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Hundreds of wild species gained important protections at the 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, in late 2025. After more than a fortnight of debate among more than 3,200 delegates representing over 160
Mexico is considering wholesale revisions to fishing regulations, originally promulgated in September 2020 to protect the vaquita porpoise and its habitat in the Upper Gulf of California, the species’ only home. The vaquita population has dwindled to 10 or fewer animals due to illegal fishing with gillnets, which entangle and kill vaquita. The 2020 regulations—were
This year, we celebrate a pair of milestones in the history of international wildlife governance: December 3, 2026, is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), the treaty that established the International Whaling Commission (IWC). It has also been 40 years since the IWC’s global prohibition
Even before humans started plying the oceans in noisy ships, the oceans produced a symphony of natural sounds emanating from marine life, rain, crashing waves, and the Earth itself. When the noise from ship engines, seismic testing, and active sonar was added, the symphony became a cacophony, with potential adverse impacts to marine life. Unlike
When the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management took public comments last summer to inform its forthcoming offshore oil and gas leasing plan, AWI submitted comments on behalf of dozens of wildlife protection groups opposing the agency’s intent to drastically expand offshore oil and gas development to all US coasts. The draft plan published in late
In February, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed two rules to allow most poultry and pig slaughter plants to increase line speeds (the rate at which animals are slaughtered, eviscerated, and processed). One rule would allow chicken processing plants to boost line speeds from 140 to 175 birds per
Another devastating year for barn fires is in the books: More than 573,000 animals are known to have died in fires during 2025. What isn’t in the books: state-established fire safety standards that might have spared many of these animals from such a horrible fate. As in previous years, the overwhelming majority (99%) of the
In late February, The Harris Poll, on behalf of AWI, conducted a national online survey of consumer attitudes regarding the treatment of dairy cows. The survey asked over 2,000 Americans to rate the acceptability of specific dairy production practices and indicate the extent to which a producer’s engagement in such practices might affect their own
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has released an updated edition of its Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals, which the federal and some state governments use to set policy related to the mass killing of flocks or herds of farmed animals for disease control or other reasons. When a draft of the Guidelines was released for comment,
This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the addition of animal cruelty data to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This accomplishment came after a hard-fought campaign of as many years by AWI and allies. Previously, information collected about animal cruelty crimes was relegated to the catch-all “All Other Offenses”
The Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)—the largest of the seven National Primate Research Centers and one with a notoriously poor welfare record—may cease biomedical research and be transformed into a nonhuman primate sanctuary. Last year, amid criticism from animal advocates, state legislators, and the public, OHSU was directed
The National Institutes of Health plans to award $87 million in contracts to launch a Standardized Organoid Modeling Center. Organoids are collections of cells that serve as miniature three-dimensional models of various organs. They are among a suite of “new approach methodologies” (NAMs) that, increasingly, are allowing scientists to conduct research and testing without using
A study in the journal Current Biology (Zipple et al., 2025) has shown that one week of living in nature prevents the development of anxiety or reverses established anxiety in mice who were formerly held in laboratories. The elevated plus maze is a common laboratory tool to measure rodent anxiety under various conditions. It is used, for
Alpha Genesis, Inc. (AGI), a massive supplier and user of monkeys in biomedical research, made headlines in late 2024 due to the escape of 43 monkeys, the deaths of another 22 from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, and the emergence of whistleblower reports alleging grave negligence and incompetence at the company’s South Carolina facility. Despite these disturbing
In January, Charles River Laboratories (CRL)—a major provider of biomedical products and services—announced a $510 million agreement to acquire K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd., one of its suppliers of captive-bred monkeys for use in research and testing. CRL stated the acquisition would “enable greater oversight and operational control of a key supply source.” Prior to 2023, CRL
According to the journal Science, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been instructed to phase out all research involving monkeys by the end of the year. The CDC primarily uses monkeys in HIV-prevention research. The directive was reportedly passed down by a former Department of Government Efficiency employee (a recent college graduate
The growing momentum to phase out the use of animals in research and testing has been encouraging. At this stage, however, many circumstances remain in which effective nonanimal alternatives are not yet available or approved for use, and AWI is committed to safeguarding and advancing the welfare of animals who continue to be used in
This year, as with any other, AWI staff are hard at work protecting animals across the globe. But 2026 also holds special significance: This year, AWI turns 75—an occasion to celebrate three quarters of a century of progress for animals in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild.
In Why Whales Sing, cognitive scientist Dr. Eduardo Mercado III challenges decades of scientific research into the purpose behind humpback whale song, in which the prevailing view is that it is a function of sexual selection and is used by males to attract a mate. He argues that humpback whales may instead be using their songs