INTERNET RESOURCES
Animal welfare advocacy: Web sites to educate and inspire
C&RL News, February 2009
Vol. 70, No. 2
by Laura R. Hodgins
Animal welfare advocates work for the protection of and respectful coexistence with animals—more specifically, to end unnecessary suffering, mistreatment, and exploitation by humans. Advocacy for animal welfare has come a long way in the last few decades. Fewer and fewer consumer products are tested on animals in laboratories. Animal abuse and neglect is punishable by law. New methods of commercial farming are improving conditions in animal agriculture. There is a greater effort to conserve wildlife and its environment. After residents fleeing Hurricane Katrina were forced to abandon their pets to save themselves, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act was created to include pets and service animals in evacuation plans. As our society embraces a more earth-friendly paradigm, expands rights, and further promotes the holistic health of the earth’s inhabitants, we will see even greater strides toward the humane treatment of all animals.
There are numerous areas of concern to animal welfare advocates, from protesting cruel training in circuses to saving a developing island’s wild horses from extermination. While some societies focus on one issue, such as chaining dogs, numerous societies address various aspects of animal welfare. This compilation provides some good starting points for those who are interested in exploring pressing issues and key players in animal welfare.
General
• The American Humane Association. Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to protect both children and animals by developing policies, legislation, curricula, and training programs. The American Human Association is responsible for the “No Animals Were Harmed” disclaimer in film credits. Access: http://www.americanhumane.org.
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). ASPCA was the first humane society established in North America. Its mission includes working with at-risk animals, providing resources for pet owners (including an animal poison control center) and responding to animal cruelty cases. Access: http://www.aspca.org.
• Animal Rights International (ARI). ARI seeks to reduce animal suffering by campaigning against cruel farming and research practices. Access: http://ari-online.org.
• Animal Welfare Information Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Library. This extensive collection of resources provides information about animal welfare topics, including research animals; zoo, circus and marine animals; farm animals; and animal testing alternatives. Access: http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display
/index.php?info_center=3&tax_level=1&tax_subject=186.
• Animal Welfare Institute. Founded in 1951, the Animal Welfare Institute primarily focuses on animal cruelty in the production of commercial products, including steel trapping and factory farming. Its Web site features the “Compassion Index,” which rates federal legislators by their voting records on important animal protection measures. Access: http://www.awionline.org.
• Humane Society of the United States. Mission statement: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty. The Humane Society of the United States is probably the most well-known animal advocacy group in the country. Its many contributions include disaster relief, legal campaigns, educational programs, animal sanctuaries, and mobile veterinary clinics. Access: http://www.hsus.org.
• PETA-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA is another large organization that fights animal cruelty, particularly in areas of commerce. It is widely known for its groundbreaking investigations, landmark prosecutions, and the funding and implementation of innovative scientific methods that do not use animals. PETA also garners celebrity support for everything from the dog and cat overpopulation problem to the cruelty of the fur trade and the health and humane advantages of a vegan diet. Access: http://www.peta.org.
• World Animal Net (Directory). WAN features 17,000 listings of worldwide animal protection societies, with more than 10,000 direct Web site links. Access: http://www.worldanimalnet.org.
Legal groups
• Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). ALDF was founded by attorneys in 1979 to advocate for stronger anticruelty laws and the enforcement of those laws. This organization also focuses on the future of animal law through programs for students and legal professionals. Access: http://www.aldf.org.
• Doris Day Animal League. Mission: Working to reduce the pain and suffering of non-human animals through legislative initiatives. DDAL (along with the Humane Society of the United States, with which it merged in 2006) works to pass new laws and enforce existing laws that reduce the suffering of animals anywhere they are mistreated. There are links to the bills currently being considered, both in Congress and individual state legislatures. Access: http://www.ddal.org.
• Humane USA. Humane USA is an animal protection political action committee that can legally contribute to the campaigns of animal-friendly candidates. The Web site covers endorsements for both federal and state issues and candidates. Access: http://www.humaneusa.org.
• In Defense of Animals (IDA). Borne out of the atrocious conditions in the University of California- Berkeley’s animal research program in the 1980s, IDA’s mission is to end animal exploitation by advocating for their rights to exist as more than the property of humans. IDA’s activities include rescue from cruel experimentation, opening a sanctuary for abused animals, and helping pass protection laws. Access: http://www.idausa.org.
Farm animals
• Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA). CAA promotes vegetarianism and ending the suffering of farm animals through educational outreach, such as literature, speakers, and community programs. Access: http://www.exploreveg.org.
• Compassion in World Farming. Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 to combat cruel and unnecessary farming practices, such as battery cages for chickens and restrictive crates for calves and pigs. The organization’s mission is to bring about efficient yet humane farming practices that take the well-being of both consumer and consumed into consideration. Access: http://www.ciwf.org.uk.
• Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). FARM is an organization that advocates for the vegan lifestyle. Among its promotions is the “Great American Meatout” —a day to try only plant-based food. Access: www.farmusa.org.
• Farm Sanctuary. Farm Sanctuary discovers and exposes the horrific conditions found in some factory farm situations. They rescue abused animals, advocate for protection and regulation laws, and offer educational programs. Access: http://www.farmsanctuary.org.
Wildlife
• National Audubon Society. Mission statement: to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. The National Audubon Society has been supporting conservation efforts for more than 100 years. It continues to work to protect wildlife and its habitats by educational programs, lobbying for protective legislation, and funding projects. Access: http://www.audubon.org.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF). WWF is the world’s largest conservation group with almost 5 million members. Its focus is on protecting the earth’s resources, including animals and habitats, as well as to promote pollution reduction and renewable energy creation. Access: http://www.worldwildlife.org.
Domesticated animals
• American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS). Founded in 1883, AAVS works toward ending experimentation on animals in research through the development of alternative methods as well as public education and general animal welfare advocacy. Access: http://www.aavs.org.
• Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends began as a program to reduce the staggering number of cats and dogs that were euthanized in shelters in the 1980s. Through rehabilitation programs, spay and neuter campaigns, and public education, they have succeeded in helping decrease that number. Best Friends teams up with local communities and humane groups to continue spay/neuter programs as well as fostering and adoption opportunities. Best Friends also sponsors a large animal sanctuary in Utah and provides disaster recovery for pets. Access: www.bestfriends.org.
• Dogs Deserve Better. Dogs Deserve Better is an organization dedicated to helping chained and tethered dogs through education, outreach, and rescue. Access: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/home.html.
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. In addition to the above resources, contact these organizations’ local chapters, and check out your local shelter for additional information.
Laura R. Hodgins is acquisitions librarian at Jefferson County Public Library in Denver, Colorado, e-mail: lhodgins@jefferson.lib.co.us
�� 2009 Laura R. Hodgins