Press Releases

Washington, DC— Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voice voted in favor of an amendment to the FY17 Agriculture Appropriations bill to prohibit the USDA from spending any funds to inspect horse slaughter facilities. The committee...

Ensenada, Mexico —Scientists have announced that fewer than 60 vaquita porpoises likely remain on Earth, down from 245 in 2008. The vaquita is the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise, found only in Mexico’s northern...

Washington, DC— Advocacy organizations and their supporters demonstrated at Olive Garden restaurants across the United States today to urge the chain and its parent company, Darden Restaurant Inc.,to improve food-sourcing and labor practices.

The National Marine Fisheries Service today took a step toward protecting rare Taiwanese humpback dolphins , finding that listing the species under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted. The decision comes in response to...

May 1 marks the end of elephants being hauled around the country to perform for Ringling Bros. circus. While we celebrate the termination of this cruel and archaic practice, tragically, the elephants will not be...

Ukiah, CA —In a major victory for opponents of animal cruelty, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has agreed to perform a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and...

Concord, NH—T he New Hampshire Fish and Game Department today withdrew a proposed administrative rule that would have allowed bobcat hunting and trapping in the state for the first time since 1989.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for proposing requirements for the welfare of animals raised under the Certified Organic label. AWI generally supports the proposed regulations , which are...

Washington, DC — The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Cetacean Society International (CSI), Earth Island Institute (EII), and Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) lauded the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for its proposed designation of the...

Washington, DC/London — As the Norwegian whaling industry prepares for the start of the 2016 whaling season, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today released a document that indicates Norwegian fur...

A coalition of environmental, social justice, and animal welfare groups announced a campaign today calling on Olive Garden and its parent company, Darden Restaurant Inc. , the nation’s largest full-service restaurant employer, to do more...

St. Petersburg, Florida— Renowned scientists and over a dozen conservation and animal-protection organizations, including the Animal Welfare Institute, submitted a scientific petition to the US Fish and Wildlife Service today to protect the Florida black...

Washington, DC— Eight members of Congress were recognized yesterday by leading national conservation groups for their critical role in protecting the Endangered Species Act. The “Champions of the Endangered Species Act” reception featured former Secretary...

SeaWorld has announced it will phase out its captive orca exhibits, here in the US and anywhere it expands abroad. This is an amazing leap forward and it was the collective efforts of an energized...

Washington, DC— Three US conservation groups petitioned the federal government today to protect Taiwanese humpback dolphins under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to help prevent the extinction of a population that now numbers fewer than...

BOSTON, MA— Members of the “ Don’t Buy from Icelandic Whalers ” coalition have affirmed that their campaign will continue until Iceland permanently ends commercial whaling and international trading of whale products, despite breaking news...

Washington, DC —On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act of 2015 (H.R. 2406)—a sweeping pro-trophy hunting and trapping bill—by a largely partisan vote of 242 to...

Washington, DC—A recently released United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection report from January 2016 discloses that Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (SCBT), one of the world’s largest producers of animal-derived research antibodies, has eliminated its...

More than 80 private landowners in North Carolina’s five-county red wolf recovery area signed a petition, sent today to U.S Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe, expressing their support for keeping endangered red wolves...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is disappointed to learn that SeaWorld San Diego has filed a lawsuit against the State of California, challenging an October 8 decision by the California Coastal Commission (CCC).