AWI Celebrates 10 Big Wins for Animals in 2024

Washington, DC—As we usher in a new year, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) proudly celebrates 10 big wins for animals in 2024. We have made strides to improve animal welfare and prevent needless suffering through our major program areas—farmed animals, companion animals, equines, terrestrial and marine wildlife, and animals in research—as well as in our humane education work and efforts in Congress and across the country to pass, strengthen, and defend laws to protect animals. These successes would not be possible without the dedication and determination of advocates around the globe. Progress to improve the welfare of animals can feel plodding at times, so it’s important to share meaningful achievements when they happen. Here’s to feeling empowered and energized in the year ahead to make a real difference in the lives of animals!

AWI’s 10 big wins for animals this year (in no particular order):

1. Inspiring young advocates
   Through our humane education resources, AWI is empowering the next generation of animal advocates. In 2024, we were excited to build upon our free resources available on our page of the Teachers Pay Teachers website and continue our annual scholarship and essay contest. Additionally, we received an Educator’s Choice award in the category of Best Free Education Resources from the Association of Professional Humane Educators.
   
   By providing educational materials and a platform for advocacy, we help students turn their passion for animals into meaningful action, building a brighter future for all living beings.


2. A victory for horses
   Following years of advocacy by AWI and other equine advocates, the US Department of Agriculture finalized new regulations under the Horse Protection Act, slated to go into effect in February 2025, to safeguard Tennessee walking horses from the abusive practice of soring.
   
   Soring entails the use of chemicals, chains, and other devices to inflict pain on horses’ legs and hooves to induce an exaggerated, unnatural gait known as the “Big Lick” at horse shows and competitions. This practice causes immense, ongoing suffering for the animals.
   
   AWI has long advocated stricter penalties and stronger oversight to end this horrific practice. With the USDA’s new rule, ineffective self-policing by the industry will be replaced with meaningful protections that ensure a safer, brighter future for horses. This landmark achievement is a victory years in the making, and we’re proud to see progress in safeguarding these animals from abuse.


3. Driving informed, impactful animal protection policies
   Last spring, AWI launched the Center for the Study of National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) Animal Cruelty Data, a first-of-its-kind resource offering easy access to the animal cruelty crime data collected via the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s NIBRS nationwide crime database. By compiling and providing this readily analyzable information, we’re empowering researchers to conduct studies that will increase our understanding of animal cruelty crimes and inform intervention efforts.
   
   This initiative follows a decade-long campaign during which AWI was instrumental in persuading the FBI to include animal cruelty as a separate crime category in NIBRS. Prior to this milestone, incidents of animal cruelty were assigned to a “miscellaneous crimes” category in the database, making trends difficult to analyze and address.
   
   Having accurate, accessible data is critical to identifying patterns of abuse, improving responses to these crimes, and shaping policies that protect companion animals. The Center builds on AWI’s legacy, fostering a data-driven approach to understanding and preventing cruelty, and ensuring stronger, evidence-based protections for animals.


4. Helping circus animals escape abuse
   This year, AWI celebrated the passage of two state bills we supported aimed at protecting circus animals from abuse. These new laws, enacted in Maryland and Massachusetts, ban the use of certain wild animals in traveling performances, helping move toward a future where animals such as elephants, tigers, giraffes, and bears will no longer be subjected to cruel training practices, harsh confinement, and dangerous transport conditions.
   
   These victories are the result of years of advocacy and collaboration with lawmakers, grassroots organizations, and compassionate advocates. With each new law, we’re moving closer to a future where wild animals are no longer exploited for entertainment.


5. Protecting farmed animals from barn fires
   AWI’s ongoing advocacy for stronger fire safety measures resulted in a major victory this year, when the National Fire Protection Association issued new requirements under its animal housing facilities code that will take effect next year. The updated standards will require sprinklers in medium- and large-sized farmed animal facilities in jurisdictions that adopt the code—marking a critical step forward for farmed animal welfare. This new requirement was maintained despite vigorous efforts by industry groups to derail it.
   
   Barn fires have caused immense suffering, killing more than 8.3 million farmed animals since 2013, when AWI first began tracking these tragic incidents. This new requirement could spare many animals from being burned alive.


6. Achieving ESA protections for the Atlantic humpback dolphin
   In a monumental marine conservation win, the Atlantic humpback dolphin was listed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) earlier this year. This species, one of the world’s most endangered small cetaceans, faces severe threats from fishing, habitat degradation, and pollution across its West African coastal range.
   
   The ESA listing resulted from a petition filed by AWI, the Center for Biological Diversity, and VIVA Vaquita. The listing will open the way for increased conservation funding and enhanced international collaboration. It will also help raise global awareness of the Atlantic humpback dolphin—potentially spurring wider support for efforts to save this imperiled species from extinction.


7. Expanding resources for domestic violence survivors with pets
   This year, AWI proudly awarded our first “Safe Havens for Pets” grants to address a critical gap in services for domestic violence survivors and their beloved pets. When accommodations for pets are unavailable, survivors face an excruciating choice: stay in unsafe situations or leave pets behind to face continued violence. Our Safe Havens grants promote the development of pet-friendly resources for survivors.
   
   Grants were awarded to the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society (in partnership with S.A.F.E., Inc. in Northeast Mississippi) and the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center in Fargo, North Dakota—both located in areas identified by AWI as “safe haven deserts” due to a shortage of available services for pets in the region. By providing this funding, we are promoting the development of these pet-friendly resources in the communities that need them most.


8. Restoring environmental protections
   This year, the Biden administration restored critical National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, reversing Trump administration rollbacks that weakened protections for wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems. These regulations once again require federal agencies conducting NEPA analyses of proposed projects to consider ramifications for threatened and endangered species and habitat, climate change, and environmental justice, while also requiring meaningful consultation with impacted communities, including Native American tribes.
   
   These updates are a significant win for conservation and climate action: NEPA’s protections are essential for addressing the climate crisis, preserving biodiversity, and safeguarding threatened species and their habitats from unchecked development. AWI strongly supports this step toward accountability, transparency, and a healthier planet.


9. Saving the pygmy three-toed sloth
   In response to an emergency petition filed by AWI in 2013 and more than a decade of advocacy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service at long last proposed listing the pygmy three-toed sloth under the ESA. This includes a recommendation to adopt a special “4(d) rule” to provide additional protections to the species, including prohibiting import, export, take (including capture, hunting, and harassment), possession, and sale of the species by anyone subject to US jurisdiction.
   
   The pygmy three-toed sloth is the smallest sloth species in the world, found only on Isla Escudo de Veraguas in Panama. The species faces threats from habitat loss and degradation due to timber cutting and development, overutilization by humans, loss of genetic diversity, and inadequate regulations. This proposed listing marks a crucial step in obtaining protections for this tiny, elusive animal and highlights the importance of long-term advocacy for at-risk species.


10. Biomedical company pays record fine in Animal Welfare Act case
    In 2022, biomedical company Envigo made headlines for atrocious conditions documented at its Virginia beagle-breeding facility, accumulating over 60 citations for noncompliance with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) within one year. After the Department of Justice stepped in, 4,000+ beagles were surrendered, and the facility was shuttered. This year, the company pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the AWA and the Clean Water Act and required to pay $35 million in penalties (guaranteed by its parent company, Inotiv), including an $11 million fine for conspiring to violate the AWA—the largest-ever fine in an AWA case.
    
    AWI had previously urged the USDA to rigorously enforce the law and revoke Envigo’s license. In 2025, we will continue to advocate more oversight and strict, swift enforcement action to help ensure laboratory facilities and animal-breeding operations adhere to the law.