Remarkable People

Who We Are

Four decades ago, a small group of concerned local citizens banded together to stop a massive and brutal commercial hunt for white-coal harp seals on the eastern coast of Canada, and a new breed of animal advocacy organisation was born.

From the outset, the founders of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW, rejected the notion that the interests of humans and animals were separate. Instead they embraced the understanding that the fate and future of harp seals-and all other animals on Earth-are inextricably linked to our own.

IFAW's courageous actions drew international attention to the plight of the seal pups and successfully rallied worldwide condemnation of the hunt. Thanks to IFAW's continued vigilance, it is now illegal to hunt whitecoat seal pups for commercial purposes on the ice floes off Canada's east coast. This is a fragile victory, however, for Canada's commercial seal hunt persists. IFAW continues to document and expose abuses of the commercial hunt and press for an end to this cruel, unsustainable slaughter. Over the years, the small team of committed campaigners reaching out to help seals has grown to become the world's leading international animal welfare organization. IFAW begins its fourth decade of operation with teams of experienced and dedicated campaigners, legal and political experts, and internationally acclaimed scientists working from offices in countries around the world.

We are now joined in this important work by 1.2 million supporters worldwide. This broad base of support makes it possible for IFAW to engage communities, government leaders, and like-minded organizations around the world and achieve lasting solutions to pressing animal welfare and conservation challenges-solutions that benefit both animals and people. Over the years, our approach has been as varied as the species we protect, but our mission has remained constant and simple: to create a better world for animals.

Our Mission Statement

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 2 million members and supporters.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds, and other "pests" as well as cruelty to domesticated animals.

PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

All About Peta

PETA was founded in 1980 and is dedicated to establishing and defending the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment. PETA educates policymakers and the public about animal abuse and promotes kind treatment of animals. PETA is an international nonprofit charitable organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, with affiliates worldwide.

PETA believes that animals have rights and deserve to have their best interests taken into consideration, regardless of whether they are useful to humans. Like you, they are capable of suffering and have an interest in leading their own lives.

The very heart of all of PETA's actions is the idea that it is the right of all beings—human and nonhuman alike—to be free from harm. Our world is plagued with many serious problems, all of which deserve our attention. Cruelty to animals is one of them. We believe that all people should try to stop animal abuse whenever and wherever they can.

Since 1980, PETA has campaigned to establish a global society in which humans consider the needs of what Henry Beston, noted American writer and naturalist of the mid-20^th century, so beautifully called "the other animal nations." We uphold the rights of individual animals to be respected. For most, that means simply leaving them alone.

PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry.

In today's world of virtually unlimited choices, animal exploitation is simply unacceptable. We can eat better, educate ourselves better, clothe ourselves better, and entertain ourselves better without torturing and killing animals.

We have the power to spare animals excruciating pain by making better choices about the food we eat, the things we buy, and the activities we support.