Below is a summary of the primary animal rights issues. Click on any of the links to the left for details pertaining to the various issues.

ANIMALS KILLED FOR FOOD

The multibillion dollar business of factory farming wants the public to believe that animals are well treated before being slaughtered for human consumption.

In fact, cows, chickens, pigs, sheep and other animals on factory farms are treated like machines with no regard whatsoever for their suffering.

Find out more about animals killed for food and what you can do to help them.

ANIMALS KILLED FOR SPORT/FASHION

There once was a time when most Americans needed to hunt to put food on the table, but hunting today is a recreational pastime, and worse: waterfowl, pheasant and dove hunting are no more than shooting at living targets. Some hunting is done solely to acquire trophies or to see who can kill the most; some is no more than shooting tame, confined animals. Brutally inhumane weapons such as the bow and arrow are increasingly used. In all cases, sport hunting inflicts undeniable cruelty--pain, trauma, wounding, and death--on living, sentient creatures. Most civilized and caring people agree that causing suffering and death is by definition inhumane, regardless of the method.

Fur used to be thought of as a luxury garment … now the public is becoming aware about the abuse of fur-bearing animals.

Find out more about animals killed in the name of sport or fashion and what you can do to stop these horrendous and unnecessary practices.

ANIMALS KILLED FOR SCIENCE/EDUCATION

The big business of vivisection wants you to believe that science must use animals in experimentation for human safety and to advance medical health. Billions of dollars are involved in breeding, grants, fundraising and salaries. Those enmeshed in this industry will do everything they can to perpetuate their profits, including misleading the public about the efficacy of animal experimentation. Animal experimenters would have you believe that animal suffering is minimal in laboratories. In fact, the cruelty perpetrated by vivisectors every day, every minute, is so overwhelming it is at first difficult to grasp.

To add insult to injury, there are effective replacement techniques available to use in place of animal tests such as computer models, in vitro testing and more. Yet too many corporations, institutions and other entities profit from animal research to want to implement humane change: scientists, physicians, hospitals, regulation agency bureaucrats, pharmaceutical companies, medical conglomerates, politicians, animal breeders and vendors, animal equipment manufacturers, lawyers, reporters and the news media, to name a few.

Find out more about animals killed in the name of science and education and what you can do to encourage labs to adopt non-animal research methods.

ANIMALS EXPLOITED FOR ENTERTAINMENT

Circus: Wild animals, such as elephants, tigers, bears, lions, and zebras, live in chains or small, dark cages for ninety-five percent of their lives. Circus animals are forced to travel in box cars or trucks for months at a time with no regard for temperature, exercise or normal interaction with their own kind. Animals such as elephants are “trained” using the most extreme and brutal methods, such as electric shocks, starvation and beatings.

Rodeo: Hundreds of animals are injured or killed every year in rodeos throughout the United States. For the calf roping event, calves are shocked with electric prods to force them to run out of chutes at high speeds. The force of stopping breaks necks, killing or injuring many calves each year.

Find out more about animals captured, raised and exploited in the name of entertainment and family fun.

COMPANION ANIMALS, WILDLIFE, AND MARINE MAMMALS

Companion Animals: People are becoming aware that in this country we have a serious companion animal overpopulation crisis. Every two seconds, of every day, a dog or cat is killed in a shelter in the United States. Breeders perpetuate this problem by creating even more animals.

Wildlife: Whether endangered due to environmental reasons, development or hunting, many species of wild animals are in serious peril of becoming extinct.

Marine Mammals: Marine mammals are also in danger of extinction due to disease, environmental issues such as oil spills, fishing and hunting, and other issues impacting sea life.

Find out more about the issues and dangers concerning companion animals, wildlife and marine mammals.

ENVIRONMENT/PLANET HEALTH

Traditional farming practices have increasingly given way to factory farms which are taking a tremendous toll on the environment. There are now 20 billion livestock on Earth, more than triple the number of human beings.

Other issues impacting our planet and the lives it sustains include rainforest depletion, topsoil erosion, water depletion, water and air pollution, global warming, desertification and more.

Find out more about the environmental issues and concerns impacting all life on our planet.

HUMAN HEALTH/DIET

The consumption of animals, eggs, dairy and fish/seafood causes serious health problems including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, alarming obesity, high cholesterol levels and more.

Learn how a vegetarian or vegan diet is best for your health, the environment and the animals.

Find out more about what you can do to adopt a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.