As Iceland Calls Off Fin Whale Slaughter, Japan and Norway Launch Cruel, Unsustainable Whale Hunting Seasons Niki Fri, 04/25/2025 - 15:38 Photo by iStock April 25, 2025 Washington, DC—Japan and Norway resumed slaughtering whales this month, while Iceland’s only fin whaling company has decided that it will not hunt this summer, citing a declining demand for whale meat products in Japan.Japan killed the first fin whale of the 2025 season today, after launching its whaling season on April 1. Kyodo Senpaku, Japan’s only factory ship whaling company, is expected to kill up to 56 sei whales, 153 Bryde’s whales and 60 fin whales (a threatened species that is the second largest animal on the planet). In addition, five small coastal whaling boats will kill up to 144 minke whales.Norway also launched its whaling season on April 1; two days later, the first minke whale was killed by Reinebuen, a ship linked to Lofothval, a company partly owned by Icelandic whaler Kristján Loftsson. Although Norway’s quota allows up to 1,406 minke whales to be killed by 14 registered whaling vessels this season, fewer are expected to be taken due to plummeting demand for whale meat in Norway. A 2024 analysis revealed the presence of contaminants in Norwegian whale meat that can lead to a range of harmful effects and health issues, including developmental problems, endocrine dysfunction, cancer, and kidney disease.Iceland was scheduled to begin its fin whaling season in June, with as many as 209 fin whales permitted to be killed in 2025. Earlier this month, however, Loftsson announced that for the second consecutive year, his company, Hvalur hf., will not hunt fin whales due to global economic conditions that make it unprofitable. Meanwhile, a smaller Icelandic company, Tjaldtangi ehf., is still poised to hunt up to 217 minke whales. If it proceeds, it will be the first time that minke whaling has occurred in Icelandic waters since 2021.Norway, Japan, and Iceland are the only countries that still permit commercial whaling in defiance of a four-decades-long ban implemented by the IWC. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has long condemned commercial whaling as inherently cruel, unsustainable, and impossible to regulate, and continues to call for an end to the unprofitable and unnecessary whaling industry.“The whaling industrial complex is a sinking ship,” said Sue Fisher, senior policy advisor for AWI’s Marine Wildlife Program. “Although the government of Japan is prepared, for now, to continue propping up its own whalers, it no longer appears willing to also keep Iceland’s whaling industry afloat by subsidizing Kyodo Senpaku's purchase of Hvalur's meat.”“Hvalur had been hoping that its recent marketing efforts in Japan would boost consumer interest there, making it worthwhile for the company to go whaling this year,” Fisher added. “But Kyodo Senpaku simply cannot afford to buy Icelandic whale meat without financial support from Japan’s government.”In Japan and Norway, the market for whale meat is so low that stockpiles of unwanted whale meat have been repurposed for pet food. Whalers in Norway have even resorted to removing only the most valuable cuts of meat from carcasses and discarding the rest at sea.Yet taxpayers in these countries continue to bankroll government-sponsored marketing efforts to encourage whale meat consumption through whale burgers and tacos, whale meat vending machines, and a distribution system to make these products available in both local markets and national supermarket chains. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

AWI Supports Phasing Out Animal Use in Research and Testing, but Proper Planning is Essential to Protect Animals and Science Niki Thu, 05/01/2025 - 14:20 Photo by Te Protejo / We Animals May 1, 2025 Washington, DC—Last month, both the National Institutes of Health and the US Food and Drug Administration announced plans to phase out the use of animals in scientific research. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) strongly supports transitioning away from experiments on animals to cutting-edge non-animal models, but proper planning is essential to ensure the best outcomes for animals and science.Moreover, AWI is deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s recent moves to gut funding for scientific research more broadly.“Drastic, sudden, and arbitrary cuts to scientific research, coupled with federal workforce layoffs, are harmful to animals, people, and science,” said Dr. Joanna Makowska, director of AWI’s Animals in Laboratories Program. “In the short term, broad cuts to research on animals without allocating funding for rehoming eligible animals used in experimentation will result in compromised welfare or mass euthanasia for the millions of animals currently housed in laboratories. In the long run, research using animals will be reduced, but so will research on public health, medicine, and species and ecosystem conservation, which will affect an untold number of people and animals. This administration is taking a wrecking ball to science.”Earlier this week, the NIH announced a new initiative to “prioritize human-based research technologies” and “reduce [the] use of animals in NIH-funded research.” While the agency provided no comprehensive roadmap for achieving its goals, it did announce plans for a new Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application to coordinate agencywide efforts and expand infrastructure for non-animal research approaches.This initiative will face an uphill battle and additional funding for non-animal alternatives will be critical. Nevertheless, the administration appears to be working at cross purposes. Its recent decision to freeze more than $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard University, for instance, also affects Harvard’s Wyss Institute, which has pioneered the most promising non-animal research alternative: organ-on-a-chip technology.Most NIH-funded studies involve “basic” research, studies of an exploratory nature meant to advance general scientific knowledge or uncover the progression of disease, among other objectives. Unfortunately, non-animal models are still in the early phases of development for this type of research.Animal testing, by contrast, involves testing drugs or products to ensure their safety before they are used on humans. Non-animal methodologies are much more readily able to replace animals for regulatory testing requirements, such as those overseen by the FDA. On April 10, the FDA announced detailed plans to phase out its animal testing requirement for certain drug safety studies.The FDA’s roadmap, unlike the scant information provided by the NIH, outlines a six-prong approach to reduce toxicity testing in animals over the next three years and details six scientific and technical steps for the agency to adopt non-animal research models. AWI applauds the attention to detail evident in the FDA’s announcement and will closely follow how these plans move forward, given mass funding cuts at the agency.Importantly, neither the NIH nor the FDA have announced plans to retire existing laboratory animals. AWI urges the administration to allocate sufficient resources to guarantee humane outcomes for these animals while developing and advancing alternatives to their use. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2025 – America’s Charities, the nonprofit that mobilizes the power of giving as a leading provider of volunteering, workplace giving, emergency assistance funds, matching gift, scholarships and other social impact solutions, today announced it was selected as a 2025 Best Nonprofit To Work For by the impartial research organization Best… The post For Fifth Consecutive Year America’s Charities Named ‘Best Nonprofit To Work For’ appeared first on America's Charities.

Captive Primate Safety Act Would End the Cruel and Dangerous Primate Pet Trade Niki Tue, 05/06/2025 - 06:24 Photo by HollanderX2 May 6, 2025 Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) applauds yesterday’s reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA), which would end the cruel and dangerous pet primate trade in the United States. Nonhuman primates, including chimpanzees, capuchins, and lemurs, suffer enormously when kept as pets. They can also injure or spread disease to the people around them.Sponsored by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), and Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), this bill would ban the private possession of nonhuman primates. The prohibition is narrowly focused on pet primates and exempts zoos, research labs, sanctuaries, and universities. Current owners would be grandfathered in and simply be required to register their animals.“Primates are wild animals, not pets or playthings” said Susan Millward, AWI’s CEO and executive director. “Primates have natural instincts that can make them aggressive and unpredictable toward humans, and nobody wins when they’re kept inside a home. These animals suffer permanent physical and mental trauma when they are mutilated, isolated, caged, and malnourished. The Captive Primate Safety Act would protect primates from a lifetime of cruelty.”“Chimp Crazy,” the four-part docuseries that premiered last year on HBO Max, highlighted some of the heart-wrenching stories of chimpanzees caught up in the pet trade. Even the most well-meaning owner cannot provide the special care, housing, diet, socialization, and maintenance that these animals require. Many captive primates spend their entire lives in relative isolation, compared to living in the wild in large social groups. They experience physical and psychological suffering when confronted with unrealistic expectations that they will behave like perfectly trained pets or even “little humans.”Breeders generally sell primates as cute infants on the internet or through out-of-state dealers and auctions without disclosing that these baby animals have been forcibly removed from their mothers, often at only a few days old. As these animals reach sexual maturity, they become larger and more aggressive. They pose a serious threat to the people around them, as evidenced by the hundreds of reported injuries nationwide over the last few decades. Captive primates have mauled neighbors, turned on their owners, and endangered local police officers and emergency personnel, who must expend countless hours and resources responding to escapes, attacks, and cruelty cases.Primates pose a significant threat to public health because they can carry life-threatening diseases that are communicable to humans, including Ebola, tuberculosis, and the Herpes B virus.The pet primate trade also contributes to the illegal international wildlife trade. Demand for primates in the United States can incentivize the capture and trafficking of animals from the wild—many of them threatened or endangered species. Primates are smuggled into the United States to meet the demand, with trafficked animals suffering immensely and often dying along the way. While some primates are detected and confiscated at the border, there is no way to know how many more slip through and are sold as pets.“Monkeys and apes belong in the wild—not in living rooms. This bill will ban private possession of these animals, ensuring that we are safe and primates are able to live freely,” said Quigley, co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. “As the lead sponsor of the 2022 Big Cat Public Safety Act, I’m proud to sponsor the Captive Primate Safety Act to advance the same protections for primates.” Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

Congress Launches First-Ever Wild Horse Caucus to Protect America’s Iconic Mustangs and Burros Niki Thu, 05/08/2025 - 12:45 Photo by Elizabeth Boehm/Danita Delimont May 8, 2025 Washington, DC—In a landmark move for America’s wild horses and burros, today US Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Jaun Ciscomani (R-AZ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Steve Cohen (D-TN) launched the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. This is the first congressional caucus dedicated to supporting and safeguarding federally protected wild horses and burros across the United States.The Wild Horse Caucus will serve as a bipartisan forum to advance humane, science-based solutions for managing wild horses and burros. According to its mission statement, the caucus “exists to support, protect, and preserve wild horses and burros in their natural habitat across the United States,” and will focus on “strategic collaboration to develop ideas to humanely and effectively manage wild horse and burro populations.”“Nevada is home to more than 30,000 wild horses and burros—more than half of all the wild horses and burros in the United States,” Titus said. “These icons of the American West deserve to be treated humanely, and the bipartisan Wild Horse Caucus can lay the groundwork for better management of these herds by the Bureau of Land Management.”"Wild horses and burros embody the spirit and heritage of the West and deserve to be protected and treated humanely," said Ciscomani. "For too long, these animals have been subject to cruel and costly roundups that, at best, remove them from their natural habitat to be housed in warehouses, and at worse, result in the death of the animal. Caring for wild horses and burros is not a partisan issue, which is why I am proud to be named as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Wild Horse Caucus to promote humane policies, such as fertility control and habitat preservation, to manage and care for these iconic animals.""Growing up, I had the blessing of spending much time on several ranches and farms in Arizona,” Schweikert said. “These experiences have led me to serve as an advocate for humane treatment and protection of these majestic species. I'm looking forward to the conservation initiatives that will come out of the formation of this caucus.”“I’m proud to be a co-chairman of the bipartisan Wild Horse Caucus and to work to protect these iconic symbols of our country,” Cohen added. “Wild horses and burros are part of our national heritage. How we treat animals is a direct reflection of who we are, and I hold firm in the belief that all beings should be treated humanely.”The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) applaud the formation of the caucus and the bipartisan leadership behind it.“Protecting America’s wild horses and burros has always been a bipartisan issue, in large part because these iconic animals hold an important place in our country’s history and because, for countless Americans, they continue to embody the spirit of freedom and resilience,” said Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., AWI’s equine program director and senior policy advisor. “We are grateful to Representatives Titus, Ciscomani, Schweikert, and Cohen for their outstanding leadership on this issue. The Congressional Wild Horse Caucus will help ensure these beloved animals will be protected for generations to come.”“This is an important step toward reforming a broken system,” said Suzanne Roy, executive director of AWHC. “For too long, federal wild horse policy has relied on costly and inhumane roundups that remove animals from the range, only to warehouse them in holding facilities. We commend the leaders of the Wild Horse Caucus for recognizing that there’s a better way to manage our wild herds that is rooted in humane treatment, science, and fiscal responsibility.”The launch of the caucus comes amid growing public concern over the Bureau of Land Management’s mass helicopter roundups and the record number of wild horses and burros—more than 65,000—confined in government holding facilities. Last fiscal year alone, this roundup and removal program cost taxpayers over $109 million.Last week, Reps. Vern Buchanan, Schweikert, Ciscomani, and Brian Fitzpatrick sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum calling for the increased use of humane fertility control methods over mass helicopter roundups and removals.The caucus aims to champion solutions such as humane fertility control and habitat preservation, which offer sustainable alternatives to roundups and removals. It is expected to play a vital role in shaping future federal policy to ensure that America’s wild horses and burros remain wild, free, and part of the nation’s natural heritage. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128Amelia Perrin, American Wild Horse Conservationamelia@americanwildhorse.org, (919) 619-4913 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit wild horse conservation organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America’s wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horse fertility control program in the world through a partnership with the State of Nevada for wild horses that live in the Virginia Range near Reno.

Save an East Atlantic Haven for Migratory Birds

AWI Scholarship Winners Campaign for a Better World for Animals Niki Fri, 05/09/2025 - 14:35 Photo by Léa Jones May 9, 2025 Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the 12 winners of a scholarship designed to invest in future leaders who seek to improve the lives of animals—from advancing medical research techniques that don’t rely on animal testing to advocating humane agricultural practices.The Animal Welfare Institute Scholarship program, now in its sixth year, recognizes high school seniors in the United States who are actively involved in helping animals in their schools or communities and plan to continue working on behalf of animals in college and beyond. A dozen winners, selected from a record 930 applicants, will each receive $3,000 for application toward post-secondary education expenses, along with a free subscription to the AWI Quarterly magazine.“Our 2025 scholarship winners have demonstrated admirable leadership and technological prowess, launching successful high school clubs, fundraising events, and other major projects to better protect animals and improve their care,” said Susan Millward, AWI’s executive director and chief executive officer. “AWI is thrilled to support these exemplary students as they continue their studies to drive positive change in the animal welfare movement.”Scholarship recipients have launched a YouTube channel dedicated to ethical environmentalism, self-published a novel about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, organized large-scale microplastic beach cleanups, and fostered dozens of dogs, transforming their home into a place of healing. The recipients include future pre-vet majors, nonprofit leaders, animal welfare inspectors, endangered species advocates, animal rescuers, and more.The 2025 Animal Welfare Institute Scholarship winners are:Violet Allori, Banks High School, Oregon; Hanna Juma, Glassboro High School, New Jersey; Colleen Kielbania, Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, Massachusetts; Sania Lee, Heritage High School, Georgia; Blake Lugosi, William T. Dwyer High School, Florida; Kayla Mabry, Rockford High School, Michigan; Cora McCabe, Washington-Liberty High School, Virginia; Aashay Mody, Irvine High School, California; John O’Connor, Tenafly High School, New Jersey; Daniel Onwudinanti, South Grand Prairie High School, Texas; Madison Villafane, Wando High School, South Carolina; and Samantha Waldron, Highland High School, Idaho.In addition to the scholarship program, AWI, in partnership with the Humane Education Network, holds an annual “A Voice for Animals” competition. High school students from all over the world are awarded cash prizes for essays, photo essays, or videos that examine issues involving animal conservation and welfare and present viable solutions. The deadline for applications this year is May 31. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

New AWI Grant Funds Analysis of Animal Cruelty Data to Better Protect Animals and Communities Niki Mon, 05/12/2025 - 15:08 Photo by Elya Vatel May 12, 2025 Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has awarded an inaugural research grant to encourage the analysis of animal cruelty data to identify distinct characteristics of animal abusers, leading to more targeted intervention and prevention efforts.Abigail Schweiger, who is pursuing a doctorate in social work at Saint Louis University, will receive a $3,500 stipend to use data acquired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) pertaining to sociodemographics and animal cruelty offenses to construct profiles of animal abusers in the United States. To inform both policy and practice, Schweiger plans to present her research findings in publications and at local or national conferences on social work, criminology, and/or animal welfare.Last year, AWI launched the Center for the Study of NIBRS Animal Cruelty Data to provide updated animal cruelty data through a condensed version of the NIBRS database. Law enforcement agencies throughout the United States use NIBRS to submit crime data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.AWI was instrumental in convincing the FBI, in 2014, to include animal cruelty as a distinct crime category within NIBRS. Previously, animal cruelty incidents—to the extent they were reported at all by state and local law enforcement officials—were consigned to the “miscellaneous crimes” category in NIBRS, making retrieval and analysis of data on such incidents all but impossible. Reporting of animal cruelty crimes to NIBRS began in 2016.“AWI has actively encouraged policymakers, researchers, and advocates to analyze NIBRS animal cruelty data and identify trends to promote effective interventions that protect both animals and people,” said Claire Coughlin, director of AWI’s Companion Animal Program. “We were impressed by this proposal’s focus on examining animal cruelty crime patterns to build distinct offender profiles, which addresses a gap in existing research."I’m incredibly grateful to the Animal Welfare Institute for supporting my research in this understudied area of crime and proud to contribute to their mission,” Schweiger said. “This grant provides me with the opportunity to analyze animal cruelty offense patterns in hopes of informing more targeted prevention and intervention efforts that protect both animals and communities."The application deadline for the next NIBRS grant funding cycle is expected to be announced this fall. Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.

The Vatican said some 200,000 people attended the Mass at St. Peter’s Square, which marked the start of the pontificate of the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church. Vice President JD Vance was among the dignitaries.

In a visit to the White House, President Cyril Ramaphosa will also highlight business opportunities for Elon Musk.