Talk:Animal Welfare Institute

Copyright Status
Wikipedia notes that this information is in possible violation of copyright. I am with the Animal Welfare Institute and its legislative division the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. The information posted here is NOT in violation of our copyright policy and can remain posted. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the information below.

Chris Heyde Deputy Legislative Director Society for Animal Protective Legislation (A Division of the Animal Welfare Institute) PO Box 3650 Washington, DC 20027 703-836-4300 www.awionline.org www.saplonline.org


 * In order for the material to remain on wikipedia, an email from an address associated with the content must be sent to permissions(at)wikimedia(dot)org, who willprovide a template to use stating this. Please see WP:CP for details.  In the meantime I have reverted to the article - should such permission not be received within one month, the material may be deleted. Kcordina Talk 11:05, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

Permission confirmed, Ticket#: 2006061210011792 --Timichal

POV tag
I have done some work on reducing the amount of emotive language and repetition in the article. I will remove the POV tag for now.-Localzuk(talk) 14:40, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

Merge tag
Does anyone have any objections to the long-proposed merge? Dana boomer (talk) 15:20, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Some proposed changes
The information in this entry for the Animal Welfare Institute is very outdated and, in some cases, no longer accurate. We are requesting the following changes in italics. Additionally, we propose eliminating the "Legislation" and "Animal Welfare Approved" sections (AWI is no longer affiliated with Animal Welfare Approved) and adding sections for "Contest and Scholarships," "Fiscal Transparency," and "Publications."

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is an American, nonprofit, charitable organization founded by Christine Stevens in 1951 with the goal of ''alleviating suffering inflicted on animals by humans. It is one of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the country[2][3] and Christine Stevens was known as the "Mother of the Animal Protection Movement" in the United States.''

Campaigns and goals

In the organization's early years, its particular emphasis was on ''the cruel treatment of animals in experimental laboratories. AWI soon expanded its scope to take on other animal welfare causes. These include abolishing factory farms and supporting high-welfare family farms, preventing the injury and death of animals due to harsh transport conditions, preserving species threatened with extinction, ending the use of steel-jaw leghold traps for wildlife, and protecting companion animals from cruelty. To further improve conditions for research animals, AWI advocates for humane housing and handling, along with alternatives to experimentation on live animals.''

Since 2002, AWI has hosted the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF), which facilitates the factual exchange of experiences among animal care personnel about ways to refine the conditions under which animals are housed and handled in research institutions. AWI representatives regularly attend meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to advocate for stronger protection of vulnerable species that are exploited in trade. They also attend meetings of the International Whaling Commission to ''advocate for protection of whales and dolphins and fight efforts to weaken the ban on commercial whaling. AWI also works to protect marine life from inhumane confinement (particularly marine mammals), destructive and unsustainable fishing operations, and the proliferation of anthropogenic ocean noise and other pollutants.''

The late marine biologist and nature writer Rachel Carson joined the AWI Advisory Board in 1960, just prior to the release of her book Silent Spring. ''AWI’s marine mammal scientist, Dr. Naomi Rose, is an international expert on the problems associated with cetacean live capture, trade and captivity. Government and legal affairs''

In 1951, it was illegal for nonprofit tax-exempt organizations to engage in lobbying activities. "We couldn't do any substantial amount of lobbying and keep our tax-exempt status," explained AWI founder Christine Stevens. Her solution was to form a companion organization that did not require a tax-exempt status, one that would inform senators, representatives and the public about the urgent need for laws to protect animals. In 1955, the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL), led by animal welfare advocate Madeleine Bemelmans, became the first organization founded in the United States specifically to lobby on behalf of animals.[5] SAPL informed legislators about critical animal protection issues in need of their attention. Because of changes in tax laws, in 2003, SAPL merged with AWI, bringing together two of the oldest leading animal protection organizations in the United States.

For nearly 70 years, AWI and the former SAPL have worked for the successful adoption of countless federal and state laws, including the Animal Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Humane Slaughter Act, the Horse Protection Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, along with state laws such as those prohibiting the keeping of orcas in captivity and the testing of cosmetics on animals, as well as laws providing for the cross-reporting among relevant authorities of animal abuse and family violence. AWI continues to defend existing animal protection laws, oppose bills that threaten animals, and work for new protective measures — following through after legislation is enacted to ensure sound regulation and sufficient funds for enforcement. AWI has advocated for the passage of federal bills to, among other things, close existing loopholes in the US shark fin trade, ban horse slaughter, prohibit private ownership of big cats, and strengthen enforcement measures against wildlife trafficking.

Additionally, to highlight members of Congress's positions on animal welfare legislation, AWI created a website tracking and ranking system called the Compassion Index (CI). Available online at Compassion Index, the frequently updated electronic tally system rates legislators based on their support or lack thereof for certain animal welfare measures, and makes it easy for constituents to contact their legislators on the most pressing issues affecting animals.

''AWI also engages in precedent-setting litigation on behalf of animals in state and federal courts across the country. The organization won a preliminary injunction to block the Bureau of Land Management from proceeding with outdated and inhumane sterilization surgeries on wild horses. It also persuaded a federal court that the US Fish and Wildlife Service was violating the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to protect the only wild population of red wolves. In response to a lawsuit filed by AWI and other groups, the US Court of International Trade banned seafood imports from Mexico caught with gillnets that kill the critically endangered vaquita porpoise.''

''Contest and Scholarship[edit]

''AWI’s “A Voice for Animals” contest, in partnership with the Humane Education Network, provides young people with an opportunity to raise awareness about animal welfare issues they care deeply about and to offer solutions.

AWI also established a scholarship program in 2019 in order to assist high school students who have demonstrated a commitment to animal welfare and who plan to continue working to better the treatment of animals through college and beyond.

Awards

In 1951, Dr. Albert Schweitzer gave AWI permission to strike a medal in his honor, to be presented for outstanding achievement in the advancement of animal welfare. In granting his permission, Schweitzer wrote, "I would never have believed that my philosophy, which incorporates in our ethics a compassionate attitude toward all creatures, would be noticed and recognized in my lifetime." In 1954, a gold replica of the medal was presented to Schweitzer by Charles Joy in Oslo, Norway, where he had gone to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Since first being awarded in 1954, AWI's Albert Schweitzer Medal has become the highest form of recognition in the animal protection movement. International figures, such as Dr. Jane Goodall, Rachel Carson, Astrid Lindgren and Senator Robert Dole, have received this honor for their work on behalf of animals. ''AWI’s Christine Stevens Wildlife Award, established in 2006, provides grants to help develop humane methods of resolving conflicts between wild animals and humans, as well as less intrusive wildlife study techniques. ''The Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award is traditionally presented by AWI at each meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in recognition of individuals, organizations and agencies that have demonstrated excellence in combating wildlife crime. The award is named in memory of the late chief of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Law Enforcement, who pioneered the agency's highly effective use of covert investigations and sting operations to uncover illegal wildlife trade. ''Additionally, AWI offers Refinement Grants to develop and test innovative methods of refinement to the care, husbandry and housing of animals in research to improve their welfare.

''Fiscal transparency

''AWI is committed to using donors’ contributions for the direct benefit of animals, with 90%+ of funds going toward program expenses. In recognition of the organization’s fiscal responsibility and transparency, AWI has been awarded an A+ rating by CharityWatch and a top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity monitors. 

''Publications

''From its early years, AWI has published books for students of all ages that encourage respect and empathy for all living creatures. These materials are provided free or at cost.

''AWI also publishes and distributes valuable materials on animal protection and conservation, including brochures (e.g., A Consumer’s Guide to Food Labels and Animal Welfare and International Trade in Wildlife), in-depth reports (e.g., CITES and Climate Change: A Need for Integration and Barn Fires: A Deadly Threat to Farm Animals), and books focused on improving the handling, housing and care of animals (e.g., Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals, Taking Better Care of Monkeys and Apes and a series of edited volumes summarizing noteworthy LAREF discussions.

Members receive a subscription to the AWI Quarterly magazine, among other benefits.

https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-ML-CAMMIC-5th-edition.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Bemelmans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_Protection_Act_of_1970 https://awionline.org/press-releases/federal-judge-stops-blm-conducting-inhumane-horse-sterilization-experiments https://awionline.org/cases/protection-red-wolves https://awionline.org/press-releases/court-orders-seafood-import-ban-save-mexicos-vaquita-porpoise https://awionline.org/press-releases/wildlife-law-enforcement-leaders-honored-cites https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conference_of_the_parties https://awionline.org/refinementawards https://www.charitywatch.org/charities/animal-welfare-institute https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6035 https://awionline.org/content/free-publications https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/farm-animals/consumers-guide-food-labels-and-animal https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/wildlife/international-trade-wildlife-brochure https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/wildlife/cites-and-climate-change-need-integration https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/farm-animals/barn-fires-deadly-threat-farm-animals https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/animals-laboratories/comfortable-quarters-laboratory https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/animals-laboratories/taking-better-care-monkeys-and-apes https://awionline.org/store/catalog/animal-welfare-publications/animals-laboratories/taking-better-care-monkeys-and-apes https://awionline.org/awi-quarterly

98.225.154.38 (talk) 23:29, 8 December 2020 (UTC) Margie Fishman, AWI


 * Hi I moved your request from your talk page to this page. I also added your COI to the top of this talk page. An editor will assess this request at a later date. Please post below if you have any questions or concerns. Z1720 (talk) 02:04, 9 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi Margie Fishman, and thanks for your patience. I've implemented some of these changes, but I wasn't able to implement most of them, because I couldn't tell which sources were supposed to support which claims. Please cite each source immediately after the sentence that it supports in the proposed text. Keep in mind that independent secondary sources are preferred to sources published by AWI. Please let me know if you have any questions. —Granger (talk · contribs) 17:55, 5 February 2021 (UTC)