Press Releases

Washington, DC—In a series of letters delivered today, conservation groups urged the United States and international authorities to use sanctions to pressure Mexico to save the vaquita, whose population has dwindled to just 10 remaining...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the Senate’s decision today to confirm U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, is the...

Washington, DC—In defiance of a global moratorium on commercial whaling, Norway has again issued an annual kill quota of 1,278 minke whales for the 2021 whaling season. On Friday, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, Norway’s Minister of...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) challenged Boar’s Head today before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for using deceptive advertising practices in promoting its “humanely raised” chicken sausage and Simplicity All Natural turkey products. There...

Washington, DC—On the eve of U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland’s historic confirmation hearing for Secretary of the Interior, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC), and several other leading wild horse advocacy...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for reintroducing the Horse Transportation Safety Act (HTSA) on Monday. The HTSA, which has already attracted an...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses the Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act, reintroduced today by Representatives Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) and John Katko (R-NY), along with 22 original cosponsors. This legislation...

Chapel Hill, NC—The US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ruled on Friday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must develop a plan by March 1 to resume its longstanding...

Washington, DC—The Big Cat Public Safety Act, which passed the US House of Representatives by a strong bipartisan majority last month, was reintroduced today by Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). This bill...

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...