Animal Welfare Institute

AWI Grant Helping to Expand Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets in Illinois

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce Oasis Women’s Center as the recipient of its 2026 Safe Havens for ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Animal Protection Groups Call on USDA to Require Cameras Inside CO2 Stunning Areas of Pig Slaughter Plants

Washington, DC—Today, a coalition of animal protection groups submitted a rulemaking petition to the US Department of Agriculture to require pig slaughter plants to ...
Animal Welfare Institute

The “Blackfish” Legacy: Captive Marine Mammal Industry Continues Decline

Washington, DC—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 ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Bill Introduced to Ban Brutal Helicopter Roundups of Wild Horses

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) commend US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) for reintroducing ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Mexico’s Proposed New Regulations May Doom the Vaquita Porpoise to Extinction

Mexicali, Mexico—Mexico is on the brink of publishing new rules that will significantly weaken protections for the vaquita porpoise—the world’s most endangered cetacean—potentially leading to the ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Legislation to Ban Brutal and Indiscriminate Body-Gripping Traps Reintroduced

Washington, DC—The Public Safety and Wildlife Protection Act was reintroduced last Friday in the House of Representatives by Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC). This bill would prohibit the import and export of, ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Colorado Bill Would Phase Out Heatstroke as a Poultry Depopulation Method

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) welcomes yesterday’s introduction of the Modernizing Depopulation Act in the Colorado General Assembly. The bill would establish Colorado as the first ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Japan’s Whale Meat Stockpiles Turned into Pet Food

Washington, DC—This year, as Japan struggles to recover from the economic slump caused by COVID-19, its government is spending more than 5 billion yen ($39 million) to support a whaling industry so ...
Animal Welfare Institute

AWI Statement in Response to Death of SeaWorld Orca Tilikum

Washington, DC—Tilikum, the SeaWorld orca who changed the captive cetacean world when he killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010, has died. He was approximately 36 years of age ...
Animal Welfare Institute

US to Ban Seafood Imports from 42 Nations to Protect Whales, Dolphins

Washington, DC—The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined today that 42 nations may not export certain seafood products to the United States because fishers in these countries catch ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Trump Administration Signals Potential Rollback of Lifesaving Protections for Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today expressed deep concern following the publication of a Federal Register notice indicating that the Trump administration is considering weakening ...
Animal Welfare Institute

Department of Interior Weakens Migratory Bird Protections

Washington, DC—Late last week, the Department of the Interior reissued a legal opinion that weakens the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) by no longer penalizing individuals and corporations for the ...