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Latest News
Nearly Half a Million Animals Killed in Barn Fires in 2023
Monday, December 18, 2023
More than 468,000 farmed animals have been killed in barn fires so far this year, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports released today.
AWI Donates $48,000 to Six Farm Animal Sanctuaries after Matching Giving Tuesday Fundraising
Monday, December 11, 2023
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) awarded $48,000 to help rescued farmed animals across the country feel secure, respected, and nurtured, following a successful Giving Tuesday campaign last month.
New Report: Poultry Slaughter Plants Continue to Evade USDA Enforcement
Wednesday, December 06, 2023
The US Department of Agriculture continues to allow birds to be mutilated by machinery, slammed against walls, and buried alive in slaughterhouses without holding the industry accountable, according to a new report released today by...
Report: US Must Ban Seafood from 11 Nations Over Whale, Dolphin Deaths
Thursday, November 30, 2023
A report issued today by conservation groups finds that 11 nations have at least some fisheries that fail to meet US standards for preventing whale and dolphin bycatch.
Wildlife-Killing Cyanide Bombs Banned on Lands Managed by Federal Agency
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomed a decision last week by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to ban wildlife-killing M-44 devices, commonly known as “cyanide bombs,” across 245 million acres of BLM-managed lands.
Legal Petition Urges USDA to Adopt Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Wildlife Services Program
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Today, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Center for Biological Diversity, Project Coyote, the Animal Welfare Institute, and WildEarth Guardians submitted a petition for rulemaking to the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection...
Help Rescued Farmed Animals Thrive in Sanctuaries This #GivingTuesday
Monday, November 20, 2023
November 28 is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving to inspire positive change in our communities and beyond. This year, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is partnering with six farmed animal sanctuaries across the...
USDA Poised to Change Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards to Improve Animal Welfare
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Yesterday, the US Department of Agriculture announced plans to publish the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards final rule.
Ejiao Act Reintroduced to Protect Donkeys from Dangerous Gelatin Trade
Thursday, October 26, 2023
US Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) reintroduced the Ejiao Act Tuesday in the House of Representatives to ban the sale and trade of ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin) products in the United States.
New Report Debunks Claims of Whale and Dolphin Hunters in Faroe Islands
Monday, September 25, 2023
Today, in the wake of the latest Faroe Islands drive hunt on Friday that killed 42 more pilot whales, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and six other leading animal welfare and marine conservation organizations released...
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Votes to Ban Wildlife Killing Contests
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Friday to adopt a rule prohibiting wildlife killing contests for coyotes and other species classified as unprotected mammals in the state.
UNESCO World Heritage Committee: Vaquita Porpoise Habitat Still “In Danger”
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided today to maintain the “in danger” status for the last remaining habitat of the vaquita porpoise and the totoaba fish.
Iceland to Resume Whaling with Restrictions
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Iceland will again allow fin whaling, beginning Sept. 1, but with stricter requirements, the country’s minister of food, agriculture and fisheries announced today.
US Proposes Ban on Imports, Exports of Banggai Cardinalfish
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced a proposed rule to ban the import and export of threatened Banggai cardinalfish, following a 2021 petition from conservation groups.
Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act Reintroduced to Protect Wildlife and Pets from Barbaric Traps and Snares
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act, reintroduced today in the US House of Representatives by Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Congressional Animal Protection Caucus Co-Chair Earl...
Historic Settlement Secures Conservation of Endangered Red Wolves in the Wild
Wednesday, August 09, 2023
Conservation groups and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a historic settlement today to recommit to the conservation and recovery of the world’s only wild red wolf population, which in recent years dropped...
AWI Grants Promote Humane Solutions to Human-Wildlife Conflicts and Less Intrusive Methods of Wildlife Study
Friday, August 04, 2023
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced the eight recipients of its Christine Stevens Wildlife Award who are developing innovative, less intrusive wildlife study techniques and more humane, nonlethal methods of resolving conflicts between wild...
“A Voice for Animals” Contest Winners Harness Multimedia to Save Dwindling Species
Monday, July 24, 2023
From documenting how tourist attractions intruded on the habitat of the Grand Cayman blue iguana, to discussing how post-pandemic housing insecurity impacts animals, the winners of the 2023 “A Voice for Animals” contest use creative...
The “Blackfish” Legacy: Captive Marine Mammal Industry Continues Decline
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
A decade after the documentary “Blackfish” examined the ethics and consequences of keeping orcas in captivity, marine theme parks and aquariums that feature cetaceans are struggling to remain relevant.
President Biden Declines to Embargo Products from Mexico for Vaquita Violation
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
President Biden announced yesterday that he will not embargo products from Mexico despite its failure to halt the illegal wildlife trade threatening the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.