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Unwanted: The Causes and Effects of America’s Horse Population Crisis, began as a project to give Christina Keim’s University of New Hampshire students a comprehensive source on the issues facing America’s horses when they are sold or otherwise surrendered by their owners. The result is a deeply researched work that blends narrative storytelling with interviews
Turtles have long sparked curiosity and affection, and Sy Montgomery captures humankind’s fascination with them in The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle. This nonfiction book introduces young readers to Fire Chief, a snapping turtle whose decades-long presence in a community is threatened by the town’s growth. With warmth and realism, Montgomery tells Fire Chief’s
A beagle named Hammy was fostered and then adopted by Melanie Kaplan. But Hammy wasn’t just any dog: He had been in a research laboratory for almost four years prior to his arrival at Kaplan’s home. As a journalist and investigator, Kaplan sought to learn about her beloved dog’s previous life. Her book, Lab Dog: A
In September, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) reintroduced the Humane Transport of Farmed Animals Act (HR 5286)—bipartisan legislation to improve transport conditions for farmed animals in the United States. The bill would establish fitness for travel standards—mirroring those already in place for livestock exported abroad—to prevent animals who are sick, injured, disabled, or are otherwise in
In December, the House Natural Resources Committee voted to advance HR 4776, the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. Targeting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), our country’s basic charter for protecting the environment, the SPEED Act would narrow the scope of federal actions that receive an environmental review, as well as limit
For more than half a century, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has played a crucial role in safeguarding marine mammals from myriad threats—from entanglement in fishing gear to human-caused noise pollution—enabling many vulnerable populations to recover. Despite its success and long-standing bipartisan support, in late July, Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) released draft legislation that
The Ejiao Act (HR 5544), led by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), was reintroduced in September to protect donkeys from the inhumane trade in their hides. Donkey hides are boiled to produce a gelatin known as “ejiao” that is used in traditional Chinese medicines and added to supplements, aphrodisiacs, cosmetics, and food items. An estimated 5
A Wyoming man has been indicted by a grand jury on a state felony animal cruelty charge for torturing a young gray wolf. In February 2024, Cody Roberts allegedly ran the wolf over with a snowmobile, taped his mouth shut, paraded his listless body around a bar, and posed for photos—laughing and kissing his snout before
When a hunter shoots a deer, elk, or other animal with lead ammunition, the damage extends far beyond the target. Upon impact, the bullet splinters into tiny fragments that scatter throughout the body. Many of these particles are so small they are not detectable even by X-ray, and they are impossible to completely remove from
The ability of individuals to move among habitat patches and disperse to other locations is fundamental to population connectivity. Without such mobility, gene flow between populations is reduced or eliminated. When populations colonize new habitats, such as in urban areas, they can become isolated from the original population. In urban areas, dispersal and migration may
The recently concluded 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, resulted in significant victories for wildlife protection. Dozens of species were added to either CITES Appendix I (prohibiting most international trade for commercial purposes) or
On December 2, AWI bestowed the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award on eight recipients at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The award—launched in 1994 and named in honor of the late chief of
In October, the Trump administration finalized plans to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development. Designated as a protected area in 1960 and expanded in 1980, ANWR is a region of stunning biodiversity that provides habitat for an estimated 700 species of animals and plants, including
This past October, in Kingston, Jamaica, AWI participated in the biennial meetings for the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region. This international treaty—adopted in 1983 in Cartagena, Columbia, and commonly known as the “Cartagena Convention”—is dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the Wider Caribbean
The 2013 documentary Blackfish told the story of Tilikum, an adult male orca who killed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, in February 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando. In response to this incident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited SeaWorld for a willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s “General Duty Clause” (GDC), which requires employers
The damaging interactions between orcas and yachts off the Iberian Peninsula in Europe continued in 2025, shifting for the first time in years back to the north (rather than concentrating around the Strait of Gibraltar). The first interactions were reported in 2020—for six seasons, almost half of the 40 or so orcas who live in
In October, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) convened in Australia. AWI is a member of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), an alliance of conservation organizations from around the world that works to protect the Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems from harmful human activities. As an observer to
Gulf World Marine Park, a dolphinarium in Panama City Beach, Florida, has closed after 55 years. It was purchased in 2015 by The Dolphin Company (TDC), which owns a string of dolphinariums in Mexico (where the company is based) and which, over the past decade, has expanded into the United States. TDC filed for bankruptcy
This past October, AWI representatives attended back-to-back annual meetings of the Ropeless Consortium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts. For four days, groups of scientists, policymakers, advocates, fishers, and educators gathered to discuss issues impacting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, including the feasibility of
AWI Scholarship recipient Madison Kossow founded Mission Mutt Dog Rescue to tackle the pet overpopulation crisis one pup at a time. For Madison Kossow, the greatest benefit of attending virtual high school during the COVID-19 pandemic was that the less demanding schedule freed up her time to foster more than 30 cats, dogs, and rabbits.