Florida Teacher Likely Violated Anti-Cruelty Laws
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
In a letter sent Tuesday to Florida state, county and school officials, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is calling for a full investigation into the alleged drowning of multiple animals last week in front of...
Animal Welfare Institute Praises House Defeat of Farm Bill
Friday, May 18, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute is grateful that a massive farm bill loaded with provisions that would have reversed gains in animal welfare and weakened endangered species protections was defeated Friday in the US House of...
Anti-Wildlife Provisions Mar House Interior Appropriations Bill
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
The 2019 Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, passed late Tuesday by a House subcommittee, includes several anti-wildlife provisions that raise grave concerns for the Animal Welfare Institute.
Proposed Amendments Threaten to Make a Bad Farm Bill Even Worse for Animals
Friday, May 11, 2018
Today we learned the extent to which certain members of the US House of Representatives are willing to sacrifice animal welfare and conservation in the name of industry interests. The Farm Bill (H.R. 2, the...
Taiwanese Humpback Dolphin Protected Under US Endangered Species Act
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
The National Marine Fisheries Service today protected rare Taiwanese humpback dolphins, listing the species as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. The decision comes in response to a March 2016 petition from the Animal Welfare...
Bordallo and Young Introduce Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2018
Tuesday, May 08, 2018
Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam) and Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) today introduced the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2018, which is endorsed by the Animal Welfare Institute and other leading animal welfare and conservation...
Consumer Trust in Marine Stewardship Council Certification Hangs in the Balance
Thursday, April 26, 2018
A new poll commissioned by members of the Make Stewardship Count coalition indicates that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) could face a significant erosion of consumer confidence as a result of the certification body’s inattention...
Campaigners “Don’t Buy” Whaler’s Effort to Distance Icelandic Seafood Giant from Fin Whaling
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Don’t Buy From Icelandic Whalers campaign, an alliance of 14 conservation and animal protection groups, has reacted with dismay to the news that Icelandic whaling company Hvalur will resume fin whaling and with skepticism...
AWI Statement: House Farm Bill Doesn't Do Enough for Animals
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The House Agriculture Committee yesterday reported out its version of the 2018 farm bill (H.R. 2), legislation Congress must pass this year to reauthorize a variety of programs on which the agriculture sector heavily depends...
House Farm Bill Draft Offers Good and Bad News for Animal Welfare
Friday, April 13, 2018
A mammoth 640-plus-page farm bill draft (H.R. 2) was released yesterday and is scheduled for committee action next week. According to the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the draft represents a mixed bag for animals...
AWI Joins Lawsuit to Force USDA to Implement Organic Animal Welfare Rule
Thursday, April 12, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today joined the Organic Trade Association (OTA) in a lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture. The suit seeks to force the USDA to implement the Organic Livestock and Poultry...
Dr. Samuel K Wasser Receives Prestigious Albert Schweitzer Medal
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Dr. Samuel K Wasser, acknowledged worldwide for developing noninvasive tools for monitoring human impacts on wildlife, was honored today with the Albert Schweitzer Medal. This prestigious award, established in 1951 by the Animal Welfare Institute...
AWI Statement: Fiscal Year 2018 Spending Bill a Win for Animals
Friday, March 23, 2018
The Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill was signed today by President Trump. “We thank animal champions in Congress for their crucial work on this bill,” said Nancy Blaney, Animal Welfare Institute director of government...
Lawsuit Demands Ban on Mexican Shrimp, Other Seafood to Save Vanishing Porpoise
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Conservation groups sued the Trump administration today for failing to follow federal law and ban shrimp and other seafood imported from Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California and harvested with gillnets that drown the vaquita porpoise.
AWI Joins 95 Organizations Urging Canada to Close Domestic Elephant Ivory Trade
Friday, March 16, 2018
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) joined 95 Canadian and international conservationists, scientists, politicians and animal welfare organizations in a letter sent to the Canadian government this week urging the closure of Canada’s domestic elephant ivory...
AWI Statement: USDA Withdrawal of Organic Rule Leaves Millions of Farm Animals Vulnerable
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized plans this week to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule. The rule would have improved the lives of millions of animals raised under the Certified Organic...
AWI Issues Second Letter to Trump, Urging End to Trophy Imports of African Species
Thursday, March 08, 2018
In a letter issued today to President Donald Trump, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) president Cathy Liss advocated for a permanent ban on imports of trophies of elephants and other imperiled species from African nations. Today’s...
AWI Statement: Iowa Gov. Reynolds Should Veto Legislation that Harms Business Owners, Egg-Laying Hens
Tuesday, March 06, 2018
The Iowa State Senate has now passed HF 2408, a bill that would force grocery stores to sell eggs from hens packed into cages so densely crowded they can barely move. Since the House already...
AWI Statement: SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby Departure Should Not Derail Company’s Progress
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc., announced today the resignation of CEO Joel Manby. The announcement came with the release of the company’s fourth quarter and fiscal 2017 results, which showed a loss of $20.4 million...
AWI’s Dr. Naomi Rose, Other Experts File Amicus Brief in Support of Lolita
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
A group of marine researchers and scientists, including Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) marine mammal scientist Dr. Naomi Rose, filed an amicus brief today in defense of Lolita, the lone orca who has languished for over...