Press Releases

Seventy-seven percent of Americans are opposed to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) proposed surgical sterilization experiments on wild horses, according to a newly released survey.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) supports the recent Senate reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA) and the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA), both sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), which address the...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the House Natural Resources Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), for passing bills today to protect big cats, sharks and wild animals hunted for sport. The...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes bills—introduced today by Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Senator Tom Udall (D-NM)—to repeal the devastating regulatory changes to the Endangered Species...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) for introducing Tuesday the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act (S.2453) to help protect this highly imperiled species.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the introduction today of the Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act (H.R. 4211), which would protect animals from unscrupulous dealers and exhibitors and close existing loopholes in the US Department...

In a monumental move today, delegates at the 18th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties delivered a crucial victory for African elephants by voting in plenary to end the barbaric practice of removing...

Wildlife law enforcement champions from 10 countries were recognized today with the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award at the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International...

As governments from around the world prepare to meet in Geneva this week, the fate of the critically endangered vaquita hangs in the balance.

Today, the Trump administration released final regulations to gut critical Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, just months after a UN report warned of “unprecedented” and “accelerating” global mass extinctions caused by human activity.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Cruelty Free International congratulate Illinois for joining California, Nevada, and more than 30 countries worldwide in banning the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. SB 241, sponsored by Senator Linda Holmes...

Earlier this week, the Trump administration reauthorized use of sodium cyanide in wildlife-killing devices called M-44s. These “cyanide bombs” received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency despite inhumanely and indiscriminately killing thousands of animals...

As Shark Week kicks off July 28, restaurants across the nation are contributing to the rapid decline in shark species by serving up soup made from shark fins, despite bans in 12 states and counting.

In an important victory for Tennessee Walking Horses, the US House of Representatives today passed the US Senator Joseph D. Tydings Memorial Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R. 693) by a vote of 333–96...

The recent release of “Long Gone Wild,” a riveting documentary revealing the brutal truth about the ongoing trade in wild-caught orcas, highlights the intensifying controversy over confining cetaceans to barren concrete boxes in marine theme...

Nearly 2 million Americans, joined by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and a broad coalition of animal welfare and environmental organizations, have registered their opposition to a US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposal to...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds the introduction today of the Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act (TEAPSPA) in the US Senate. Sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), this bill would amend the...

Conservation and animal protection organizations rallied outside the Mexican Embassy today to call on the Mexican government to take drastic action to save the few remaining vaquita porpoises left on the planet. According to scientific...

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Humane Education Network (HEN) announced the winners of the 2019 A Voice for Animals contest. The annual contest offers monetary awards to high school students age 14–18 for...

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee today approved an “in danger” designation for an area of Mexico that is the last-remaining home of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise and a fish called the totoaba. An international...