Press Releases

Actress Hayden Panettiere, who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's hit series Heroes, will lead a rally against a resumption of commercial whaling at 1 p.m. this Sunday, January 27, in Washington, DC's Dupont Circle...

Amid claims that animal welfare advocates are to blame for the steep increase in horses going to Mexico for slaughter, the Washington, DC-based Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today fired back.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) wishes to recognize US Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) with its "Profiles in Compassion" award for his uncompromising leadership on animal welfare issues throughout his 14 terms in the US Congress.

In response to the recent death of 18 young Belgian draft horses, Illinois State Reps. Bob Molaro and JoAnn Osmond have introduced legislation to ban the use of double-decker trucks to transport horses in the...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC), and Mr. Walt Farmer, a Jackson, WY area resident have asked the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) to...

The Animal Welfare Institute is outraged by the killing of a gray whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca by members of the Makah Tribe, condemning it as an illegal, cruel, and callous act...

In light of his recent indictment and guilty plea for charges related to dog fighting, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) calls on National Football League (NFL) quarterback Michael Vick to immediately surrender $22 million of...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and others seek permission for three former circus employees to join in their federal lawsuit against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus under the Endangered Species Act. The suit...

The Animal Welfare Institute has sent letters of warning to restaurants in major cities that offer shark fin soup on their menus. In addition, the organization is working to expand its campaign from Washington, DC...

Today, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the federal district court in Washington DC issued a major ruling rejecting the last-ditch attempt of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to avoid trial over charges that the...

Recognizing the will of the people of Illinois and championing America's horses, a three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit today ruled unanimously to uphold a decision by the US...

This Thursday the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Citizens Opposing Active Sonar Threats (COAST) will stage a colorful enactment outside the headquarters of the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration Fisheries Division (NMFS).

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to learn that Obi Sushi restaurant, located in Northern Virginia's Reston Town Center, has retracted their decision to sell shark fin soup and other shark dishes.

Once again, Congress has voiced its opposition to horse slaughter. The US House of Representatives today approved an amendment to the 2008 Agriculture Appropriations bill that will temporarily bring horse slaughter to a halt by...

"Barbaric, Barbaric, Barbaric!" This is the phrase recently opined by Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, our nation's longest-serving US Senator and last great political orator. Following news of charges leveled against Atlanta Falcons star...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the Honorable Thomas Cooper of the Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit for sentencing 28-year old Adan Gonzalez to three years in prison for throwing Lady, a 12-week-old boxer puppy...

Conservation and animal welfare organizations have filed a legal challenge to the US Navy's plan to use high-intensity, mid-frequency active sonar in antisubmarine exercises in Hawai'i's waters. The planned sonar would emit blasts far louder...

The "Whales Need US" coalition, an unprecedented joint effort of 20 US-based environmental, conservation and animal welfare organizations, representing more than 15 million people, today urged the Bush Administration to intensify its efforts to end...

In an 8-page letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) delivered today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and In Defense of Animals (IDA) questioned the legality of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife...

Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), In Defense of Animals (IDA), the American Environment Foundation (AEF), and two individuals asked the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of the US Department of the Interior in...