Press Releases

Update: On Feb. 9, the new leadership of the US Fish and Wildlife Service formally reopened public debate on a Trump-era regulation that weakens the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Comments will be accepted until March...

Columbus, OH—Today, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law HB 33, a bill to expand the cross-reporting of abuse of both animals and people. The legislation requires veterinarians, social service professionals, and counselors who encounter...

Washington, DC—Sunday, on the first day of the 117th Congress, the Preventing Future Pandemics Act was reintroduced in the House of Representatives to address the spillover of emerging infectious diseases from wildlife to humans. The...

Washington, DC—Thanks to the hard work of the many members of Congress who support animal welfare, the $1.4 trillion omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2021, which was signed by the president on Sunday, includes...

Update: On December 27, President Donald Trump signed the fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending package, which includes the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the passage of the Horseracing...

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...