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 from factory farms. Their intent is to build a movement that can eventually shift culture and change social and political institutions. DxE activists work to "put an end to the commodity status of animals."
History
Founding
DxE was founded in 2013 in the United States by a handful of people in the San Francisco Bay Area who decided to protest inside restaurants and stores, rather than outside, which was more typical of animal rights protests. DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung investigated slaughterhouses for ten years prior to founding DxE with the goal of scaling up open rescue and other forms of non-violent direct action.
DxE's first action occurred in January 2013. Six activists demonstrated in front of a meat counter at a Sprouts Farmers Market,
contending that the items being sold there behind the counter were not
food but "the torment and suffering of billions of our friends in
factory farms and slaughterhouses."
Growth
DxE continued organizing protests inside restaurants and stores, citing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and ACT UP as influences. In August 2013, DxE activists organized the Los Angeles side of an international multi-city protest, The Earthlings March. Approximately 40 cities and varied activist groups participated in the march.
In October 2013, in response to a viral video produced by Chipotle called The Scarecrow, DxE organized in-store "die-ins" at three San Francisco Chipotle restaurants. DxE argued that the ad, which advertised Chipotle's purported efforts to create a more natural and humane food system
was "humanewashing", which animal rights activists describe as
marketing efforts intended to disguise the inherent violence of using
and killing animals for food.
Within a few weeks, similar demonstrations were executed in Chicago,
Los Angeles, Phoenix and Philadelphia. DxE responded by creating a
platform for coordinated global days of action under the "It's Not Food,
It's Violence" message.
DxE has continued with internationally coordinated monthly days
of action. In addition to Chipotle, activists have also targeted other
grocery stores, restaurants, clothing stores, zoos, circuses, and labs.
The original actions were organized around the San Francisco Bay Area.
By December 2014, DxE's network had grown to at least 90 cities in 20
countries.
DxE hosts an annual Animal Liberation Conference (ALC) for grassroots, peaceful animal rights activists. The ALC is a full week of talks, trainings, and socials all aimed at empowering activists.
Whole Foods campaign
DxE selected U.S.-based natural foods grocery store Whole Foods Market
as the target of the investigation because the company is allegedly
"actively shaping the public's view of animal agriculture with false
marketing."
The activists selected Certified Humane Whole Foods egg supplier
Petaluma Farms in Petaluma, California, as the target of the initial
investigation.
At one point, activists encountered a diseased hen who had collapsed
and was struggling to breathe and removed her from the farm. They named
her Mei Hua (Chinese for "beautiful flower") and made her recovery a
centerpiece of the ensuing campaign and imagery.
Another farm owned by the same company was later the subject of a
similar video filmed by a former employee. When asked for comment about
that particular break-in after DxE's release of their initial video, the
Sonoma County
Sheriff's Department stated that a full investigation was underway, but
that the farm appeared to be performing at "industry standards".
DxE released a 19-minute video of the investigation, "Truth
Matters", on YouTube and Facebook in January 2015 and received coverage
in several international media outlets, including The New York Times and
Mother Jones.
For several weekends following the investigation, and every month
thereafter through early 2016, DxE chapters in several dozen cities
organized protests inside Whole Foods stores, challenging the company's
"Values Matter" advertising campaign. Whole Foods announced new egg-laying standards shortly after the release of the investigation video.
Over the course of 2015, a larger team of activists investigated
Diestel Turkey Ranch, one of only three companies, out of over 2,000, to
achieve a 5+ rating on the 1–5 scale used by the Global Animal
Partnership, Whole Foods's animal welfare rating scheme.
Activists recorded video reportedly at a Diestel-owned farm in
Jamestown, California, showing filth, overcrowding, and birds dying as
infants.
DxE released another investigation in November 2016 into Jaindl
Farms, a Whole Foods farm that has supplied the White House with
Thanksgiving turkeys since the 1960s rated in the 98th percentile of
animal welfare according to an animal welfare audit.
The activists released footage of birds with mutilated beaks,
struggling to walk, and crowded to the point of repeated trampling.
The video footage from the farm that DxE released shows birds with
mangled beaks, broken legs, missing eyes, open sores and facial lesions. In one scene, turkeys peck and nibble at a young bird's festering wound. In another, a decaying carcass rests on the floor among live animals.
Two Huffington Post reporters visited the farm on invitation of
Jaindl's owner and found that while severe injuries were uncommon, some
turkeys had visible sores.[33] In response to DxE's video, the group was accused of ecoterrorism by Jaindl's legal counsel in a letter to Wayne Hsiung, who also stated "This criminal activity fostered by your organization is reprehensible, and cannot be overlooked."
On May 29, 2018, several hundred DxE activists held a protest
outside Cal Eggs Farm in Petaluma, California, which is a supplier to
Whole Foods. Some of the activists entered a barn and carried out live
and diseased birds. 40 of the activists were arrested for misdemeanor
trespassing. DxE activists see "open rescue" as establishing "the right to rescue" animals legally in the future.
After numerous protests inside the Whole Foods store in Berkeley,
California, Whole Foods obtained a restraining order against DxE
activists in September 2018, prohibiting Wayne Hsiung and 150 other
unnamed DxE activists from entering that particular store or its parking
lot.
Liberation Pledge
In
November 2015, DxE became one of the most visible backers of a new
action known as the "Liberation Pledge", with co-founder Wayne Hsiung
authoring a piece in the Huffington Post announcing the pledge. According to the website liberationpledge.com, it is defined by the following three points:
One: Publicly refuse to eat animals—live vegan.
Two: Publicly refuse to sit where people are eating animals.
Three: Encourage others to take the pledge.
The pledge was considered controversial upon release, including criticisms regarding food justice concerns and by potentially isolating vegans who take the pledge. Several prominent figures in the animal rights movement, including Anita Krajnc of the Toronto Pig Save and Keith McHenry of Food Not Bombs took the pledge, with McHenry declaring, "We must stop the eating of animals."
Wanyama Box creator Nzinga Young defended the Liberation Pledge,
writing, "when I spend time in safe spaces with sacred people, I don't
want to see carnage."
Costco campaign
Following the Farmer John investigation, DxE activists repeatedly interrupted LA Dodgers baseball games to protest the team's touting of Farmer John's "Dodger Dogs" hot dogs.
Activists in LA, Colorado, and the San Francisco Bay Area jumped on the
field during plays at several games with banners declaring "Dodgers
Torture Animals" and "Animal Liberation Now". The activists tied their protests to Farmer John, protesting the promotion of "torture and death of animals".
DxE followed up its Farmer John investigation by investigating a cage-free egg supplier to Costco.
Costco had been a key leader in the 2016 trend of food companies
committing to shift to a cage-free egg supply, but, according to DxE,
the investigation raised questions about the state of animal welfare
after that shift.
DxE released a video that shows dead birds on the floor and injured
hens pecked by other chickens. One bird had a piece of flesh hanging off
its beak.
In response to the video released by DxE, the supplier claimed that the
activists had committed a "break-in and trespassing" and that "The
video does not show what truly goes on in our barns and appears to be
staged for production effect".
The group did not seek permission to enter the farm, Lead Organizer
Wayne Hsiung said, but he argued that the group had not broken any laws
because they had suspected animal cruelty and that gave them a right to
enter the property.
All birds inside the farm were destroyed due to the contamination risk
the activists had introduced into the farm, according to the supplier.
The two DxE organizers who conducted the investigation were initially
charged with felony commercial burglary and subsequently pleaded
no-contest to a reduced charge of trespass.
The defendants were then ordered to pay restitution of $331,991 to
compensate the farm owner based on his assertion that he was forced to
slaughter all chickens in the barn. The defendants claim that the
"depopulated" chickens were in a barn they never entered.
Direct Action Everywhere staged a protest at the SoMa location of
Costco in San Francisco. Direct Action Everywhere activists forcibly
occupied the store's meat section and held a "die-in" near an entrance
that involved activists covering each other with fake blood and
pretending to eat each other. The protest involved Costco suppliers'
controversial treatment of hens. Activists from the organization claimed
that many of the "cage-free" farms were housing the chickens in crowded
cages and violating principles dictated by the "certified humane"
label. They released undercover footage of the farms showing the poor
conditions. Another protest was held at a Costco store in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
Open rescue expansion
In December 2016, DxE open rescue projects began expanding beyond the
Bay Area when members in Toronto released an investigation of a pig
farm. The project was followed up by an internationally coordinated rescue with animal advocates in Sweden, Germany, and Australia. In April 2017, DxE activists in Colorado conducted an investigation of Morning Fresh Farms, a cage-free chicken egg supplier.
Smithfield/Circle Four pig farms in the Utah desert.
In 2017, activists with DxE entered Smithfield Foods-owned
Circle Four Farms in Utah and performed an open rescue of two piglets
subsequently named Lily and Lizzie. Their rescue triggered an extensive
multi-state FBI hunt for the two baby piglets.
DxE released a virtual-reality video that takes viewers into barns at
Circle Four Farms and shows sows with bloody and mangled teats; pregnant
sows gnawing on the bars of the narrow stalls they live in until they
give birth; and piglets clambering over and nibbling dead siblings.
A video taken by DxE that coincided with the open rescue at Circle Four
Farms has been called inaccurate by a spokesman for Smithfield; the
video purports to show mistreatment and abuse of animals at Circle Four
Farms. In November the same year, a group of DxE activists, which included actress Alexandra Paul, claimed to expose animal cruelty and neglect at Zonneveld Dairy, a Land O'Lakes
dairy supplier based in California, which included "young calves living
in filthy hutches, unprotected from record low and high temperatures
between 19 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, suffering from pneumonia,
diarrhea, open sores, maggot infestations, and infections." The team of
activists performed an pen rescue on one sick calf, later named
Roselynn.
In September, 2017 DxE organizers attended a small-scale poultry
processing class at Long Shadow Farm, a 6-acre farm in Berthoud,
Colorado specializing in pasture-raised chickens. The facility raises
animals and offers "poultry processing services".
Led by DxE Organizer Aidan Cook, under the name of "Denver Baby Animal
Save" the group entered the property masquerading as volunteers
and took three chickens, after asking to hold some of the birds and
being assisted in doing so by the farm owners' eight-year-old daughter.
Opinions on the actions vary, with DxE organizers and members claiming
to have "rescued" the birds, while the farm owners considered it
"theft". A DxE spokesperson stated that "even if the animal rights group
could have saved more chickens by purchasing them, the group opposes
buying into a system that hurts animals."
The DxE organizers who conducted the "open rescue" responded to an
inquiry by the farm owner, "We have taken your birds to a sanctuary,
where they can be free." Two of the chickens that were taken were carriers of mycoplasma, a highly infectious respiratory disease in poultry.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office investigated several felony
allegations including trespassing, attempted theft of livestock and
theft of livestock.
In May 2018, a Utah prosecutor filed felony charges against six
DxE activists stemming from an undercover investigation into conditions
on a turkey farm in Moroni, Utah which serves as a supplier for Norbest.
The DxE investigation found "tens of thousands of turkeys crammed
inside filthy industrial barns, virtually on top of one another."
The activists rescued three turkeys suffering from disease or injuries
and were on the brink of death. The charges include two felony theft
charges that carry possible prison terms of five years each.
In October 2018 the verdict of the judge was to allow 3 of the
defendants to perform community service in lieu of further punishment if
they plead guilty to misdemeanors. However, Wayne Hsiung and Paul
Darwin Picklesimer will have to go through an additional trial to
determine the final verdict.
In April 2019, DxE activists broke into a Smithfield Foods farm
in North Carolina to expose overcrowding and unsanitary conditions
there, and the extensive use of antibiotics. In addition to acquiring
footage of scores of sick piglets and refrigerators full of powerful
antibiotics, the group took a 6-week-old female pig, subsequently named
Lauri, and rushed her to a vet. Testing revealed Lauri suffered from
pneumonia, anemia and an antibiotic-resistant staph infection. She now
resides at an animal sanctuary. Hsiung, who was involved in the raid on
the farm, told The New York Times "Americans have a fundamental
right to know how their food is being produced, but right now, the only
way to gather this information is to break the law." Responding to an
inquiry from The Times, Smithfield leveled accusations that the
group has a history of manipulating footage in order to "mislead the
public and gain attention for its activist agenda which includes 'total
animal liberation.'"
In May 2020 DxE obtained and released video footage of the ventilation shutdown (VSD) method used to kill pigs at an Iowa Select Farms
facility. According to a whistleblower who was an employee at Iowa
Select Farms, the pigs died very slowly from overheating and suffocation
when the ventilation system was shut off.
Matt Johnson, the activist who entered the facilities to obtain VSD
footage, removed a piglet from one facility to perform an "open rescue"
of the animal.
Charges against Johnson for these activities were dropped in January
2021 when Iowa Select Farms decided not to testify. Other, later charges
against Johnson, also relating to activity at facilities owned by Iowa
Select Farms, were also suddenly dropped in January 2022 after the
defense subpoenaed executives and employees to testify. Johnson, who had
hoped the cases would go to trial in order to challenge the
constitutionality of ag-gag
laws, stated "we are setting a precedent that rescuing animals from
situations where they're in distress is the right thing to do. It's not a
crime."
Philosophy
"Humane fraud"
DxE
has had an ongoing campaign against companies who make claims about
selling food products made with "humane" standards of animal welfare.
Targets of this campaign have included the supermarket Whole Foods Market, the restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill,
and several farms. Through its investigations, public statements and
writings, protests, and livestock theft, DxE has alleged that such
companies misrepresent the actual conditions on their farms or their
suppliers' farms. DxE also maintains that it is not possible to raise
and kill animals in a humane way.
Social science
DxE's
leaders include a number of students of social science, and DxE
organizers aim to use social science in persuading others to join their
protests and self-proclaimed rescues. DxE has published articles on the
evidence for nonviolent civil resistance based on the work of political
scientist Erica Chenoweth, the importance of social ties based on the
work of sociologist Doug McAdam, and the importance of mobilizing masses
of ordinary people based on research by network scientist Duncan Watts.
Critical stance toward consumer veganism
Activists
and writers associated with DxE have criticized the animal rights
movement's contemporary focus on creating individual vegans and
celebrating consumer products like vegan ice cream rather than focusing
on activism and changing social and political institutions.
DxE argues that the individual focus is less effective than trying to
change institutions, since the individual focus does not lead people to
do more once they stop using animals personally. Instead, DxE argues that activist groups should push people to take action so that the movement grows more quickly.
Activists with DxE have argued that nonviolence is in principle a
practice of anger toward systems and compassion toward individuals and
that a protest movement will be more successful by focusing on
governments, corporations, and other institutions rather than making
individual consumers defensive by attacking them personally.
DxE's blog has argued that consumer vegan options also distract
from the actual threat to animals, allowing companies that are hurting
animals like Whole Foods to avoid criticism and leading animal rights
activists not to take action against them. In a debate with Rutgers philosopher and animal rights theorist Gary Francione, DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung stated that "activism, not veganism, is the moral baseline."
Tactics
Open rescue
Wayne Hsiung cites as an inspiration for DxE the work of Patty Mark, an Australian animal rights activist and founder of Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV).
ALV activists popularized the tactic of going into farms in the middle
of the night without disguises and filming the conditions inside.
The tactic stands in contrast to the more common form of investigation
in the U.S. animal rights movement in which an investigator poses as a
farm worker to film using a hidden camera. Open rescue activists
emphasize that their approach allows the portrayal of individual
animals' stories since activists can focus on animals in the farm, and
to rescue animals who would otherwise die of disease document their
recovery. It also touts open rescue as a form of activism anyone can undertake,
offering the possibility and goal of thousands of open rescue teams
across the country.
DxE has cited open rescues as particularly key to exposing
"humane" companies that are generally smaller and more difficult to
infiltrate.
In April 2016, three members of DxE went undercover to Yulin, China,
home of the Yulin dog meat festival, to document the upcoming
preparations of the festival; they said they have been able to catch
some of the brutality on camera at one of the largest slaughterhouses in
the city.
Two of the activists with DxE were able to smuggle out the video
footage they had captured, along with three dogs bound for slaughter.
Open rescue has been criticized by one such smaller, "humane"
company that has been the target of DxE's use of the tactic. Petaluma
Farms, a distributor of eggs for Whole Foods, was investigated and the
subject of a highly publicized campaign and open rescue of DxE's.
Jonathan Mahrt, an employee of Petaluma Farms and son of Petaluma Farms'
owner Steven Mahrt, said, "My dad's take is that it's a sad day when
farmers and ranchers have to be concerned about security."
On May 29, 2018, several hundred DxE demonstrators held a protest
outside Cal Eggs Farm in Petaluma, California, and 40 of the activists
entered a barn and carried out live and diseased birds. These 40
activists were arrested for misdemeanor trespassing.
DxE activists believe that they have the legal right to rescue animals
from farms in California described in state laws, and they want to
establish this right in courts.
A major open rescue action was held on Saturday, September 29,
2018, at Petaluma Farms, the supplier to Amazon and Whole Foods, and the
largest in the US. Several dying hens were removed from filthy, crowded
sheds. One hen was allowed to leave with the activists and was sent to a
sanctuary, however the rest were sent to animal control and did not
survive. Petaluma sheriff's office reported that 67 activists were
arrested at the scene. DxE counted it was 58 activists who were
arrested. After release, activists protested against the arrests, as the
activists believe that they had the right to the open rescue under
California penal law code statue 597E, Doctrine of Necessity, which
allows any person to enter a premises to provide food and or water to an
animal which has not had either food or water for twelve hours or more. The activists are continuing to fight to be allowed to continue open rescues.
In May 2018, Hsiung and four others were charged in Utah with
felonies for burglary, livestock theft, and engaging in "a pattern of
illegal activity" and misdeameanor for engaging in a "riot". They were
identified after posting high-quality video online of an open rescue of taking pigs from a Smithfield Foods facility in Beaver County, Utah. The defendants Wayne Hsiung and Paul Picklesimer were acquitted on all counts in October 2022.
In September 2021, DxE activists Alicia Santurio and Alexandra Paul participated in an open rescue when they took two severely ill chickens from a truck outside of a Foster Farms slaughterhouse in Livingston, California. Both were acquitted by a California jury in March 2023.
Mass protests
Inspired by both activist networks and street theater groups such as Improv Everywhere,
DxE mobilizes masses of activists to creative protest in prominent
public spaces. Early actions in DxE's history include a guerrilla poem, a
"freeze" at a prominent mall, the disruption of a screening of American
Meat with the stories and images of companion animals, and numerous
other creative efforts.
Notable network-wide protests have included an effort in the
summer of 2015 to incorporate dogs, cats, and other companion animals
into protests as a symbol of human support, connections, and equality
with animals. DxE also issued the #DisruptSpeciesism and #DogMeatPlease
viral video challenges in September 2014 and 2015, respectively, which
garnered social media fame when videos by DxE organizers Priya Sawhney,
Kelly Atlas, and Jenny McQueen went viral.
In March 2018, DxE co-hosted a rally with Compassionate Bay in
support of Supervisor Katy Tang of San Francisco leading the effort to
ban the sale of fur in the city. Later that month, the board of supervisors of San Francisco voted unanimously to ban the sale of new fur.
Disruption of public events
Activists
within the DxE network have undertaken a number of prominent
disruptions of public figures. In August 2015, Iowa activist Matt Johnson asked New Jersey Governor Chris Christie about his veto of a widely supported bill banning gestation crates for mother pigs that the public widely regarded as cruel.
Johnson staged similar disruptions along the campaign trail, including at Iowa campaign events by Ohio Governor John Kasich and former U.S. President Bill Clinton and an appearance by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at the Iowa Pork Producers.
Several activists from Iowa and Indiana also interrupted a Republican
family values forum on the eve of Thanksgiving and the release of DxE's
Diestel Turkey Ranch investigation video.
In January 2016, activists interrupted a speech by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf at the 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, saying that there was no reason to confine and kill pigs, chickens, and cows when it was not okay to do that to dogs or cats.
DxE activist Zach Groff has stated that DxE aims to ensure that any
event or public figure "promoting violence against animals" is the
target of a protest interruption.
On December 23, 2020, Johnson was interviewed by Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo, where he posed as the CEO of meat packing company Smithfield Foods.
He warned that its farms could be a "petri dish" for new diseases, and
that the industry could be "effectively bringing on the next pandemic",
citing a CDC report that three of every four infectious diseases
originated from animals. On September 3, 2021, Johnson posed as Donnie D. King, the CEO of Tyson Foods, for an interview on Newsmax to discuss ventilation shutdown, saying:
It may be a little unorthodox of me to be saying this,
quite frankly, but one of our main pork suppliers ... went with the
most economic option available to them and they literally loaded
thousands of pigs into industrial sheds. And they pumped in heat and
steam, and they were really just roasting pigs alive.
In April 2022, DxE activists disrupted three Minnesota Timberwolves' playoff games
when a demonstrator entered the court during live play. DxE said the
protests were over alleged acts of animal cruelty by Rembrandt
Enterprises farms, which like the Timberwolves NBA basketball team is also owned by Glen Taylor.
On September 8, 2022 during the National Football League's 2022Kickoff Game at SoFi Stadium, two DxE activists ran onto the field carrying pink smoke bombs during the fourth quarter, disrupting play between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. The two protesters were bringing attention to a trial against Smithfield Foods regarding their factory farm practices. Less than a month later, during a Week 4 matchup against the Rams and San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium,
another DxE activist ran onto the field near the end of the first half,
also carrying a pink smoke bomb and wearing a shirt similar to the two
protesters from the previous incident. Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Takkarist McKinley tackled the intruding protester near the Rams' sideline before he was escorted off the field by security.
Criticism
Direct Action Everywhere has received criticism from vegan and non-vegan consumers, and the shops and farms they have targeted. Benny Johnson of the Independent Journal Review has called their protest tactics in Berkeley "bullying" in regards to graphic Berkeley protests in the summer of 2017. Alice Waters, proprietor of the Chez Panisse, was a target of some of these protests and called them an "outrage" and that the DxE protestors "need to do their homework". On the subject of these protests and the protesters' knowledge of humane food, the Director of Operations for Certified Humane, Mimi Stein, said in an email to The Washington Post
that "DxE is attempting to undermine consumer confidence in products
which are in fact ethically produced and businesses working in good
faith to reinvigorate a very desirable traditional business
model...Shame on DxE!"
Lauren-Elizabeth McGrath of vegan magazine Ecorazzi commented in 2016
that "They're an organization that is set on disrupting the day of the
average meat-eater, but fails to help them beyond just that" and
discussed accusations of racism within the organisation.
Carol Adams, vegetarian-feminist and author of The Sexual Politics of Meat,
announced on her blog that she intends to boycott events that host DxE
speakers, stating that "DxE is both a counterproductive organization
[for activism] as well as cult.
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. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, hunting, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.
The HSUS is based in Washington, D.C.,
and was founded in 1954 by journalist Fred Myers and Helen Jones, Larry
Andrews, Marcia Glaser and Oliver M Evans. In 2013, the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked HSUS as the 136th largest charity in the US in its Philanthropy 400 listing. Its reported revenue was US$129 million and net assets US$215 million as of 2014.
HSUS does not run local shelters or oversee local animal care and
control agencies, even if “humane society” is part of their name.
Overview
HSUS formed after a schism surfaced in the American Humane Association
over pound seizure, rodeo, and other policy issues. The incorporators
of HSUS included four people—Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, Helen Jones,
and Fred Myers—all of whom were active in the leadership of existing
local and national groups, who would become its first four employees.
One of the original founders, for whom the HSUS headquarters in
Washington, D.C., was named in 1975 was Oliver Marshall Evans
(1906–1975). (Source The Humane Society News of the United States Winter
edition 1975–1976) He served as a director or officer for the 21 years
leading up to his death in 1975. He was also President of the HSUS from
1963 to 1967. They believed that a new kind of organization would
strengthen the American humane movement, and they set up HSUS as the
"National Humane Society", in Washington, D.C., to ensure that it could
play a strong role in national policy development concerning animal
welfare. HSUS's guiding principle was ratified by its national
membership in 1956: "The Humane Society of the United States opposes and
seeks to prevent all use or exploitation of animals that causes pain,
suffering, or fear."
Rationale
The
values that shaped HSUS's formation in 1954, came in some degree from
the humane movement that originated in the 1860s in the United States.
The idea of kindness to animals made significant inroads in American
culture in the years following the Civil War.
The development of sympathy for creatures in pain, the satisfaction of
keeping them as pets, and the heightening awareness about the
relationship between cruelty to animals and interpersonal violence strengthened the movement's popular appeal.
Albert Schweitzer
The most immediate philosophical influence on 1950s-era advocates,
including those associated with HSUS, was the reverence-for-life concept
advanced by Albert Schweitzer.
Schweitzer included a deep regard for nonhuman animals in his canon of
beliefs, and animal advocates laboring to give their concerns a higher
profile were buoyed by Schweitzer's 1952 Nobel Peace Prize
speech, in which he noted that "compassion, in which ethics takes root,
does not assume its true proportions until it embraces not only man but
every living being."
Myers and his colleagues found another exemplar of their values in Joseph Wood Krutch (1893–1970), whose writings reflected a deep level of appreciation for wilderness and for nonhuman life. With The Great Chain of Life (1957), Krutch established himself as a philosopher of humaneness, and in 1970, HSUS' highest award was renamed in his honor.
The growing environmental movement of the early 1970s also
influenced the ethical and practical evolution of HSUS. The burgeoning
crisis of pollution and wildlife-habitat loss made the public
increasingly aware that humans needed to change their behavior toward
other living things. By that time, too, the treatment of animals had
become a topic of serious discussion within moral philosophy.
The debate spilled over into public consciousness with the publication of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation (1975). Singer's book sought to recast concern for animals as a justice-based cause like the movements for civil rights and women's rights.
Most of what Singer wrote concerning the prevention or reduction
of animals' suffering was in harmony with HSUS's objectives. Singer's
philosophy did not rest upon the rights of animals,
and he specifically rejected the framework of rights in favor of a
utilitarian assessment that focused on animal sentience. His principal
concern, like that of HSUS, was the mitigation and elimination of
suffering, and he endorsed the view that ethical treatment sometimes
permitted or even required killing animals to end their misery.
The 1980s witnessed a flourishing of concern about animals and a proliferation of new organizations, many influenced by the emergence of a philosophy holding that animals had inherent rights. Those committed to the purest form of animal rights
rejected any human use of animals. In this changing context, HSUS
faced new challenges. As newer animal organizations adopted more radical approaches
to achieve their goals, the organization born in anti-establishment
politics now found itself identified—and sometimes criticized—as the
"establishment" group of record.
History
In
1954, HSUS's founders decided to create a new kind of animal
organization, based in the nation's capital, to confront national
cruelties beyond the reach of local societies and state federations.
Humane slaughter became an immediate priority and commanded a
substantial portion of the organization's resources. Myers and his
colleagues also viewed this first campaign as a vehicle for promoting
movement cohesion.
Humane slaughter legislation
In 1958, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act passed, which required the proper use of humane slaughter methods at slaughterhouses subject to federal inspection.
Only four years after HSUS's formation, Myers pointed out that the
movement had united, for the first time in eighty-five years,
to achieve enactment of federal legislation that would affect the lives
of tens of millions of animals. He was encouraged that "hundreds of
local societies could lift their eyes from local problems to a great
national cruelty."
Ban of experimentation upon animals
HSUS also made the use of animals in research, testing, and education an early focus. In the post–World War II era, an increasingly assertive biomedical research
community sought to obtain animals from pounds and shelters handling
municipal animal control contracts. Local humane societies across the
nation resisted. HSUS sought to bolster the movement's strong opposition
to pound seizure, believing that no public pound or privately operated
humane society should be compelled by law to provide animals for
experimental use.
HSUS took the position that animal experimentation
should be banned, and in the 1950s it placed investigators in
laboratories to gather evidence of substandard conditions and animal
suffering and neglect. The HSUS was not an anti-vivisection
society, Myers explained in 1958. Rather, it stood for the principle
that "every humane society ... should be actively concerned about the
treatment accorded to such a vast number of animals."
Beginning in the 1990s, HSUS board member David O. Wiebers, a medical doctor associated with the Mayo Clinic,
undertook efforts to lessen tensions between animal protection
organizations and the scientific community, and to seek to identify
areas of common agreement.
Companion animals and shelters
Service
to local animal shelters, with a special focus on solving problems and
challenges of importance to every one of the nation's humane societies,
was an early priority for HSUS. Its first brochure, "They Preach
Cruelty", focused on the tragedy of animal overpopulation.
HSUS and its state branches operated animal shelters in Waterford,
Virginia, Salt Lake City Utah, and Boulder, Colorado, and elsewhere,
during the 1960s, and part of the 1970s.
From the early 1960s onward, HSUS worked to promote the most humane
methods possible for euthanasia of animals in shelters, using its
Waterford, Virginia animal shelter as a model for best practices in this
area. HSUS does not currently operate any Animal Shelters.
Under Phyllis Wright, HSUS was a driving force behind the shift
to use of sodium pentobarbital for animal euthanasia, in opposition to
the use of gas chambers and decompression, the standard shelter killing
methods until the early 1980s.
In 1984, a General Accounting Office
report confirmed HSUS allegations of major problems with puppy mills in
the United States, setting the stage for proposed legislation to
regulate mills in the 1990s.
Exposure of cruelty in the dog trade
In
1961, HSUS investigator Frank McMahon launched a probe of dog dealers
around the country to generate support for a federal law to prevent
cruelty to animals destined for use in laboratories. The five-year
investigation into the multilayered trade in dogs paid off in February
1966 when Life published a photo-essay of a raid conducted on a Maryland dog dealer's premises by McMahon and the state police. The Life
spread sparked outrage, and tens of thousands of Americans wrote to
their congressional representatives, demanding action to protect animals
and prevent pet theft. That summer the U.S. Congress approved the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (later renamed the "Animal Welfare Act of 1966"), only the second major federal humane law passed since World War II.
Goals and expansion
Other broad goals during this time included a reduction in the U.S.'s homeless dog and cat population, the reform of inhumane euthanasia
practices, and to regulate pet shops and to end the commercial pet
breeding trade. HSUS and its state branches operated animal shelters in
Waterford, Virginia, Salt Lake City Utah, and Boulder, Colorado, and
elsewhere, during the 1960s, and part of the 1970s. Today, HSUS operates five animal sanctuaries in the states of California, Florida Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas.
HSUS also worked, from the 1960s, to promote humane education of
children in the schools. Much of this work was carried out under the
auspices of an affiliate, the National Association for the Advancement
of Humane Education. In the 1980s, HSUS sponsored several validation
studies designed to demonstrate the value of humane education.
Relationship to animal rights
While
HSUS welcomed and benefited from growing social interest in animals, it
did not originally embrace the language and philosophy of animal
rights. Rather, HSUS representatives expressed their beliefs that
animals were "entitled to humane treatment and to equal and fair
consideration."
Like many of the organizations and individuals associated with humane
work, HSUS did try to come to terms with the shift toward rights-based
language and arguments. In 1978, attorneys Robert Welborn and Murdaugh
Stuart Madden
conducted a workshop at the HSUS annual conference, "Can Animal Rights
Be Legally Defined?", and assembled constituents passed a resolution to
the effect that "animals have the right to live and grow under
conditions that are comfortable and reasonably natural... animals that
are used by man in any way have the right to be free from abuse, pain,
and torment caused or permitted by man... animals that are domesticated
or whose natural environment is altered by man have the right to receive
from man adequate food, shelter, and care."
In 1980 the notion of rights surfaced in an HSUS convention resolution
which, noting that "such rights naturally evolve from long accepted
doctrines of justice or fairness or some other dimension of morality",
called for "pursuit on all fronts... the clear articulation and
establishment of the rights of animals"
In 1986, HSUS employee John McArdle declared that "HSUS is
definitely shifting in the direction of animal rights faster than anyone
would realize from our literature". The HSUS fired McArdle shortly thereafter, he alleged, for being an "animal rights activist".
At about the same time, former HSUS president John Hoyt stated that
"this new [animal rights] philosophy has served as a catalyst in the
shaping of our own philosophies, policies, and goals."
Position against the use of violence
Since
1990 at least, HSUS has expressed a clear opposition to "the use of
threats and acts of violence against people and willful destruction and
theft of property." In 2008, HSUS offered a reward for information leading to the
identification and arrest of parties involved with the firebombing of
two University of California animal researchers.
Recent history
Wayne Pacelle tenure
In the spring of 2004, the HSUS board appointed Wayne Pacelle
as CEO and president. A former executive director of The Fund for
Animals and named in 1997 as "one of America's most important animal
rights activists", the Yale graduate spent a decade as HSUS's chief lobbyist
and spokesperson, and expressed a strong commitment to expand the
organization's base of support as well as its influence on public
policies that affect animals.
Under Pacelle's leadership, HSUS has undertaken several dozen ballot
initiative and referendum campaigns in a number of states, concerning
issues like unsportsmanlike hunting practices, cruelty in industrial
agriculture, greyhound racing, puppy mill cruelty and animal trapping.
In August 2014, Pacelle was again named to the NonProfit Times' "Power
and Influence Top 50" for his achievements in leading HSUS, the fourth
time he has been so recognized.
Since Pacelle's appointment, HSUS has claimed successes such as
the adoption of "cage-free" egg-purchasing policies by hundreds of
universities and dozens of corporations; the exposure of an international trophy hunting scam subsequently ended through legislative reform;
a number of successful congressional votes to outlaw horse slaughter;
progress in securing legislation at the state and federal level to
outlaw animal fighting and the interstate transport of fighting
implements; the enactment of internet hunting bans in nearly all of the states; announcements by Wolfgang Puck and Burger King that they would increase their use of animal products derived under less abusive standards;
and an agreement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin
enforcement of federal laws concerning the transportation of farm
animals.
In 2018, The Washington Post reported on a Humane Society board investigation conducted by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
into allegations of sexual harassment involving Wayne Pacelle. The
investigation found three credible accusations of sexual harassment and
female leaders who said their "warnings about his conduct went
unheeded."
The board voted to keep Pacelle, but after several board members,
including author Suzy Welch and philanthropist Marsha Perelman, resigned
in protest and high-profile donors revealed they would withhold
donations, Pacelle announced his resignation on February 2, 2018. Shortly thereafter, Perelman, along with Kathleen Linehan, returned to the board as Vice Chair and Treasurer, respectively.
The HSUS board of directors closed the investigation, declining
to take any action, and issued a statement that Morgan, Lewis had found
no "credible evidence" that would "support the women's claims", sparking
outrage and resulting in the resignation of seven further board
members. The organization named as Acting President and interim CEO, Kitty Block, who was President of the international affiliate of the organization, Humane Society International, and who had sued her former HSUS boss, David Wills, for sexual harassment 20 years ago.
On January 25, 2019, Kitty Block was named official President and CEO
of the organization, and Susan Atherton and Thomas J. Sabatino, Jr. were
appointed co-chairs of the HSUS Board, after Board Chairman Eric L.
Bernthal stepped down after seven years of service.
Animal protection litigation section
HSUS
launched an animal protection litigation section in 2005. The section
works with several thousand pro bono attorneys around the country to
pursue its docket of cases. Under section leader Jonathan Lovvorn, the
animal protection litigation group has won approximately three dozen
cases in its first decade of existence, taking a practical approach,
which Lovvorn explained in a 2012 interview. "We look at cases that are
going to have a concrete impact on animals but are winnable. You won't
see us out asking for courts to declare animals persons. Or to file
habeas corpus requests on behalf of animals, or other things that
require judges to go way beyond what they're comfortable with." In 2010,
the section estimated that it had filed more than 50 legal actions in
25 states, and won 80% of its cases, while booking 10,000 hours of pro
bono attorney time for a total in-kind contribution of $4 million.
Canadian seal cull campaign
Seals being clubbed
Once launched in 2005, the HSUS's campaign to end the hunting of seals in Canada secured pledges from 300 restaurants and companies, plus 120,000 individuals, to boycott Canadian seafood.
By 2014, the campaign claimed more than 6,500 restaurants, grocery
stores and seafood supply companies were participants the Protect Seals
campaign.
Corporate expansion
The
corporate expansion forged by Pacelle included mergers with The Fund
for Animals (2005), founded by social critic and author Cleveland Amory and the Doris Day Animal League (2006), founded by screen actress and singer Doris Day.
This made possible the establishment of a separate campaigns
department, an equine issues department, a litigation section, the
enhancement of signature programs likes Pets for Life and Wild Neighbors, and an expanded range of hands-on care programs for animals. During the first 2½ years of Pacelle's tenure, overall revenues and expenditures grew by more than 50 percent.
In early 2008, HSUS re-organized its direct veterinary care work and
its veterinary advocacy under a new entity, the Humane Society
Veterinary Medical Association, formed through an alliance with the
Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR).
Corporate social responsibility outreach
Engagement
with major corporations in an effort to persuade them to press for
reforms in their supply chains has been a significant priority for HSUS
in the last decade, and as a result of its efforts, more than 60 major
food suppliers have used their leverage to change production level
practices in the pork industry.
Shareholder resolutions play a part in HSUS campaigns to generate corporate reform.
Faith outreach
In
2007, HSUS launched a program designed to advance relationships and
awareness within the American faith community at all levels. The
program provides speakers, produces videos and other materials, and
works with faith leaders to lead discussion of animal issues within the
broader religious community. HSUS works on this program with Farm Forward, a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization
that implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food
choices, reduce farmed animal suffering, and advance sustainable
agriculture.
Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy
The
Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy (HSISP), founded in
2010, supports the application of scientific and technical analysis and
expertise to animal welfare issues and policy questions worldwide. and
HSISP is sustained by HSUS's own core group of academic, scientific, and
technical experts in animal welfare, as well as outside scientists.
HSISP is the manager of the Animal Studies Repository, a digital
collection of academic and scientific resources related to animal
studies and to animal welfare science. HSISP has held three
conferences, the first on purebred dogs and genetic defects, the second
on outdoor cats and associated management issues, and the third on
sentience as a factor in determining animal welfare policy.
Hurricane Katrina animal rescue
In September 2005, when thousands of animals were left behind as people evacuated during Hurricane Katrina,
HSUS joined other organizations in a massive search-and-rescue effort
that saved approximately ten thousand animals, and raised more than $34
million for direct relief, reconstruction, and recovery in the Gulf
Coast region. HSUS led the campaign that culminated in the federal
passage of the PETS Act in October 2006, requiring all local, state, and
federal agencies to include animals in their disaster planning
scenarios.
In August 2008, Pacelle appeared with Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell
at a press conference marking the enactment of a law prohibiting
cockfighting in Louisiana, the last state to do so. The prohibition
resulted from a longtime campaign led by HSUS. The HSUS remains active in the Gulf region, funding a number of projects aimed at reducing the area's pet overpopulation problem, and improving access to pet care for the Gulf Coast residents.
Investigation into "faux" fur
In
late 2006, HSUS broke the story of its investigation into the sale of
coats trimmed with real fur but labeled "faux" or fake. Laboratory
testing found that the fur came from purpose-bred raccoon dogs
in China that were sometimes beaten to death and skinned alive. The
story of fur animals beaten to death and skinned alive is disputed by a
fur industry trade group. The investigation reportedly prompted several retailers including Macy's and J.C. Penney
to pull the garments from the sale floor. Legislation was introduced in
the U.S. Congress to require that all fur jackets be properly labeled,
and to ban raccoon dog fur.
In 2014, HSUS accused Kohl's department store of selling a men's
jacket made with real animal fur as "faux", and issued a warning to
consumers.
Investigation of Westland Meat Packing Company
In February 2008, after an undercover investigation conducted by HSUS at the Westland Meat Packing Company
alleged substantial animal abuse, the USDA forced the recall of 143
million pounds of beef, some of which had been routed into the nation's
school lunch program. HSUS had been a longtime advocate for the elimination of downer animals from the nation's food supply, and the undercover investigation led to the USDA adopting the policy. In November 2013, the Justice Department reached a $155 million settlement with the firms that operated the plant. Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture for HSUS at that time, testified before Congress about the matter.
Petland puppy mills campaign
In the fall of 2008, HSUS also launched a campaign to expose the reliance of the pet store chain Petland on puppy mills where animals are raised under inhumane conditions. However, Jessica Mitler from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the government agency that regulates dog breeders,
provided the following response to the HSUS investigation: "The agency
has received no complaints from the Humane Society about a particular
kennel or Petland; so they have not investigated this specifically." On November 24, 2008, Petland responded to the HSUS campaign video footage of the Petland investigation
by stating: "Petland is outraged that HSUS would intentionally use
video footage of unrelated kennels in the report to try to mislead the
general public into believing these facilities have a connection to
Petland." In another statement dated February 19, 2009, Petland stated they turned over death threats and threats of kidnapping
generated from the HSUS campaign against Petland to the proper
authorities for further investigation. Petland continued by asking HSUS
to cease and desist in any actions that may promote malicious intent (directly or indirectly).
On March 17, 2009, HSUS launched a class action suit against
Petland on behalf of patrons who allegedly purchased sick animals from
the chain, under the alleged pretense that the animals had come from the
nation's finest breeders. On August 8, 2009, the case was dismissed by a United States district judge for lack of facts concerning the case.
Petland responded to the dismissal by stating: "The Humane Society of
the United States touted the lawsuit in furtherance of its fundraising
and media campaign seeking to end the sale of animals through pet
stores. Petland denied that it had done anything unlawful, and it
believes strongly that consumers have the right to purchase and keep
pets."
The HSUS does not oppose the ownership of pets, but maintains that the
desire for profit in commercial pet stores undermines proper care of
companion animals.
Political and legislative initiatives against animal abuse and cruelty
During 2013, HSUS helped to pass 109 animal protection laws at the state level.
In 2006, HSUS helped to secure the passage of 70 new state laws on
behalf of animals. Two successful November 2006 ballot initiatives
conducted with its support outlawed dove hunting in Michigan and,
through Proposition 204, abusive livestock-farming practices in Arizona. In 2008, HSUS helped to pass 91 state animal-welfare laws, including Proposition 2 in California.
HSUS was a leader in the Proposition 2 campaign in California, which
gained eight million votes on Election Day 2008, more than any other
initiative on the ballot. The measure, which prohibits certain intensive
confinement practices in agriculture beginning in 2015, passed by a
63.3 to 36.7 percent margin, winning in 46 of 58 counties, and gaining
support throughout the state's urban, suburban, and rural areas. It
garnered votes from Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike, as
well as among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and
Latinos. Nearly 800,000 Californians signed petitions to place the
measure on the ballot.
HSUS was also a participant in a ballot initiative campaign
focusing on inhumane treatment of farm animals in Ohio. The
livestock-agriculture initiative was withdrawn from the ballot after a
compromise was brokered between HSUS, Ohioans for Humane Farms, the Ohio
Farm Bureau, and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.
HSUS led a campaign against puppy mill cruelty in Missouri in 2010. The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, known as "Prop B", was narrowly passed by Missouri voters.
United Egg Producers
For
several years, HSUS cooperated with the United Egg Producers to secure
federal legislation to phase out barren battery cages for all laying
hens in the United States. Discussion between HSUS and the United Egg Producers
concerning a national standard for egg production began with a meeting
between Jerry Crawford, an Iowa resident with ties to the egg production
industry, and HSUS's Wayne Pacelle. Crawford recommended a further
meeting with the United Egg Producers' Chad Gregory. The context for the meeting was HSUS's commanding win in Proposition 2
in California, and a shared belief that open warfare would serve no
one's purposes. Additional negotiations produced the agreement to pursue
federal legislation, the Egg Products Inspection Act of 2013, to
support a shift to cage-free housing systems for laying hens, like
enriched colony cages. The proposal failed in the Congress, and was not
taken up in the 2014 Farm Bill, as a result of opposition by livestock
production groups concerned over the precedent of federally-mandated
standards for housing. Hog producers in particular recognized their
vulnerability in reference to gestation crates.
Positions and program work
Animal fighting
In July 2007, HSUS led calls for the National Football League to suspend Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the wake of allegations that he had been involved with dog fighting activity. Vick was prosecuted and convicted under state and federal laws.
HSUS has backed upgrades of the federal laws concerning animal fighting
in 2007, 2008, and in relation to the Animal Fighting Spectator
Prohibition Act, from 2011 to the present.
Animals in research, testing, and education
Beginning in the 1990s, HSUS board member David O. Wiebers, a medical doctor associated with the Mayo Clinic,
undertook efforts to lessen tensions between animal protection
organizations and the scientific community, and to seek to identify
areas of common agreement.
The announcement by the NIH that it would no longer fund experiments
that relied on Class B dealers marked the end of a long campaign by HSUS
and other organizations to halt this channel for the supply of animals.
In 2013, HSUS worked closely with the Arcus Foundation
and other partners in the successful effort to persuade the U.S.
government to transfer the remaining chimpanzees it owns to sanctuary
over time, and for an end to chimpanzee use in research, testing, and
education. Since 2007, HSUS has pressed corporations still using chimpanzees in research to commit to policies of non-use. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine, part of the United States National Academies,
recommended the curtailment of chimp use in testing. The IOM said that
while genetic similarity made chimps valuable for medical research, such
research raised ethical issues and carried a "moral cost". In 2014,
Merck, the world's third largest pharmaceutical company, became the
largest multinational corporation to make such a commitment.
Animals used for food
Basic policy
HSUS
opposes cruelty in the raising and slaughter of animals used for food,
and has done so since its inception in 1954. HSUS's policy of the 3 Rs
encourages its constituents to reduce their consumption of meat.
Campaigns
HSUS led the ballot initiative campaign to enact California Proposition 2 (2008),
enacted as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, requiring
cage-free conditions for laying hens, mother pigs and veal calves raised
in the state. An HSUS-led coalition also pressed for the passage of a California foie gras ban that took effect in mid-2012. In 2016, HSUS led the campaign to enact the Massachusetts Conditions for Farm Animals Initiative, which banned the use of small cages to raise animals in agriculture; it received 77.7% of public support .
In 2018, the HSUS-led California Proposition 12 (2018),
which built on the 2008 law, mandated that eggs, pork and veal produced
and sold in the state come from cage-free facilities. Since then, HSUS
has spearheaded successful efforts to pass cage-free legislation in
Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Colorado.
HSUS has convinced hundreds of the largest grocery and restaurant
companies to enact reforms regarding their treatment of farm animals.
The organization also collaborates with food service companies and
institutions to offer more plant-based meals, stating that in 2019 it
trained more than 10,000 food service professionals.
Companion animals
The HSUS has an entire department devoted to pets, and to services for companion animals.
It also has sections working to end dog-fighting, and to provide
rescue and emergency services to animals at risk in animal fighting,
hoarding, puppy mill enterprises and disasters.
The HSUS Pets for Life program uses community-level outreach in a
number of American cities, including Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, to
raise retention levels and to improve the lives of companion animals and
those who care for them, by providing veterinary services in zones
where convenient and low-cost care is lacking. The HSUS is a strong supporter of "pets in the workplace" programs.
HSUS publishes Animal Sheltering, a bi-monthly magazine for animal sheltering professionals. It also operates the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, which provides free veterinary services for animals in impoverished communities.
In 2013, the HSUS gave its Henry Spira Corporate Progress Award to the Consumer Specialty Products Association
to recognize the antifreeze manufacturing industry's commitment to add a
bittering agent to products so that animals would not die poisonous
deaths, the subject of a long-running campaign by the HSUS.
HSUS believes that, in general, wild animals are not suitable as pets, and opposes the general traffic in wild animals.[142]
Puppy mills
HSUS has been an active opponent of the domestic and global puppy mill
industry, and helped law enforcement agencies to confiscate more than
35,000 animals from purported puppy mills since 2007. HSUS has also
pressed anti-puppy mill bills in states like Indiana, Missouri,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The number of dog breeders licensed
by the United States Department of Agriculture declined from 3,486 in
2009 to 2,205 in 2011.
HSUS led the effort to secure adoption of a United States Department of Agriculture
rule to prohibit the importation into the United States of dogs from
foreign countries for resale unless the animals were in good health,
vaccinated and at least 6 months old.
Dog breeders opposed another measure supported by HSUS, to regulate the sale of dogs over the Internet.
Wildlife
HSUS
opposes the hunting of any living creature for fun, trophy, or sport.
HSUS only supports killing animals for population control when carried
out by officials and does not oppose hunting for food or subsistence
needs.
As a practical matter, HSUS has generally campaigned against abuses
found in the treatment of wildlife. Its ballot initiatives focus on
things like shooting bear over bait, hunting with hounds, and other
forms of hunting the organization believes are unsporting.
Together with its global affiliate, Humane Society International, HSUS has waged a decade-long fight to end the Canadian seal hunt. In late 2013, the World Trade Organization upheld the European Union ban on trade in products of commercial seal hunts, rejecting the Canadian and Norwegian challenge.
HSUS has waged campaigns on behalf of wolves since the 1970s. In
recent years, HSUS has campaigned against the killing of wolves via
ballot initiatives, and—with other partners—in litigation.
In June 2007, HSUS launched Humane Wildlife Services, a program
to encourage and provide humane wildlife-removal services when wild
animals intrude on human dwellings.
Through its efforts in the United States, and globally through
its affiliate Humane Society International, HSUS has helped to achieve
prohibitions on shark finning in state and national legislatures and through administrative action here and abroad.
The HSUS offers many resources to individuals, organizations and public officials, for helping feral cats and ultimately reducing their numbers in the community.
The Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy convened a
conference on outdoor cat issues in December 2012, bringing together
stakeholders from a range of interested perspectives.
Zoos
HSUS first
took a policy position on zoos in 1975, its board of directors
concluding that it would be neither for nor against zoos, but would work
against roadside menageries and regular zoos that could not improve.
In 1984, HSUS adopted a policy that animals should not be taken from the
wild for public display in zoos.
HSUS has taken a careful but critical stance concerning practices commonly found in the horse racing industry. On occasion, HSUS has taken a position against particular practices associated with horse racing, such as the use of corticosteroids.
HSUS has long opposed the keeping of marine mammals in captivity
and played a key longterm role in the campaign to end captive orca
performance at SeaWorld. HSUS opposed the Georgia Aquarium's application to the National Marine Fisheries Service to import 18 beluga whales from Russia, an application the NMFS denied.
HSUS has long opposed the use of horses for food, and campaigned
against their slaughter via litigation and public policy approaches.
It has pursued both legislative and litigation channels as part of its
campaign to prevent horse slaughter plants in the United States from
resuming their operations.
HSUS, in addition to its ongoing lobbying against the pet
industry, has taken a strong stance against the private ownership of any
exotic pet, regardless of species. The HSUS also heavily lobbied for the passing of HB 4393 in West Virginia,
which generated a large amount of controversy when its restricted
animal list was originally drafted and made illegal the private
ownership of common and harmless exotic pets, such as hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, tortoises, pufferfish, sugar gliders, salamanders, alpacas and domestic hybrid cat breeds.
Governance and expenses
The Humane Society of the United States headquarters located in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
A nonprofit,
charitable organization, HSUS is funded almost entirely by private
membership dues, contributions, foundation grants, and bequests. HSUS is
governed by a 27-member, independent board of directors. Each director serves as a volunteer and receives no compensation for service.
HSUS meets all 21 BBB Wise Giving Alliance financial and administrative standards, and all 20 of the BBB's Standards for Charity Accountability. In 2010, Worth magazine named the HSUS as one of the 10 Most Fiscally Responsible Charities.
In 2012, President and CEO Wayne Pacelle received $347,675 in compensation.
In 2014, Charity Navigator issued a "Donor Advisory" about HSUS, temporarily removing its rating of the organization.
Grantmaking
HSUS gave grants to 260 other organizations in the U.S. and abroad during 2011, totaling $6.5 million.
According to its IRS Form 990, HSUS makes grants to organizations
that meet its mission criteria, and typically to those groups which it
has researched, with which it has an existing relationship, or with
which its staff members have interacted at events and through other
channels. HSUS lists all grants of $500 or more, with details, although
the IRS Schedule F requires only that grants surpassing $5,000 need be
reported.
Affiliated and related entities
Humane Society International
Founded in 1991, Humane Society International
(HSI) seeks to expand the HSUS's activities into Central and South
America, Africa, and Asia. HSI's Asian, Australian, Canadian, and
European offices carry out field activities and programs.
Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association
The
Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) was formed in
2008 to encompass both veterinary advocacy and veterinary clinical
services work conducted by the HSUS, and to provide a political
alternative to the American Veterinary Medical Association for veterinarians of a strong animal welfare orientation.
Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust
As
an affiliate of the Humane Society of the United States since 1993
HSWLT, alone or in partnership with other conservation groups, has
participated in the protection and enhancement of more than 3.6 million
acres of wildlife habitat in 38 states and nine foreign countries. HSWLT
has taken both large and small properties under its protection, through
title donations, conservation easements, and formal agreements, to
provide sanctuaries for a variety of animal species.
In recent years, HSWLT has also sponsored anti-poaching awards as part
of its commitment to public awareness and law enforcement work.
Doris Day Animal League
The Doris Day Animal League, established in 1987 by the actress Doris Day,
is a 501(c)(4) organization that focuses the spaying and neutering of
companion animals and the development of national, state and local
legislation that will minimize the inhumane treatment of animals. The
League launched its annual observance of Spay Day USA in 1994, to bring
attention to the pet overpopulation problem in the United States.
The Fund for Animals
The Fund for Animals, founded by the social critic Cleveland Amory
in 1967, worked for many years on wildlife issues. Today, it is an
entity that manages animal care facilities as an affiliate of HSUS. Its
sanctuaries include the Ramona Wildlife Facility, the Cleveland Amory
Black Beauty Ranch, the Duchess Horse Sanctuary, and the Cape Wildlife
Center.
Humane Society Legislative Fund
The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization
formed in 2004. The group supports the passage of animal protection
laws at the state and federal levels, educates the public about animal
protection issues, and supports humane candidates for office. In the
2014 cycle, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has endorsed 38
Republicans and 240 Democrats in races across the country.
Headquarters and regional offices
The Humane Society's national headquarters are in Washington, D.C. It employed 528 employees during 2014. Its international arm, Humane Society International
(HSI), has offices in half a dozen nations and a broad range of
international animal protection programs. One of the largest veterinary
clinics in the Midwest is the Humane Society location in St. Louis, the
growth and success of the clinic has been accredited to their Chief of
Staff for 55 years, Suzanne Saueressig. The clinic admits around 80,000 patients a year and averages around 17,000 surgeries.
Critics
Center for Consumer Freedom
The Center for Consumer Freedom
(CCF), an organization that lobbies on behalf of the food and beverage
industry, has criticized HSUS for many years. Experts on non-profit law
question CCF's non-profit status, while commentators from Rachel Maddow to Michael Pollan have characterized CCF as an astroturfing group.
CCF's founder Richard Berman refuses to disclose its funders, and in
2013 Charity Navigator issued a donor advisory concerning the group.
CCF has produced several advertising campaigns alleging various
improprieties by HSUS and accusing HSUS of misrepresenting itself to
supporters and donors. HSUS has rejected CCF's accusations as
"falsehoods and distortions" by "a flack agency and industry front group
for tobacco, alcohol, and agribusiness interests."
Non-profit groups operated by Mr. Berman's public relations firm paid
Berman and Company $15 million from 2008 to 2010, an arrangement that
may violate Internal Revenue Service rules that prohibit executives from
profiting off of the non-profit entities they run. CCF carries out its attacks on HSUS via advertisements and direct mail campaigns targeting HSUS donors and supporters.
CCF takes this approach in criticizing HSUS: in 2014, HSUS reported
revenue of $135,499,050, and it disbursed $15,843,692 of grants.
Humane Watch
The Humane Watch website was created by the Center for Consumer Freedom.
In 2012, Mother Jones reported the following: "According to the Center
for Consumer Freedom's 2010 tax filing, the group set aside about a
million dollars to set up its anti-Humane Society website "Humane
Watch." Berman has created a separate group with the oddly Humane
Society-sounding name, the Humane Society for Shelter Pets. Its website
snarks at the Humane Society for failing to provide more money for
animal shelters."
Nathan Winograd
Nathan Winograd, a No Kill
advocate, has been critical of HSUS. He has accused the organization of
aiding animal abusers by thwarting legislation designed to curtail
abuse. He made such claims in a Huffington Post article entitled "Putting Abusers Before Animals Is Business as Usual at the HSUS." Winograd's general claims concerning HSUS and animal sheltering work have been disputed or qualified by other parties.
Protect the Harvest
Protect the Harvest is an organization founded by trucking magnate Forrest Lucas of Lucas Oil,
who uses the group to defend industrial animal agriculture and
commercial dog breeders, on whose behalf he has spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars nationwide. Protect the Harvest is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, and in 2014 formed a Political Action Committee to elect and defeat candidates for office.
Executive Director Brian Klippenstein has singled out HSUS as a target
of his organization's political activities, and as treasurer of Protect
the Harvest PAC he and Lucas campaign against candidates the two groups
consider aligned with HSUS.
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) is a 501(c)(6) organization that lobbies on behalf of the captive-bred reptiles industry, which is made up of both pet owners and professional breeders, as well as supporting zoos and sanctuaries.
USARK has argued against a national ban that HSUS has lobbied for since
its writing in 2009, which was originally intended to ban the import
and interstate transport of nine constrictor snake species.
However, due to pressure from the reptile keepers association, the U.S.
government lessened the ban to include only four of the original nine
species. As a response, Wayne Pacelle wrote on his blog in response that
"these large constricting snakes are not suitable as pets", continuing
with "they suffer from capture in the wild and long-distance transport
for trade; they can injure and kill people who possess or interact with
them; and they can wreak havoc on our natural resources as an invasive
species, killing native wildlife, including endangered animals."
In the summer of 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reopened its admission of comments on whether to list the five remaining species of snakes on the Lacey Act, including boa constrictors.
The HSUS then called upon its proponents to send in replies and letters
to support further restriction of the trade in the reptiles.
In response, USARK has accused the HSUS of directly telling its
advocates to lie to the U.S. government: the reptile keepers association
stating on their website that "HSUS President Wayne Pacelle is even
asking HSUS followers to join in and lie to the U.S. Government by
sending their sample letter." They continue their argument with "Their
deceptive campaign continues because there is not valid, peer-reviewed
science to support their claims. They lack credible arguments and
instead focus on sensationalized propaganda."
HSUS has always been against the keeping of snakes in captivity,
stating that they are a "threat to public safety" and that the welfare
of the snakes themselves are at risk, as they "[require] specialized
expertise and care."
The HSUS is also against the keeping of other reptiles in captivity, such as turtles and iguanas, which is in direct opposition of USARK's interests.
Specific criticism
Allegations of misappropriation of donations for Hurricane Katrina rescues
In 2006, the Attorney General of Louisiana opened an inquiry into the American Red Cross and HSUS after complaints about the misuse of funds raised in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
This inquiry was part of a wide-ranging effort to ensure that charities
providing relief for the victims of the hurricane did not profit from
the incident.
Neither Attorney General Charles Foti nor his successor Buddy Caldwell
took any action, and the inquiry focusing on HSUS ended in early 2008.
AR-HR's analysis of the HSUS's 2005, 2006, and 2007 tax returns claimed
that 48% of the $34.6 million donated to the HSUS for the purposes of
helping animals after Hurricane Katrina was then unaccounted for. For a number of years, HSUS published updates on its Gulf Coast spending, the last of which appeared in 2011.
Allegations of misleading fundraising materials
Critics
including the CCF, AR-HR, and Nathan Winograd have accused HSUS of
misleading donors into thinking that their donations directly support
local animal shelters, when HSUS has no affiliation with or control
over local humane societies. HSUS states on its website that it is not
affiliated with local animal shelters, and that the organization's role is to supplement and support
the work of local shelters, not duplicate them. The fundraising
materials of HSUS do not make the claim that HSUS runs local shelters,
or that donations will be applied directly to local animal shelters.
Allegations of financial malfeasance
According to the "Pennies for Charity" report issued by the New York State Attorney General,
of the $1.95 million raised in 2008 by fundraisers, only 5.29% went to
HSUS. The average return for charities in the report was 39.5%. HSUS
actually incurred a net loss of $5,358 (−0.32%) in 2007. Those figures
in 2006 and 2005 numbers were more positive, with 7.27% and 19.99% of
contributions going to HSUS.
In July 2015, the Council of State Governments
(CSG) passed a resolution calling on their states' attorneys general to
investigate HSUS' fundraising efforts. The resolution highlighted the
fact that HSUS' promotional materials give the impression that animals
are the main focus, even though only one percent of the money raised
goes to pet shelters (and HSUS runs none itself).
Animal rights agenda
USA Today, The International Herald Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle have described HSUS as devoted to "animal rights", as opposed to "animal welfare". Shortly after Wayne Pacelle joined HSUS, he stated in an interview with the Animal People newspaper that his goal was to build "a National Rifle Association of the animal rights movement". The IHT describes HSUS as the "least radical" of animal rights groups. Feedstuffs, an agribusiness newspaper, has leveled the charge that HSUS is pursuing a vegetarianism and veganism agenda instead of animal welfare. In 2010, one journalist in Oregon also claimed that HSUS "primarily works on animal rights legislation."
Charity Navigator
In June 2014, Charity Navigator replaced its rating of HSUS with a "Donor Advisory" citing a $15.75 million settlement of a lawsuit. A Charity Navigator representative told The Washington Examiner that a Donor Advisory indicates "extreme concern."
The advisory has since been removed. At no point did it ever have
anything to do with financial metrics, governance, transparency, or the
impact and effectiveness of work to protect animals. It came solely as a
result of a legal settlement the HSUS and several other parties reached
with the owner of Ringling Bros. circus.
Charity Navigator rated them at 85.09 for the 2014 fiscal year, and at 75.61 for the 2019 fiscal year.
Charity Watch
The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), now called Charity Watch, has been critical of the HSUS. Charity Watch gave the HSUS a "C−" in 2013.
Charity Watch believes that HSUS spends an insufficient percentage of
donations on programs, and an inordinately high percentage on
fundraising. Using different estimates of fundraising expenses and
efficiency, the AIP's rating system heavily penalizes charities for
possessing large assets or maintaining more than three years' operating
expenses in reserve.
Only Charity Watch among all charity evaluation groups believes that
organizations should not write off some of their fundraising costs as
program expenses. Other evaluators agree with the approach taken under Generally accepted accounting principles, which permit such joint allocation of expenses.
The organization maintains a focus on particular financial
measurements, strictly interpreting all direct mail, telemarketing and
solicitation costs as separate fundraising expenses.
Feld Entertainment litigation
Feld Entertainment
sued HSUS and other animal-rights advocates and advocacy groups under
the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Feld
asserted HSUS wrongdoing in relation to litigation brought by animal
rights activists against Feld alleging abuse of animals in the circus.
This litigation was dismissed in 2009, with the judge finding that
animal-rights groups had paid the key witness, a former Feld employee,
at least $190,000, a significant amount of which was in a check signed
by Mr. Pacelle. HSUS's merger and combination with The Fund for Animals
drew HSUS into the case. In December 2012, the ASPCA settled the Feld suit and agreed to pay $9.3 million.
In May 2014, HSUS and the remaining co-defendants (which included two
HSUS employees, the HSUS affiliate Fund for Animals, and parties
unaffiliated with HSUS) agreed to pay $15.75 million to settle the
litigation.
IRS complaint
In November 2013, a complaint was filed with the Internal Revenue Service against HSUS by the Center for Consumer Freedom. According to Bloomberg News,
the IRS complaint alleges that HSUS "violated IRS rules by listing as
contributions the $17.7 million value of air time for its public service
announcements to promote pet adoption. The net effect is to raise the
ratio of program expenses to total expenses, which the independent
assessor Charity Navigator uses to rank the effectiveness of charities."
According to Bloomberg News, a tax attorney claims that the "Humane
Society shouldn't count the public service air time as contributions."
Meat packing investigation
US Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer
questioned the way HSUS handled its Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing
Company investigation, stating that HSUS "sat on four months of
production that went out into the marketplace that's now being
recalled".
More recently, the debate over forcing animal welfare organizations to
release information about cruelty within a specified period of time has
prompted criticism from editorial boards and journalists skeptical of
the motivations for such calls.
Michael Vick controversy
The football player Michael Vick
was sentenced to prison for running a dogfighting ring; he was found to
have buried dogs alive, drowned them, beaten them to death, and pulled
out their teeth without anesthetic. After he had completed his sentence,
Vick offered to volunteer his time to an HSUS campaign against
dogfighting.
Pacelle's acceptance of Vick's offer and willingness to appear in
public and be photographed alongside Vick caused outrage and led one
organization with the words "Humane Society" in its name to stress its
non-affiliation with the HSUS. Sports Illustrated
magazine published a major investigative cover story about Vick's dogs,
and what happened to them after they were seized. The writer, Jim
Gorant, was highly critical of the HSUS's immediate call for the pit
bulls to be euthanized. Gorant went on to document the animals'
rehabilitation, and how one went on to become a therapy dog in a
hospital. In 2010, during an interview, Wayne Pacelle pointed out that Vick could own a dog "two or three years down the line"
after his sentence was completed. Pacelle toured schools with Vick, in
the HSUS campaign against dogfighting, and was quoted as saying, "I have
been around him a lot, and feel confident that he would do a good job
as a pet owner."
Vick's sentence did not include a lifetime ban on owning pets, and
Pacelle issued a blog post explaining his stance on Vick as a potential
dog owner. In October 2012, Michael Vick acquired a pet dog, purchased from a breeder.Additional controversy surrounded the report that HSUS had received a $50,000 grant from Michael Vick's team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles' donation was made as part of the 2009 launch of its
"Treating Animals With Kindness" (TAWK) program, which provides grants
to animal welfare organizations to protect animals: HSUS received a
$50,000 grant, used to launch anti-dogfighting and community
intervention programs in Philadelphia. In April 2011, Vick joined HSUS
in denouncing the android App "Dog Wars", which involved a simulation of
animal fighting. In July 2011, he lobbied on Capitol Hill for passage of the Animal Fighting Spectator Provision Act.
Animal fighting experts generally agree that since the Vick case,
there has been a significant strengthening of anti-cruelty laws at the
state level, making it easier to prosecute wrongdoers.
Some have accused HSUS of a misleading fundraising pitch in relation to the Michael Vick dog fighting case.
Fundraising material on HSUS's website one day after Vick's indictment
states that donations will be used to "help the Humane Society of the
United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case" and
that donations would be "put to use right away to care for these dogs." It was later revealed that the dogs were not in the care of HSUS and that the group recommended the dogs be euthanized. The donation pitch was altered to remove references to caring for Vick's dogs one week after the initial pitch.
Misrepresentations of Canadian seafood boycott participation
In
2006, CCF conducted an informal poll of restaurants listed as
boycotting Canadian seafood in protest of the slaughter of seals. CCF
claims that 62% of the chefs and restaurant managers they spoke to on
the phone were unaware that their companies were listed as "boycotters"
on the HSUS website. In its report, CCF excluded those restaurants that
were boycotting Canadian seafood prior to the HSUS boycott, and
restaurants that serve any Canadian seafood (regardless of the type or
quantity), and drew the conclusion that 78% of the interviewees were not
actively participating in the boycott.
CCF quotes Loyola Hearn, Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, as
saying: "Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for
years ... it's no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead
the public with a phony seafood boycott."
Oklahoma Attorney General Issues Alert
In March 2014 Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt issued a consumer alert regarding HSUS and other national animal organizations. Pruitt stated that his office had received complaints about HSUS misleading donors following the 2013 Moore tornado.
Position on horse slaughter
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) have criticized HSUS and other organizations who lobbied for an end to horse slaughter
in the United States, stating that instead of making things better,
"horses are being abandoned in the United States or transported to
Mexico where, without U.S. federal oversight and veterinary supervision,
they are slaughtered inhumanely."
Other criticisms
1% of the group's budget goes directly to shelters,
and in recent years, HSUS has taken criticism for not dispersing enough
money, in ratio to what it receives from memberships and donations, to
local humane societies and shelters, though the HSUS webpage clearly
states they are unaffiliated with local shelters,
and is the largest nonprofit organization advocating animal rights in the world.Unlike its founding vision which strictly revolved around animal welfare, HSUS has evolved to work towards establishing a broad range of animal rights legislation, including those involving companion animals, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education.
Animal Charity Evaluators review
Animal charity evaluator Animal Charity Evaluators
recommended the Humane Society of the United States' Farm Animal
Protection Campaign as a Standout Charity between May 2014 and February
2018.
ACE designates as Standout Charities those organizations which they do
not feel are as strong as their Top Charities, but which excel in at
least one way and are exceptionally strong compared to animal charities
in general.
In their November 2016 review of the HSUS Farm Animal Protection
Campaign, ACE cited their strengths as their large reach, strategic
approach, and long track record of legal work, corporate outreach, and
meat reduction programs. ACE stated that their primary concern with the
Farm Animal Protection Campaign was that it was unclear the extent to
which their budget comes from the HSUS general budget, and whether small
donations to the Farm Animal Protection Campaign would be fungible with
other HSUS activities.
In February 2018, ACE rescinded their recommendation of the HSUS
Farm Animal Protection Campaign following allegations of misconduct from
both the former president of HSUS and the former vice president of the
Farm Animal Protection Campaign. This rescission was made because ACE
believes strong, ethical leadership and a healthy work environment are
critical components of an effective charity.
