AWI Quarterly Term Archive
Quick Read
Myanmar Elephants Being Slaughtered for Their Skin
Terrestrial WildlifeAn emerging black market for elephant skins is putting new pressure on elephant populations in Myanmar. Poaching has long been a problem in the country. But in the past, ivory...
Animal Abuse Prompts Pet Shop Shut Down
Companion AnimalsIn 2013, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman established an Animal Cruelty Initiative to focus on prosecuting animal cruelty crimes and protecting consumers from unscrupulous companion animal dealers. Earlier this...
Refinement Grants Available to Improve Laboratory Animal Welfare
Animals in LaboratoriesAWI 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...
House Committee Votes to Hobble Horse Protections
EquinesThe Senate Appropriations Committee voted to maintain the long-standing ban on horse slaughterhouse inspections by the US Department of Agriculture. Prohibiting these inspections effectively prevents such plants from operating in...
Birds’ Eye: Tyson Implements Video Welfare Monitoring
Farmed AnimalsTyson Foods recently announced a new welfare initiative for its chicken production. Slaughtering 1.8 billion chickens per year, Tyson is the largest poultry producer in the United States. Likely as...
More Convictions in Kentucky Cockfighting Bust
There is more good news regarding a multijurisdiction cockfighting case first reported in the fall 2015 AWI Quarterly. The case focused on the Big Blue Sportsman’s Club in eastern Kentucky, where cockfights...
No Longer Growing: The Diminishing Use of rBST
Farmed AnimalsAccording to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), between its peak in 2002 and the most recent survey in 2014, the use of the hormone recombinant bovine...
Ohio Court Says Pets Are More than Property
Companion AnimalsThere is another addition to the growing body of case law acknowledging that companion animals are not mere property. As reported by the Toledo Blade late last year, Ohio’s 6th District Court...
Slaughterhouse in Vermont Violates Humane Handling Laws
Farmed AnimalsSince October 2016, Vermont Packinghouse—a small slaughter facility in Springfield, Vermont—has received four suspensions and over a dozen noncompliance records documenting humane slaughter violations. The plant was issued the suspensions...
Umpteenth Attempt to Undermine ESA
Marine Wildlife, Terrestrial WildlifeThe 115th Congress has declared war on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Even though the ESA has a 99 percent success rate in preventing the extinction of listed species and 90...