Program Term Archive

Animals in Laboratories

AWI Urges House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to Advance Animal Welfare Legislation

Press ReleaseJanuary 29, 2018Animals in Laboratories, Companion Animals, Marine Wildlife

In a letter issued today to US House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) urged the Majority Leader to advance animal welfare legislation in...

AWI Exposes Whitewashing of Animal Abuse at USDA Research Labs

Animals in Laboratories

When AWI discovered in July that the first unannounced inspection of the US Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) resulted in four citations for lack of adequate veterinary care, inadequate handling...

AWI Sheds Further Light on USDA Site Scrub

Animals in Laboratories

AWI’s latest analysis of the enormous number of vital animal welfare records still missing from the US Department of Agriculture’s website reveals that, following the Contender Farms v. USDA lawsuit...

Refinement Grants Available to Improve Laboratory Animal Welfare

Animals in Laboratories

AWI congratulates the most recent Refinement Grant recipients: Angelika Rehrig, University of Rochester, “Assessing Food Preference and Reinforcer Effectiveness in Laboratory Macaques: A Refinement for Positive Reinforcement Training.” Using a...

The Magic of Touch

Animals in Laboratories

Placing rats in an open field increases their level of the stress hormone prolactin. There is something, however, that can temper this stress response: the ability to touch another rat....

Seeing the Light on Welfare: UV as an Environmental Enrichment for Birds

Animals in Laboratories

Birds, including chickens, are commonly used in animal research. However, housing facilities are often optimized for mammals and contain no ultraviolet (UV) light. Unlike mammals, most birds are tetrachromatic, meaning...

Happy Home for Rescued Beagles

Animals in Laboratories, Companion Animals

In 2010, nearly 200 dogs and over 50 cats were saved from a North Carolina animal testing facility, after an undercover investigation exposed callous treatment and even malicious abuse of...

Isaac’s Story: Rhesus at Sanctuary Reveals Vivid Imagination

Animals in Laboratories, Terrestrial Wildlife

When Isaac, a rhesus macaque, first arrived we were so worried about him. He cowered in the corner as he fear grimaced, and refused to eat or drink for several...

No Bored Bunnies: Environmental Enrichment for Rabbits in Research

Animals in Laboratories

The following email discussion took place on the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum in February 2016. Submissions by Carey Allen, Evelyn Skoumbourdis, Jacqueline Schwartz, Jennie Lofgren, Jennifer Defosses, Kristina...

Research Facility Gets Off Easy Despite Horrendous Animal Welfare Act Violations

Animals in Laboratories

The USDA reached an astonishingly weak settlement on December 2, 2016, with SNBL USA, an animal dealer and registered research facility—despite allegations of egregious violations of the Animal Welfare Act...