Humane slaughter became an immediate priority and commanded a substantial portion of the organization's resources. 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. [249] 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. [108] 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. [1], HSUS meets all 21 BBB Wise Giving Alliance financial and administrative standards,[170] and all 20 of the BBB's Standards for Charity Accountability. The information on this website is not intended as legal . [231] 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. [127][128] An HSUS-led coalition also pressed for the passage of a California foie gras ban that took effect in mid-2012. 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. Main Menu Charitable Gift Annuity Gifts That Pay You Income There's a way for you to support the Humane Society of the United States and feel confident that you have dependable income in your retirement years. Give to our Emergency Animal Relief Fund! [165][166] The HSUS also heavily lobbied for the passing of HB 4393 in West Virginia,[167] 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. 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. [10], HSUS formed after a schism surfaced in the American Humane Association over pound seizure, rodeo, and other policy issues. The organization's policy statements make clear that the HSUS does not oppose all uses of animals, so it does not fit within the strict animal rights category of organizations from either a philosophical or a practical perspective; rather, it is classified that way by some parties because in everyday parlance, those individuals and groups that advocate for more protections for animals are described as supporting animal rights or being animal rights advocates. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine, part of the United States National Academies, recommended the curtailment of chimp use in testing. After he had completed his sentence, Vick offered to volunteer his time to an HSUS campaign against dogfighting. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. [70] By 2014, the campaign claimed more than 6,500 restaurants, grocery stores and seafood supply companies were participants the Protect Seals campaign. Petland denied that it had done anything unlawful, and it believes strongly that consumers have the right to purchase and keep pets. Horse Processing Plants, U.S. horse slaughter exports to Mexico increase 312%, "How Is The HSUS Affiliated with Your Local Humane Society? [248], In 2006, CCF conducted an informal poll of restaurants listed as boycotting Canadian seafood in protest of the slaughter of seals. [8] Other affiliated entities include the Doris Day Animal League, and the Fund for Animals. Massachusetts Conditions for Farm Animals Initiative, United States Association of Reptile Keepers, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax The Humane Society of the United States", Interview with Wayne Pacelle, president of HSUS, "The Chronicle of Philanthropy The news and tools you need to change the world", "The Fund for Animals and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): A Partnership for Animals", "How does the HSUS help local animal shelters and rescue groups? [112], 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. The prohibition resulted from a longtime campaign led by HSUS. [163] 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. 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." [140], 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. 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. This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 11:19. [154] 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. [228] 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. [157], HSUS has taken a careful but critical stance concerning practices commonly found in the horse racing industry. [86], 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. [150], 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. Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. The National Humane Society is the difference between living and dying. [30], 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. [177][178] In recent years, HSWLT has also sponsored anti-poaching awards as part of its commitment to public awareness and law enforcement work.[179][180]. In 1984, HSUS adopted a policy that animals should not be taken from the wild for public display in zoos. "[18], Myers and his colleagues found another exemplar of their values in Joseph Wood Krutch (18931970), whose writings reflected a deep level of appreciation for wilderness and for nonhuman life. [134] 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. In 2012, President and CEO Wayne Pacelle received $347,675 in compensation. The Fund for Animals, founded by the social critic Cleveland Amory in 1967, worked for many years on wildlife issues. [24], 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. In December 2012, the ASPCA settled the Feld suit and agreed to pay $9.3 million. [198] 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. 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[72] and Wild Neighbors,[73] and an expanded range of hands-on care programs for animals. in terms of "how" euthanasia is performed; the debate over "why," on the other hand, has become more contentious than ever. 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.[19]. [186][187] CCF's founder Richard Berman refuses to disclose its funders, and in 2013 Charity Navigator issued a donor advisory concerning the group. Contributions to the HSUS are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. HSUS's merger and combination with The Fund for Animals drew HSUS into the case. It employed 528 employees during 2014. See your generosity in action today. Adoptable Pets. [142], 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. Its international affiliate, Humane Society International, has offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Costa Rica, and Canada. donating to stop puppy mills and protect all animals, Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. [27] 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. With your help, we stand up and fight for all animals who are suffering. ", 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. "[206] "HSUS opposes Florida actions", HSUS News Winter 1991, 28. HSUS only supports killing animals for population control when carried out by officials and does not oppose hunting for food or subsistence needs. At one lab, a Humane Society of the United States investigator watched as several beagles who experienced fevers, tremors, rapid heart rates, labored breathing and unsteadiness following a high dose of a test substance were ordered to be dosed again, despite the dramatically harmful effects of the test substance. 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. Unti, Protecting All Animals, 8790, 182183. 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." [197] 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. [251] Pruitt stated that his office had received complaints about HSUS misleading donors following the 2013 Moore tornado. [252], Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW)[253] 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. From Cruelty Victim to Adventure Buddy: How Luisa Got Her Fresh Start. "[45][46][47] 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. 2023 The Humane Society of the United States Privacy policy and terms. Feld asserted HSUS wrongdoing in relation to litigation brought by animal rights activists against Feld alleging abuse of animals in the circus. It garnered votes from Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike, as well as among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Latinos. How to Pick the Perfect Douglas Fur: Adopt Him! [48], In the spring of 2004, the HSUS board appointed Wayne Pacelle as CEO and president. The clinic admits around 80,000 patients a year and averages around 17,000 surgeries. Protect Animals | Give a Gift - The Humane Society of the United States You can be the hero they need. Your gift will be matched by the Irving and Phyllis Millstein Foundation. In recent years, HSUS has campaigned against the killing of wolves via ballot initiatives, andwith other partnersin litigation. For 63 cents a day, you'll rescue mistreated animals. Discover new career opportunities in animal welfare across the United States by searching the job listings below or filtering by category or location. [158] On occasion, HSUS has taken a position against particular practices associated with horse racing, such as the use of corticosteroids. [188] CCF has produced several advertising campaigns alleging various improprieties by HSUS and accusing HSUS of misrepresenting itself to supporters and donors. "The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), based in Washington, D.C., is an American nonprofit organization founded by journalist Fred Myers and Helen Jones, Larry Andrews, and Marcia Glaser in 1954, to address what they saw as animal-related cruelties of national scope, and to resolve animal welfare problems by applying strategies beyond . [164], 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. 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. Gorant went on to document the animals' rehabilitation, and how one went on to become a therapy dog in a hospital. Nearly 800,000 Californians signed petitions to place the measure on the ballot. Make a difference in the world. [136][137] The HSUS is a strong supporter of "pets in the workplace" programs. [117] Vick was prosecuted and convicted under state and federal laws. The advisory has since been removed. Singer's book sought to recast concern for animals as a justice-based cause like the movements for civil rights and women's rights. Your gift can do so much for animals in need. [220] The IHT describes HSUS as the "least radical" of animal rights groups. 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. Charities (2019) Dropped off in 2020 By The Numbers Private Donations. HSUS actually incurred a net loss of $5,358 (0.32%) in 2007. [citation needed], 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. [213], 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. .home-side-nav .max-content-container .side-nav .field--name-field-side-nav-image img { "[237] 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. Donate Today. 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. "[174] You can do this with a charitable gift annuity. Donate. Feld Entertainment sued HSUS and other animal-rights advocates and advocacy groups under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. [3] It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. The number of dog breeders licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture declined from 3,486 in 2009 to 2,205 in 2011. [259], 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.