This list of animal rights groups consists of groups in the

animal rights movement The animal rights (AR) movement, sometimes called the animal liberation, animal personhood, or animal advocacy movement, is a social movement that seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, ...

. Such

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

groups work towards their ideals, which include the viewpoint that animals should have equivalent rights to humans, such as not being "used" in research, food, clothing and entertainment industries, and seek to end the status of animals as property. (

Cf. The abbreviation ''cf.'' (short for the la, confer/conferatur, both meaning "compare") is used in writing to refer the reader to other material to make a comparison with the topic being discussed. Style guides recommend that ''cf.'' be used onl ...

Animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

.) This list contains only groups, organizations and

leaderless resistance Leaderless resistance, or phantom cell structure, is a Rebellion, social resistance strategy in which small, independent groups (Clandestine cell system, covert cells), or individuals (a solo cell is called a "Lone wolf (terrorism), lone wolf"), ch ...

networks that have articles within Wikipedia.

Organizations

General animal rights

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

(ASPCA) *

Animal Aid Animal Aid is a British animal rights organisation, founded in 1977 by Jean Pink. The group campaigns peacefully against the consumption of animals as food and against animal cruelty such as their use for medical research—and promotes a cruel ...

(UK) *

Animal Defenders International Animal Defenders International (ADI), founded 1990, has offices in US, UK, Colombia, Peru and South Africa; education and public awareness campaigns to protect animals in captivity and wild animals and their environments. ADI 's campaigns focus on ...

Animal Defense League The Animal Defense League (ADL) is an internationally active grassroots animal rights organization, fighting to end animal exploitation and abuse. Working under the same banner, the coalition of activists and supporters that make up the various AD ...

Animal Ethics Animal ethics is a branch of ethics which examines human-animal relationships, the moral consideration of animals and how nonhuman animals ought to be treated. The subject matter includes animal rights, animal welfare, animal law, speciesism, ani ...

Animal Legal Defense Fund The Animal Legal Defense Fund is an animal law advocacy organization. Its stated mission is to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system. It accomplishes this by filing high-impact lawsuits to protect ani ...

Animal Liberation Leagues Animal Liberation Leagues were a network of animal rights organizations active in the UK in the 1980s. Whereas the Animal Liberation Front specialized in clandestine activity, mainly masked, at night, and involving small numbers of people, the Ani ...

Animal Liberation Press Office Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos, and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Animal Rights Militia (ARM), Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, Jus ...

Animal Outlook Animal Outlook, formerly known as Compassion Over Killing (COK), is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., headed since May 2021 by Executive Director Cheryl Leahy, who succeeded Erica Meier. Formed in 1995, as a high ...

(formerly Compassion Over Killing) *

Animal Protection and Rescue League The Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) is an American grassroots animal rights organization, founded in 2003, based in California, California's San Diego County, California, San Diego and Orange County, California, Orange Counties. APRL ...

Animal Welfare Network Nepal Animal Welfare Network Nepal is non-profit body that helps to increase the effectiveness of animal welfare organizations in Nepal. Objectives *Coordinate the activities of animal welfare organizations *Raise awareness on animal welfare issues amo ...

* AnimaNaturalis (Spain and Latin America) *

Animals Now Animals Now (, formerly Anonymous for Animal Rights) is an animal rights group based in Israel and founded in 1994. It focuses on exposing cruelty in factory farms, promoting legislation to protect animals, and raising public awareness. Notable ...

Anonymous for the Voiceless Anonymous for the Voiceless (AV) is a grassroots animal rights organization specializing in street activism formed in April 2016, in Melbourne, Australia. Operating worldwide, Anonymous for the Voiceless now coordinate 100,000 volunteers in 59 ...

Best Friends Animal Society Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization. BFAS does outreach nationwide with shelters, rescue groups and members to promote pet adoption, no-kill an ...

* Captive Animals Protection Society * Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) *

Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is a Bolivian non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental education and the care of sick, mistreated and abandoned wildlife. It is the country's largest destination for confiscated wildlife and curren ...

Direct Action Everywhere Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an international grassroots network of animal rights activists founded in 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area. DxE uses disruptive protests and non-violent direct action tactics, such as open rescue of animals fr ...

(DxE) *

Equanimal Equanimal was a Spanish non-profit animal rights organization, formed as a merger, in 2006, of the organisations Alternativa para la Liberación Animal ("Alternative for Animal Liberation"; founded in 1986) and Derechos para los Animales ("Rights ...

Farm Animal Rights Movement Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) is an international nonprofit organization working to promote a vegan lifestyle and animal rights through public education and grass roots outreach.

(FARM) *

Friends of Animals Friends of Animals (FoA) is a non-profit international animal advocacy organization, established in New York City in 1957, working to free animals around the world from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation. The organization's headquarters is ...

(FoA) * HAYTAP *

Humane Society of the United States The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. ...

(HSUS) *

In Defense of Animals In Defense of Animals (IDA) is an animal protection organization founded in 1983 in San Rafael, California, US. The group's slogan is "working to protect the rights, welfare, and habitats of animals". IDA has become known, in particular, for its ...

(IDA) *

International Primate Protection League The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1973 in Thailand by Shirley McGreal. IPPL's main focus is to promote the conservation and protection around the world of all non-human ...

(IPPL) *

Italian Horse Protection Association The Italian Horse Protection Association (IHP) is the only rescue center in Italy for mistreated and confiscated equines, based on Law 189 of 2004 (Mistreatment of animals). Mission Mistreated equines The main goal of the Italian Horse Protecti ...

(IHP) * L214 *

Last Chance for Animals Last Chance for Animals (LCA) is an international non-profit organization that advocates for animal rights. It is known for its documentary, '' Dealing Dogs'', and for its investigations against the use of animals for testing purposes. Format ...

(LCA) * Libera! *

Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition The Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition (MARC) is a non-profit volunteer-run animal rights organization based in Massachusetts, United States. MARC is the largest and most active animal rights group in Massachusetts and operates as a tax exempt ...

(MARC) *

Mercy For Animals Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies." MFA has conducted mo ...

(MFA) *

No Kill Advocacy Center Based in Oakland, California, the No Kill Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization led by Nathan Winograd, dedicated to expanding no kill animal sheltering across the United States. History The No Kill Advocacy Center was founded in 2004 b ...

(NKAC) *

Nonhuman Rights Project The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is an American nonprofit animal rights organization seeking to change the legal status of at least some nonhuman animals from that of property to that of persons, with a goal of securing rights to bodily libert ...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have ...

(PETA) *

People for Animals People For Animals is one of India’s largest animal welfare organisations, originally founded by Maneka Gandhi in 1992. Currently, the headquarters of this organisation is located in New Delhi, with over 100 regional units located around India. ...

(PFA) *

Save Animals From Exploitation SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) is a New Zealand animal rights group, with a vision to create an ethical Aotearoa (New Zealand) that ensures the rights of animals. Its purpose is to educate, inform and empower people to make cruelty-free, ...

(SAFE) *

Western Animal Rights Network The Western Animal Rights Network (WARN) first appeared in 2005 as a coalition for animal rights groups in the West of England and South Wales and acted as a news service for animal rights demos and action reports.Uncaged Campaigns Uncaged Campaigns is a Sheffield, UK, based anti-vivisection, not-for-profit organisation and a registered company limited by guarantee. History Uncaged Campaigns was established in 1993 by Angela Roberts and Lynn Williamson. They are a peaceful i ...

Focused on animal testing

American Anti-Vivisection Society The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) is an organization created with the goal of eliminating a number of different procedures done by medical and cosmetic groups in relation to animal cruelty in the United States. It seeks to help the be ...

(AAVS) * Americans For Medical Advancement *

(see also

National Anti-Vivisection Society The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) is an international not-for-profit animal protection group, based in London, working to end animal testing, and focused on the replacement of animals in research with advanced, scientific techniques. S ...

) * Animal Free Research UK * Anti-Vivisection Coalition (AVC) * Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) *

Cruelty Free International Cruelty Free International is an animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments. They organise certification of cruelty-free products which are marked with the symbol of a leaping bunny. It was ...

Great Ape Project The Great Ape Project (GAP), founded in 1993, is an international organization of primatologists, anthropologists, ethicists, and others who advocate a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes that would confer basic legal rights ...

* Iranian Anti-Vivisection Association (IAVA) *

(NAVS) *

New England Anti-Vivisection Society The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) is a national, registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization "dedicated to ending the use of animals in research, testing, and science education" and replacing them with "modern alternatives that are ...

(NEAVS) *

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which promotes a plant-based diet, preventive medicine, and alternatives to animal research, and encourages ...

(PCRM) * Primate Freedom Project *

Rocky Mountain Animal Defense Rocky Mountain Animal Defense (RMAD) was a U.S.-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that helped eliminate the human-imposed suffering of animals in the Rocky Mountain region. The group was formed in 1994. RMAD furthered its mission through ...

* SPEAK

Focused on bloodsports

* CAS International *

Hunt Saboteurs Association The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) is a United Kingdom organisation that uses hunt sabotage as a means of direct action to stop fox hunting. It was founded in 1963, with its first sabotage event occurring at the South Devon Foxhounds on 26 De ...

(HSA) *

League Against Cruel Sports The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and anim ...

Focused on farmed animals

Compassion in World Farming Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) is a campaigning and lobbying animal welfare organisation. It campaigns against the live export of animals, certain methods of livestock slaughter, and all systems of factory farming. It has received celebr ...

Farm Sanctuary Farm Sanctuary is an American animal protection organization, founded in 1986 as an advocate for farmed animals. It was America's first shelter for farmed animals. It promotes laws and policies that support animal welfare, animal protection, a ...

* L214 *

Mercy for Animals Mercy For Animals (MFA) is an international nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1999 by Milo Runkle. MFA's mission is to "prevent cruelty to farmed animals and promote compassionate food choices and policies." MFA has conducted mo ...

United Poultry Concerns United Poultry Concerns is a national non-profit animal rights organization in the United States that addresses the treatment of poultry, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, in food production, science, education, entertainment, and human compa ...

(UPC) * Factory Farming Awareness Coalition

Focused on speciesism

Vegan or vegetarian-oriented groups

Liberation BC Liberation BC is a non-profit animal rights organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 2004. It is run entirely by volunteers, including the board of directors, and has an e-mail network of nearly 4000 supporters. The s ...

Vegan Outreach Vegan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1993. Originally known as Animal Liberation Action (ALA), the group was founded by Matt Ball and Jack Norris in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1993. History As members of the animal rights c ...

Vegan Society Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism. History In the 19th century a number of groups in Britain actively promoted and followed meat ...

Vegetarians' International Voice for Animals Viva! is a British animal rights group, which focuses on promoting veganism. It was founded by Juliet Gellatley in 1994. Viva! carries out undercover investigations to expose the abuse of factory farmed animals and produces information on how ...

(Viva!) * Veggies Catering Campaign

Wild animals

* Wild Animal Initiative

Leaderless resistance networks

Animal Liberation Front The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an international, Leaderless resistance, leaderless, decentralized political and social resistance movement that engages in and promotes non-violent direct action in protest against incidents of animal cruelt ...

(ALF) *

Animal Rights Militia The Animal Rights Militia (ARM) is a banner used by animal rights activists who engage in direct action utilizing a diversity of tactics that ignores the Animal Liberation Front's policy of taking all necessary precautions to avoid harm to human ...

(ARM) *

(DxE) *

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

(JD) *

Lobster Liberation Front The Lobster Liberation Front (LLF) is an animal rights campaign which first appeared on the coast of Dorset, England in 2004, later spreading to Wales

(LLF) * Oxford Arson Squad *

Revolutionary Cells - Animal Liberation Brigade A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

(RCALB) *

Animal Liberation Front Supporters Group The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is an international, Leaderless resistance, leaderless, decentralized political and social resistance movement that engages in and promotes non-violent direct action in protest against incidents of animal cruelt ...

(ALFSG UK) *

Bite Back ''Bite Back'' is a Malaysian-registered website and magazine that promotes the cause of the animal liberation movement, and specifically the Animal Liberation Front (ALF).Earth Liberation Prisoner Support Network The Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network (ELPSN), also known as Spirit of Freedom, Best, Steven and Best & Nocella. ''Terrorist or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals'', Lantern Books, 2004, p. 380. is a network to provi ...

(ELPSN)

Defunct groups

The following entries represent groups, organizations and leaderless networks that have closed, disbanded, or ended because their goals were reached. Autonomous campaigns unclaimed by any other group may also be listed here, but not campaigns claimed by a group or leaderless network that is already on the list. *

Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society The Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society (ADAVS) was an animal rights advocacy organisation, co-founded in England, in 1903, by the animal rights advocates Lizzy Lind af Hageby, a Swedish-British feminist, and the English peeress Nina Do ...

Calf 269 Calf 269 is a bull who was rescued as a calf by anonymous activists, days before his planned slaughter. He was born at an Israeli facility in the vicinity of Azor, a town on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. The slaughter was scheduled for June 2013. H ...

(269) * Campaign against Highgate Rabbit Farm *

Humanitarian League The Humanitarian League was a British radical advocacy group formed by Henry S. Salt and others to promote the principle that it is wrong to inflict avoidable suffering on any sentient being. It was based in London and operated between 189 ...

* No Compromise *

Save the Shamrock Monkeys Shamrock Farm was the United Kingdom's only non-human primate importation and quarantine centre, located in Small Dole, near Henfield in West Sussex. The centre, owned by Bausch and Lomb and run by Charles River Laboratories, Inc. for Shamrock (G ...

Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) was an international animal rights campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), Europe's largest contract Animal testing, animal-testing laboratory. HLS tests medical and non-medical substances on ...

(SHAC)

References

{{Portal bar, Animals, Society

Animal rights organizations