Press Releases

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) program charged with resolving wildlife conflicts—but that perversely is responsible for killing millions of animals each year in the United States—received carte blanche from the USDA Office of Inspector...

LONDON— Iceland’s controversial fin whale hunt has now ended with a catch of 155 endangered fin whales, the largest slaughter since the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

Irving, TX— Leading equine rescues and sanctuaries from across the country gathered in Irving, Texas, on September 25 and 26 for the 2015 Homes for Horses Coalition conference. The only national conference for horse rescues...

A federal court today affirmed the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) denial of Georgia Aquarium’s application for a permit under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to import 18 beluga whales from Russia’s Sea of...

Tallahassee, Florida— Local, state and national animal protection and environmental organizations filed a “friend of the court” brief today in support of a lawsuit to stop the impending trophy hunt of Florida black bears, an...

HONOLULU— A federal court today entered an order settling two cases challenging the U.S. Navy’s training and testing activities off the coasts of Southern California and Hawai‘i, securing long-sought protections for whales, dolphins, and other...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina— Conservation and animal welfare organizations, including the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Defenders of Wildlife , and the Red Wolf Coalition , as represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), notified...

Anchorage, Alaska—A coalition of animal welfare and conservation organizations launched a two-week advertising campaign today on Alaska Dispatch News to coincide with the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience...

Trenton, New Jersey— Animal welfare and wildlife organizations filed a motion today with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to stay the implementation of a proposed rule that would allow three types of leghold...

REYKJAVÍK , ICELAND — Photographs (shown below) of an Icelandic whaling vessel dragging dead endangered fin whales to shore for processing were released today by Timothy Baker, an American whale-watching tourist.

Washington, DC —The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the winners of its annual Christine Stevens Wildlife Award . Established in 2006, the Christine Stevens Wildlife Award provides grants of up to $10,000 to help...

Washington, DC— The US Department of Agriculture’s case against Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (SCBT), one of the world’s largest research antibody suppliers, is scheduled to be heard by an administrative law judge beginning Tuesday, August...

AUGUSTA, ME— Wildlife conservation and animal welfare organizations filed a lawsuit today against the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for allowing trappers in Maine to seriously injure and kill Canada lynx, a federally protected...

Washington, DC — In light of the tragic illegal killing of Cecil the lion by an American dentist, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the swift response by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Cory Booker (D-NJ),...

MENDOCINO, CA —Animal protection and conservation organizations filed suit today challenging Mendocino County’s contract renewal with Wildlife Services, a notorious federal wildlife-killing program that killed close to 3 million animals in the US in 2014.

A coalition of environmental groups released today a new brief, “Convenience Kills,” detailing the whale meat sales of SPAR Norway—part of the international SPAR convenience store chain. The groups are calling on the company to...

Washington, DC— Local conservationists rallied outside the Mexican Embassy today in support of the vaquita marina , the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise, found only in Mexico’s Gulf of California.

Washington, DC— In a great victory for animal welfare, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) succeeded in including language in the manager’s amendment of the House Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2016 Agriculture Bill to deny funds for...

WASHINGTON, DC— The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) condemns today’s decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to suspend red wolf reintroductions pending additional review of the red wolf recovery program. USFWS intends to...

Washington, DC— The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the reintroduction by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) of the Pet Safety and Protection Act (H.R. 2849). In order to protect companion animals from...