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Margie Fishman
Public Relations Manager
Animal Welfare Institute
(202) 337-2332
[email protected]
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Latest News
In Waning Days, Trump Administration Releases Another Rule Undermining ESA
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Only two days after finalizing a rule undermining the protection of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has published another final rule further weakening implementation of...
Trump Administration Finalizes New Rule that Weakens Endangered Species Act
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Tomorrow, the Trump administration is slated to finalize a rule that further erodes the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the nation’s most effective and most popular laws. Under the new rule, the administration has...
1.6+ Million Farm Animals Died in Barn Fires in 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
More than 1.6 million farm animals, including nearly 1.3 million cage-free hens, have perished in potentially preventable barn fires so far this year, according to an Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) analysis of media reports released...
House Passes Big Cat Public Safety Act to Limit Possession of Dangerous Big Cats
Thursday, December 03, 2020
In the wake of the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King” and heightened public attention to the exploitation of captive big cats, the US House of Representatives passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act today by a...
AWI Endorses Legislation to Ban Archaic Body-Gripping Traps
Thursday, December 03, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes the reintroduction of the Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act yesterday by Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC) and Nita Lowey (D-NY). This bill would prohibit the import and export of...
New Report: USDA Continues to Tolerate Poultry Abuse at Largest Slaughter Plants
Friday, November 20, 2020
The US Department of Agriculture’s inadequate, haphazard oversight of the treatment of chickens and turkeys at slaughter has led to the widespread mistreatment and suffering of birds at some of the nation’s largest plants, with...
Lawmakers to BLM: Stop Barbaric Surgical Sterilizations of Wild Horses in Utah
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Today, 58 lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate sent a bipartisan letter to the Department of the Interior condemning the Bureau of Land Management’s plan to perform unsafe and inhumane surgical...
Help AWI Donate Books to Underserved Children on #GivingTuesday
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving on December 1 this year, offers an opportunity for people around the world to stand together in unity—to use our individual power of generosity to remain connected. This...
Conservation Groups Sue USFWS to Save Wild Red Wolves
Monday, November 16, 2020
On behalf of the Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute, the Southern Environmental Law Center today sued the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the US District Court for the...
Shopping for a Thanksgiving Turkey? Beware of These Downright Deceptive Labels
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
American consumers are increasingly concerned about how animals raised for food are treated. But those wishing to purchase a higher-welfare turkey for Thanksgiving this year will be bombarded with a number of misleading turkey labels...
Trump Administration Strips Protections from Gray Wolves
Thursday, October 29, 2020
Today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) finalized a rule removing protections for all gray wolves in the lower 48 states except for a small population of Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.
New Website Offers Shelter Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors with Pets
Thursday, October 08, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) unveiled today a comprehensive website that aims to help domestic violence survivors and their pets escape abusive situations. Launched during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the newly revamped Safe Havens...
AWI Lauds New Legislation to Curb Wildlife-Human Disease Transmission
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorses legislation introduced today, the Preventing Future Pandemics Act of 2020, which seeks to prevent future pandemics by addressing the spillover of emerging infectious diseases from wildlife to humans.
After Santa Anita Deaths, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Passes House to Protect Thoroughbreds
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the US House of Representatives for passing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (H.R. 1754) today.
AWI Offers Free Animal-Friendly Lesson Plans, Publications for Virtual Back to School
Thursday, September 17, 2020
As many teachers virtually welcome their students back to school this month, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) offers a variety of free digital educational resources for students of all ages that encourage respect and empathy...
NOAA Imposes Strong Restrictions on Aquariums’ Import of Captive Belugas for Research
Thursday, September 03, 2020
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and other animal and environmental protection groups applaud the Department of Commerce’s decision to prohibit Mystic Aquarium from breeding five captive-born beluga whales from Canada as part of an import...
Norway’s 2020 Whaling Season is Deadliest in Years
Monday, August 24, 2020
Norwegian whalers slaughtered more whales in 2020 than in each of the last three years, according to statistics released today by the Fishermen’s Sales Organization (Råfisklaget). A total of 481 minke whales have been killed...
A Voice for Animals Contest Winners Step Up Advocacy During Pandemic
Friday, August 21, 2020
From documenting how a hungry sea turtle might mistake a plastic bag in the ocean for a jellyfish, to employing forensic science to curb pangolin trafficking, the winners of the 2020 “A Voice for Animals”...
More than 700 Sea Lions to Be Killed, Despite Widespread Opposition
Monday, August 17, 2020
In an ill-conceived attempt to save endangered salmon, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on Friday issued a permit for wildlife managers and local tribes to kill as many as 540 California sea lions and...
USDA Sued to Compel Humane Handling of Birds at Slaughter
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Today, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Farm Sanctuary sued the US Department of Agriculture in federal court for failing to require humane handling of poultry at slaughter, resulting in adulterated (i.e., damaged or contaminated)...