AWI Quarterly Term Archive

Feature Article

Determining an Efficient and Effective Rat Tickling Dosage

Animals in Laboratories

Laboratory rats may experience distress during handling, which can negatively impact their welfare. Rat tickling, a handling technique that mimics aspects of rat rough-and-tumble play, has been found to induce...

Reducing Aggressive Behavior in Mice with the Addition of Cage Dividers

Animals in Laboratories

In this project, funded by an AWI Refinement Grant, we tested whether raising male mice in partially divided cages affected aggression and behavioral performance from weaning through 180 days old...

USDA Begins Enforcement of New Animal Export Rule

Farmed Animals

International transport of farm animals by sea vessel is a major animal welfare issue, particularly for long-distance journeys, such as those taken by cattle and sheep from Europe and Australia...

IWC67: Key Decisions, Fractious Discussions Forecast for Florianopolis

Marine Wildlife

The agenda for the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC67), in Florianopolis, Brazil, in early September, will provide unprecedented opportunities for high-stakes drama and high-level dealmaking. Japan’s recent conduct,...

House Bill Sanctions Surgical Sterilization of Wild Horses

Equines, Terrestrial Wildlife

A wide range of equine-related issues have come up in Congress this session, and wild horses in particular have been the subject of considerable deliberation among federal lawmakers. The House...

Good Food Purchasing Program Promotes Animal Welfare

Farmed Animals

In 2012, the Los Angeles Food Policy Council set out to transform the city’s food purchasing system into a more sustainable model that prioritizes the environment, animal welfare, and the...

Lab Gasses Monkeys as Volkswagen Rigs Results

Animals in Laboratories

“I feel like a chump.” So said Dr. Jake McDonald, chief science officer at Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the New York Times, after he learned...

Military Dogs Not Getting Their Due

Companion Animals

Since 2000, Congress has acted to improve the treatment of Military Working Dogs (MWDs) by facilitating their adoption at the end of their careers and authorizing the creation of a...

Pratt Fall: USDA Fails Again at AWA Enforcement

Companion Animals

In a November 15, 2014, Des Moines Register article, Debra Pratt was called “a poster child” for the “kind of animal neglect that coins the phrase ‘puppy mill.’” After years...

AWI Report: Higher Welfare Means Healthier Animals

Farmed Animals

When the US Department of Agriculture withdrew the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices rule earlier this year, it did so at the behest of a handful of large organic producers...