Dear Members and other friends of AWI:
As you know, coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading around the globe, and the human species is facing a pandemic unlike any the vast majority of us have endured in our lifetimes. As a society, we will get through it, but many lives are being lost and most lives have been turned upside down.
At AWI, we have made changes in our operations to ensure the safety of our staff and consultants, such as suspending all travel and implementing telework from our homes. Though where we work and how we conduct that work has changed, please know that our efforts on behalf of animals continues in earnest. Our Government Affairs team continues to have meetings (via phone) regarding important animal welfare items before Congress—such as demanding greater accountability from the US Fish and Wildlife Service with respect to trophy hunting import permits and procuring additional funding for implementation of vital animal welfare laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. AWI’s Dr. Naomi Rose and her co-editors are preparing the State of the Cetacean Environment Report for the Sub-Committee on Environmental Concerns of the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee. AWI’s Regina Terlau is working with consultant Nancy Brown to produce comprehensive teachers’ guides and lesson plans to be used in concert with AWI publications. These are merely a few examples of how we remain focused on our mission despite the disruption.
On behalf of the board of directors and staff at AWI, we wish you and yours good health, patience, understanding, and compassion. Please take care of yourselves and carefully follow the guidance of healthcare professionals as we all attempt to navigate these deeply unsettling waters.