Press Releases

Washington, DC—Following the release of an updated food labeling guidance document today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is appalled that the US Department of Agriculture continues to permit producers to mislead the public with confusing...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the US House of Representatives and Senate Appropriations Committees for including monumental victories for animal welfare in the final Fiscal Year 2020 spending package. As a result, we...

Washington, DC—At least 469,000 farm animals have perished in potentially preventable barn fires so far this year, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports. Since 2017, at least 2 million farm...

Washington, DC—The Trump administration announced today it will reauthorize the use of sodium cyanide in wildlife-killing devices called M-44s, rejecting overwhelming public support for a nationwide ban. These “cyanide bombs” have received approval—with minimal restrictions—from...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is looking forward to Giving Tuesday—a global day of giving. Giving Tuesday (December 3 this year) is a perfect opportunity during the holiday season to contribute toward a better world...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the US House of Representatives for passing the bipartisan Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.R. 737) today. The bill would prohibit the sale, purchase, and possession of shark...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) for reintroducing the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act today. This bill would prohibit the possession or use of body-gripping traps—which endanger wildlife...

Washington, DC—The Taiwanese government must act quickly to ban gill and trammel nets and stop development from further degrading the habitat of the critically endangered Taiwanese white dolphin, according to a new recovery plan drafted...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and a coalition of environmental and animal protection organizations strongly oppose Mystic Aquarium’s unprecedented request to import five captive-born beluga whales from Canada for scientific research. The whales would...

Washington, DC—Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced the six recipients of its Christine Stevens Wildlife Award who are developing innovative, less intrusive wildlife study techniques and more humane methods of resolving conflicts between wild...

Washington, DC—As families across the country begin planning their Thanksgiving feasts, consumers interested in purchasing higher-welfare or sustainably raised turkeys will be confronted with a slew of misleading labels sanctioned by the USDA. According to...

Washington, DC—Nearly 80 veterinarians from across the United States delivered a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt today condemning the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed surgical sterilization experiments on wild horses from the Warm Springs...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Peter King (R-NY) for reintroducing today the Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies Act (ProTECT Act). This legislation would...

Washington, DC—Seventy-seven percent of Americans are opposed to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) proposed surgical sterilization experiments on wild horses, according to a newly released survey. The survey of more than 2,000 adults was...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) supports the recent Senate reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA) and the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), both sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), which address...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the House Natural Resources Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), for passing bills today to protect big cats, sharks and wild animals hunted for sport...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes bills – introduced today by Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) – to repeal the devastating regulatory...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) for introducing Tuesday the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act (S.2453) to help protect this highly imperiled...

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the introduction today of the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act (H.R. 4211), which would protect animals from unscrupulous dealers and exhibitors and close existing loopholes in the U.S...

Geneva, Switzerland—In a monumental move today, delegates at the 18th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties delivered a crucial victory for African elephants by voting in plenary to end the barbaric practice of...