[Opening music]
One of the lesser-known functions of
U.S. Department of Agriculture is administration of
the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Act,
and USDA is pausing to reflect on many years of
progress and the millions of animal lives that have
been protected through its enforcement.
As the Deputy Administrator for
the Animal Care program, I know firsthand how
passionate the American public is about animal welfare.
I receive hundreds, and sometimes thousands,
of email messages and letters each month, expressing concern
about the welfare of elephants in circuses,
primates in research laboratories, and dogs
sold by breeders and dealers, just to name a few examples.
The American public's interest in the humane
treatment of animals dates back to the Puritan days,
but it was not until 1966, that the Animal Welfare Act
-initially named the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act -
was signed into law, in response to
public outcry over laboratory animals and dealers
who supplied animals to researchers.
What triggered the outcry?
In November 1965, Sports Illustrated told a story
about the disappearance of a Dalmatian named "Pepper"
who had been stolen from her backyard.
It turned out that Pepper had been picked up by
a dealer, sold to a hospital,
used in an experiment, and subsequently died.
A year later, Life Magazine published
an article about conditions at animal dealer facilities
that featured pictures of skeletal dogs found
at a Maryland dog dealer's farm.
In response to these two articles,
a bi-partisan Congress introduced legislation
that charged USDA with ensuring the health and humane treatment
of animals used in research and protecting pets, like Pepper,
from being stolen and sold for experimentation.
Five decades later, our goal remains the same,
but our job has expanded to encompass and protect
even more animals.
Congress has amended the Animal Welfare Act to
refine the standards of care for regulated animals,
and the law's reach has grown to cover the health
and welfare of animals used in commercial breeding,
public exhibition, and transported commercially.
The Animal Welfare Act also prohibits animal fighting,
with stiff penalties for those who own animals,
and also for those who are sponsoring
and promoting the events.
Recently, USDA closed an unintended loophole in
the Animal Welfare Act regulations that allowed
breeders to sell animals sight unseen over
the internet without being licensed.
The revised regulation now requires many of these
breeders to be licensed with USDA, to ensure they
provide humane care and treatment to their animals.
USDA also issued a policy in April of this year
promoting the humane handling of newborn,
exotic cats, such as tigers and lions.
Some of these animals were being used for photographs
and events where the public could feed
and handle them.
Because these animals were so young, their immune systems
were undeveloped, many of them were getting
sick as a result of their contact with the public,
and some were dying.
We took action to stop these activities and prevent
these young animals from unnecessary stress
and potential harm at such a vulnerable age.
Although the AWA does not apply to privately owned pets,
USDA now supports pets during emergencies.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana in 2005,
many people wouldn't leave their pets,
sometimes with tragic results.
Following that storm, and hurricane Rita the same year,
USDA veterinarians and wildlife specialists helped
save roughly 14,000 animals from storm-ravaged areas.
And, as a result, we created the
Emergency Programs Division to work with FEMA and other
organizations to develop plans and training for
disaster-related animal issues-such as preparing
kennels and shelters, or assisting zoos
during flooding or other emergencies.
We've also learned that knowledge is powerful
in building Animal Welfare Act compliance.
In 2010, we opened the Center for Animal Welfare
to provide science-based guidance and learning
opportunities to USDA employees and stakeholders,
and to partner with other animal welfare experts to serve
as USDA's national science and technology resource
in support of the Animal Welfare Act.
Our experts share information regularly with
the animal welfare community, at meetings,
and through other types of outreach.
Today, USDA employees conduct roughly 10,000 unannounced
inspections every year, ensuring the health and welfare
of over 2 million animals at more
than 10,000 Animal Welfare Act covered facilities
across the country.
Our dedicated team of employees remain steadfast
in our goal of ensuring animals receive
the full protection of the law.
We carry out our mission transparently,
taking regulatory action when necessary for the benefit
of the animals we protect-large and small,
exotic and domestic-and using non-regulatory
solutions where appropriate.
Our success would not be possible without the help
of our stakeholders and the public.
Working together, understanding the issues,
and identifying positive solutions will ensure
USDA's involvement with the Animal Welfare Act
over the next 50 years will inspire public
confidence and bring continued progress in
the protection of a treasured resource-our Nation's animals.
Thanks for listening to this message.
I appreciate your time and support.
[Closing music and credits]