2020 than in each of the last three years, according to statistics released today by the Fishermen’s Sales Organization (Råfisklaget). A total of 481 minke whales have...

Washington, DC—From documenting how a hungry sea turtle might mistake a plastic bag in the ocean for a jellyfish, to employing forensic science to curb pangolin trafficking, the winners of the 2020 “A Voice for...

Washington, DC—In an ill-conceived attempt to save endangered salmon, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on Friday issued a permit for wildlife managers and local tribes to kill as many as 540 California sea lions...