Many members of Congress advocated for animal rights last year, and on Wednesday the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) gave an award to just about every one of them.

The 2009 Humane Legislative Achievement Awards honored 131 lawmakers on Wednesday night. That’s about one of every four members of Congress.

{mosads}A special award was presented to the Humane Legislator of the Year, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), whom HSUS commended for his work to protect wild horses, among other things.

With this many awards to give out, it’s understandable that the animal-rights group couldn’t set aside special time for each of them. Instead, legislators were invited to stop by and pick up their award and pose for a photo anytime between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., in what could be described as a cattle call for animal protection.