Bondi orders Justice Department to prioritize animal welfare enforcement

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday ordered the Justice Department to prioritize animal welfare enforcement, in a move she said will entail stepping up prosecutions and even doling out grants to animal welfare groups, according to a new memo sent to all staff.

As part of the plan, Bondi said the government would create a law enforcement “tiger team” to assist with the execution of search warrants and seizures. 

She also called for the creation of a strategy committee, which will oversee the creation of an animal welfare prosecution manual and implement a national strategy to combat “animal welfare crimes.” 

Her memo also requires the Office of Justice Programs to fund grants for animal welfare groups and local law enforcement. 

That plan comes at a time when that same grant-making office is struggling with unprecedented delays in soliciting and awarding awards that are traditionally given to local police, juvenile justice programs and victims of human trafficking and other violence. 

Last year, the department abruptly terminated some 350 grants that paid for everything from community-based crime prevention programs with local law enforcement, to services for victims of crime and sexual violence, and assistance for mental health and substance abuse.

“Animals are part of our families: we will always fight to protect the pets we love,” said Bondi, who owns two rescue dogs that have sometimes been spotted being walked around the Justice Department by employees.

“I have fought against animal abuse my entire career and will never stop working to prosecute the sick individuals who prey upon innocent animals,” she added in a statement.

The announcement by Bondi comes several months after the Justice Department helped spearhead a roundtable with officials from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services and Lara Trump, who sits on the board of a nonprofit called Big Dog Ranch Rescue, according to a document seen by CBS News.

At that meeting, they brainstormed many of the ideas laid out in Bondi’s memo on Wednesday, including the creation of a “tiger team.”

Several other agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, also earlier on Wednesday announced efforts they would be taking to advance the initiative.

The enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act is largely carried out by the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which sends employees to a variety of businesses, from dog breeders to zoos, to inspect them for compliance with the law.

Most of the cases are handled administratively.

Criminal animal welfare cases are typically handled by the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division or by U.S. Attorney’s offices.

In the last few years, the bulk of the criminal cases involved animal fighting. 

In one case that stood out from most, the Justice Department during the Biden administration prosecuted animal research breeder Envigo over both animal welfare and environmental crimes after investigators discovered the mistreatment of thousands of beagles at one of its locations.

In 2024, Envigo agreed to pay $22 million in fines — $11 million of which represented the largest-ever Justice Department fine in an animal welfare case — plus $13.5 million more to support animal welfare and environmental projects, cover law enforcement expenses and improve its own facilities.

Envigo in 2022 forfeited about 4,000 beagles, some of which were adopted by celebrities including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.