Press Releases

A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has reintroduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act—federal legislation that would permanently protect American horses from commercial slaughter. This legislation would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition...

Today, a coalition of animal protection groups submitted a rulemaking petition to the US Department of Agriculture to require pig slaughter plants to install cameras inside gondola cages used in carbon dioxide stunning systems.

Today, a coalition of wild horse advocates, environmentalists, and academics filed suit in the US District Court for the District of Wyoming against the US Department of the Interior over a federal plan that would...

A report released today by conservation and animal protection groups finds that Ecuador’s fishing industry does not meet US standards for limiting whale and dolphin bycatch.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses Friday's reintroduction in the US House of Representatives of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 3090) to combat the inhumane practice of “soring,” whereby individuals intentionally inflict...

In a settlement filed in court Friday, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) agreed to determine whether Mexico has failed to stop illegal fishing and trade of totoaba that is driving the vaquita porpoise’s...

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced a proposed rule today to list the Atlantic humpback dolphin under the Endangered Species Act, in response to a 2021 petition filed by the Animal Welfare Institute, the...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the 14 winners of a scholarship designed to support high school seniors who are planning to use their post-secondary education to better the lives of animals.

US Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are urging the US Department of Agriculture to fulfill its obligation to protect the public from misleading food labels, citing...

The Secretariat to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) announced today trade sanctions against Mexico for its failure to control illegal fishing and trade that endangers the...

Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced the eight recipients of its Christine Stevens Wildlife Award who are developing creative tools and strategies to reduce or prevent conflicts between wild animals and humans.

Today, on World Wildlife Day, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the only international treaty specifically designed...

The European Commission’s EU Action Plan released this week falls short of protecting and restoring marine species, and jeopardizes continued access for EU fish products to the lucrative US seafood market, according to a coalition...

In a move welcomed by the conservation community, the Gulf of Maine lobster fishery will no longer seek recertification under the “blue fish tick” ecolabel, a program of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that purportedly...

Following the most successful Giving Tuesday fundraiser in recent memory, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has awarded $70,000 to three sanctuaries that provide socialization, veterinary care, enrichment activities, and more for animals previously used in...

The US Department of Agriculture consistently fails to review and respond to animal welfare violations at custom-exempt slaughter facilities, resulting in animals being beaten, held in deplorable conditions, and deprived of food and water for...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Humane Farming Association commend today’s introduction of the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act (H.R. 243) led by Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN).

In response to disease outbreaks and supply chain disruptions, US producers are killing an increasing number of farm animals by inducing heat stroke—“an urgent ethical problem for the US veterinary community,” according to a newly...

President Joe Biden has signed into law the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a number of conservation provisions designed to strengthen the United States’ ability to protect marine species and ecosystems.

At long last—and with little time to spare—leaders in the US House of Representatives and Senate have released a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for the remainder of fiscal year 2023. For animals, the bill...