Animals

Major Players in Animal Rights: Organizations

by Stephanie Ernst

categories: Activism and Actions, Animal Rights

Published October 03, 2008 @ 06:31PM PT

Hundreds of organizations—from small, local grassroots groups to well-known national and international operations—advocate for nonhuman animals. Following is an evolving list of organizations that play important roles in animal advocacy.

Alley Cat Allies: National advocacy organization dedicated to ending the killing of cats and leading the movement for their humane care.

American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS): Veteran U.S. nonprofit focused on ending experimentation on animals in research, testing, and education.

Animal Aid: Largest animal rights group in the United Kingdom; dedicated to fighting all forms of animal abuse and promoting cruelty-free living.

Animal Legal Defense Fund: An attorney-founded nonprofit that seeks to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system.

Animals and Society Institute: Research and educational organization (formerly the Institute for Animals and Society and the Society and Animals Forum) that promotes the study of human–animal relationships and seeks to advance the status of animals in public policy.

Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights: The only veterinary medical association that promotes, works for, and educates about the rights of nonhuman animals.

Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute: A merged nonprofit that campaigns mostly in the areas of animals in entertainment, captive exotic animals, trapping and fur, and the international wildlife trade.

Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade: UK-based group engaged in the grassroots effort against the fur trade.

Compassion Over Killing: Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit focusing on the cruelties of animal agriculture and promoting vegetarianism.

DawnWatch: Newsletter that alerts subscribers to articles, reports, and other media concerning animals.

Dogs Deserve Better: Organization committed to convincing people to unchain their dogs, let them out of their lonely pens, and bring them inside with the family; focused also on passing and enforcing anti-chaining legislation.

Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM): National organization (formerly Farm Animal Reform Movement) that promotes a plant-based diet for the sake of animals, the environment, and public health; organizer of the annual Great American Meatout and Animal Rights National Conference.

Farm Kind: Nonprofit founded by former farmer and current animal advocate Harold Brown to help farmers transition from animal-based agriculture to plant-based farming and to educate about animal rights, the realities of food production, and the ins and outs of agribusiness, among other goals.

Farm Sanctuary: Farm animal protection organization, with large shelters in New York and California, whose mission is ending cruelty to farm animals and promoting compassionate living and whose respected rescue and sanctuary network is the largest in the United States.

Friends of Animals: International advocacy organization that aims to save animals from all forms of cruelty and exploitation.

Fur Free Alliance: International coalition of more than 35 animal protection organizations working to end the exploitation and killing of animals for their fur.

Grey2K USA: National nonprofit committed to passing and strengthening dog-protection laws, to ending greyhound racing, and to assisting with the adoption of discarded or "retired" racers.

HumaneMyth.org: Web resource created by a community of animal rescuers, former farmers, animal sanctuary founders, educators, and artists working to disprove the notion that any use and killing of animals can ever be truly compassionate or humane.

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Large, well-known, relatively mainstream animal welfare organization. Addresses issues related to domestic companion animals as well as factory farming, certain hunting practices, and other forms of cruelty.

In Defense of Animals: National organization that seeks to protect animals' rights, welfare, and habitats and to raise their status beyond that of property or commodities.

Institute for Critical Animal Studies: Interdisciplinary center for critical scholarly dialogue and research into animal advocacy, animal protection, and animal-related policies.

The Jane Goodall Institute: Global nonprofit founded by famed primatologist Goodall with the goal of empowering individuals to make positive differences for animals and the environment.

Last Chance for Animals: Los Angeles–based national organization originally focused on antivivisection work but now more generally dedicated to exposing and fighting all animal cruelty, with a special focus on vivisection, pet theft, fur, and circuses.

Mad Cowboy/Voice for a Viable Future: Web site and organization of Howard Lyman, a fourth-generation cattle rancher who became a vegan and prominent animal rights activist after decades of working in the beef and dairy industries.

Mercy for Animals: National nonprofit opposed to all animal exploitation but focused primarily on advocating for farmed animals and promoting a vegan diet.

National Anti-Vivisection Society: Educational organization that seeks to end animal use in product testing, biomedical research, and education.

New England Anti-Vivisection Society: National advocacy group committed to ending animal experimentation and replacing it with ethical, humane, and scientifically superior methods.

North American Animal Liberation Press Office: Informs the media and public about animal liberation actions, strategies, and philosophy; reports on actions taken under the name of the Animal Liberation Front as well as actions by others engaged in animal liberation.

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary: Nonprofit animal sanctuary in Colorado that provides lifelong care to rescued farmed animals and advocates for vegan living as the best way to help animals.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The world's largest and most well-known animal rights organization, known for its often controversial tactics, including provocative advertisements, as well as for its undercover investigations.

Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS): Rescues and provides sanctuary for captive animals victimized by the entertainment industries and other trades, investigates charges of abuse and cruelty, and educates the public about captive wildlife.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM): An organization of doctors and laypersons dedicated to promoting medical practice, research, and health practices that are both effective and compassionate.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Nonprofit organization founded by Paul Watson to combat illegal whaling, poaching, shark finning, habitat destruction, and other violations of laws designed to protect marine life; with its ships the Sea Shepherd crew engages in direct enforcement of international law, under the authority of the United Nations World Charter.

Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK): Founded by former hunter Steve Hindi to expose and end animal abuses, with a special focus on rodeos, bullfighting, and hunting; SHARK makes particularly effective use of undercover video and its "Tiger" truck featuring giant video screens.

Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC): International campaign to shut down notorious animal-testing lab Huntingdon Life Sciences, where approximately 500 animals are killed each day.

Tribe of Heart: Nonprofit formed by filmmakers Jenny Stein and James Laveck, responsible for the powerful, award-winning films Peaceable Kingdom and The Witness.

United Poultry Concerns: Organization focused on the use and treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl in food production, science, education, and other situations; publishes the newsletter Poultry Press and operates a sanctuary for chickens and other fowl in Virginia.

Vegan Freak: Gateway Web site for the Vegan Freak blog, radio program, and forums and for information on Vegan Freak the book by Bob and Jenna Torres.

Vegan Outreach: Dedicated to promoting a vegan diet, for the purpose of reducing animal suffering, through distribution of informative, professional, illustrated literature.

Vegan Society: UK society that promotes and educates about a vegan lifestyle; founded in 1944 by Donald Watson, originator of the word "vegan."

Vegetarian Resource Group: Nonprofit publisher of the Vegetarian Journal and various cookbooks, pamphlets, and other literature and educator about vegetarianism and the relationships between health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger.

Viva! (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals): Campaigns widely in the United Kingdom for a vegetarian/vegan world to stop farmed animals' suffering.

Win Animal Rights (WAR): Activist group opposed to all animal exploitation but particularly committed to ending the killing at Huntingdon Life Sciences and to the support of nonviolent grassroots direct action.

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary: New York sanctuary that provides lifelong care and rehabilitation to rescued farm animals, offers farm tours and educational events, and promotes vegan eating.