Press Releases

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 and successful...

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 gained...

Today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a new regulation that weakens the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) by no longer penalizing individuals and corporations for the “incidental” killing of birds protected under...

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 abused...

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.

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 some...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the passage of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (H.R. 1754/S. 4547) late Monday. This bill, approved by Congress as part of the fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending package...

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 10...

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 of...

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 has...

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 released...

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 a...

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 of...

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, with...

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 surgical...

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 connected. This...

On behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute, the Southern Environmental Law Center today sued the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the US District Court for the...

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 labels...

Today, the US 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 Mexico.

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 Havens...