In a surprise move, the US Department of Agriculture published a notice that it was considering changes to its Animal Welfare Act regulations to improve the handling of wild and exotic animals as well as the training of personnel who handle them, and to require environmental enrichment for all regulated species.
While AWI was relieved to see the USDA finally acknowledge that providing for the psychological well-being of animals covered by the law is as important as ensuring their physical well-being, the suggestions put forward need work. Our submitted comments on the notice emphasized the need to ban public contact with all wild and exotic animals, end the public display of elephants, and establish specific, measurable standards for environmental enrichment. We also emphasized the need for the USDA to issue a long overdue update to its marine mammal regulations, which were withdrawn in 2017 and have been subject to no further action since.