Press Releases

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates today’s passage of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act (H.B. 2627) in the Public Health Committee of the Illinois House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the full...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of the Refinement Research Award, which funds research projects that develop or test novel refinement methods, and the Implementing Refinement Grant, which funds...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) appreciates that the US Department of Agriculture has developed a revised strategy to address the staggering impacts of the current bird flu outbreak, yet the five-point plan continues to incentivize...

The Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies (ProTECT) Act (H.R. 1934) was reintroduced yesterday by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Lieu for continuing to champion this legislation following the death...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is deeply concerned by the recent announcement that Safer Human Medicine (SHM)—the company behind a massive monkey-breeding facility planned in Georgia—has acquired a facility in Florida to hold non-human primates...

In honor of National Horse Protection Day on March 1, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers today reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to permanently protect American horses from commercial slaughter. Sponsored by...

Hundreds of veterinarians and veterinary students from across the country are urging the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to revise its guidelines regarding methods of killing farmed animals during emergencies. The veterinary professionals and students...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends today’s filing of the Mink Facility Disease Prevention Act in Illinois, which would protect public health and human safety by requiring disease prevention and surveillance measures at farms that...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses the Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act (H.R. 712), reintroduced last week by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Julia Brownley (D-CA). This legislation would amend the...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is disappointed with the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement today that it will delay implementation of regulations to protect horses from egregiously inhumane soring until April 2, 2025. Soring involves...

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders designed to advance policies that are disastrous to wildlife and their habitats. The orders expand oil and gas drilling, mining, and logging...

Conservation groups reached an agreement today that will require the United States to stop importing seafood that does not meet US standards for protecting marine mammals.

More than 1.5 million farmed animals perished in barn fires in 2024, accounting for 60% of the deaths reported in the last three years, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) report released today.

As we usher in a new year, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) proudly celebrates 10 big wins for animals in 2024. We have made strides to improve animal welfare and prevent needless suffering through our...

The Federal Highway Administration announced today that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will receive $25 million to build new wildlife crossing structures on US Route 64 to help save the endangered red wolf...

Investigators have confirmed that, for the first time, China has overtaken the United States as holder of the highest number of captive orcas (22). A report released today by the China Cetacean Alliance (CCA)—a coalition...

Consumers shopping on Etsy for the holidays may be shocked to learn that the online marketplace sells products containing horsemeat and ejiao (gelatin made from boiling donkey hides).

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is deeply disappointed by today’s announcement that Iceland’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has issued whaling permits that could result in the death of more than 2,000 whales over...

As Bat Week kicks off October 24, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is hosting its first-ever bat-tacular fundraiser to help organizations operating bat rescues, sanctuaries, and educational outreach programs promote and protect these vanishing mammals.

Animal welfare advocates representing millions of people around the world gathered at Amazon HQ2 to hand-deliver over 370,000 petition signatures demanding that Amazon ban the sale of ejiao, a gelatin made from donkey hides that...