• USDA Animal Care is a component of the Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Animal Care works with states, regulated industries, animal advocacy groups and other non-governmental organizations to support the welfare of millions of animals across the U.S.
  • In July 2016, APHIS formally initiated a comprehensive review and update of Animal Care’s website, publications and correspondence to eliminate out-of-date content and improve the information provided. As part of this review, the Animal Care database was taken off-line beginning on February 3, 2017. The removal of this data from the public domain was widely covered in the press, and led People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other animal welfare advocates to file a lawsuit against the USDA on February 13, 2017 to compel the Agency to return to its website all records related to animal welfare enforcement.
  • On August 18, 2017, APHIS announced that it would be launching a refined public search tool (a component of the Animal Care Information System (ACIS)) to provide access to Animal Welfare Act compliance records. The refinements to the ACIS search tool are detailed in this chart.
  • The refined ACIS search tool provides information on APHIS’ performance of its statutory duties under the Animal Welfare Act. The search tool is available here. APHIS notes that the public may also request additional Animal Welfare Act records from APHIS through the Freedom of Information Act.