International Animal Advocacy, Animal Rights and Animal Protection Organizations

These international animal advocacy, animal rights and animal protection organizations work to protect animals, and ensure their rights and welfare—worldwide.

ACTAsia for Animals – Works to promote compassion for animals and against the enormous amount of animal suffering in Asia. ACTAsia’s humane education program has trained hundreds of humane educators who are teaching thousands of Chinese schoolchildren. They are teaching professionals to campaign for proper animal welfare legislation in a country that has none, and educate the public about respect for animal life where it doesn’t exist. ACTAsia is working to raise awareness about the brutalities of the fur trade and work with grassroots animal activist groups across China teaching them to be more professional and more effective.

African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)  – Established in 1961, African Wildlife Foundations works to preserve and protect all African wildlife and wildlands, and help them thrive. AWF is involved with wildlife conservation, land and habitat protection, community empowerment and economic development.

Animals Australia – Animals Australia is Australia’s foremost national animal protection organization. They represent some 30 member groups, and along with their global arm, Animals International, has an unprecedented track record in investigating and exposing animal cruelty and for conducting world-first strategic public awareness campaigns. A well known campaign is to Ban Live Export.

Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) – Animals Asia Foundation was founded in 1998 with the plight of the Asiatic Black Bear (Moon Bear), who are farmed in Asia for their bile used in traditional Chinese medicine. The organization raises awareness of the inhumane methods of extracting bile from the bears, where metal catheters are inserted into their abdomens for bile extraction leaving open wounds. The bears are kept in small cages for up to 25 years and often become sick, malnourished and diseased and suffer. The Foundation maintains a Moon Bear Rescue Center outside Chengdu for sick bears.

Animal Defenders International – Animal Defenders International (ADI) was founded in 1990. With offices in Los Angeles, London and Bogota, ADI educates and campaigns across the globe on animals in entertainment and other industries. They create public awareness of animal suffering and combine this with scientific and economic research. They provide technical briefings to legislators and governments. ADI has a worldwide reputation for providing video and photographic evidence exposing the behind-the-scenes suffering in industry and supporting this evidence with scientific research. ADI rescues animals all over the world and educates the public on animals and environmental issues. ADI in the UK is a registered non-profit membership guarantee company. ADI in the United States is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) – Animal Welfare Institute was founded in 1951, and is dedicated to alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by people. AWI is focused on cruel animal factory farms that are expanding worldwide, ending the torture of furbearing animals, protecting animals in laboratories and promoting non-animal forms of testing methods, protecting threatened species, and reducing the impact on endangered species.

Ban Live Export – Australia is the world’s largest exporter of live animals for slaughter. Every year, millions of Australian Cattle, Sheep, and Goats are exported live to be killed in the Middle East, South East Asia, North Africa, and the Philippines – where animal welfare laws do not exist to protect them. Tens of thousands of animals die before reaching their destination. Those who survive the grueling journey are transported, handled, and slaughtered in horrific ways. You can get involved with Ban Live Export through Animals Australia.

Center for Biological Diversity – The Center for Biological Diversity works to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. They do this through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.

Compassion in World Farming – Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 in England by a British farmer who became appalled by the development of intensive factory farming. CWF is focused specifically on farm animal welfare and cruelty, and campaigns peacefully on a global level, to end all cruel factory farming practices.

CompassionWorks International (CWI) – CompassionWorks International is dedicated to furthering emancipation for animals enslaved within systems of oppression through conducting investigations, advocacy campaigns, and education. CWI provides the assistance needed to bring hope to animals by implementing professional, strategic actions within communities, and by raising awareness about the suffering that occurs inside the tanks, under the big tops, at the hands of trophy hunters, and behind the shuttered doors of factory farms and medical testing facilities. 

Humane Society International (HSI) – Humane Society International works to protect all animals around the world, including animals in laboratories, farm animals, marine mammals, companion animals, and wildlife—and their record of achievement demonstrates their dedication and effectiveness. HSI: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.

International Animal Rescue (IAR) – “Saving animals from suffering around the world” is their motto. IAR works to rescue, save and protect animals in developing countries. Once recovered, they will return the animal to their natural habitat if possible, or provide a permanent home for animals that can no longer survive in the wild. They also educate the public in the compassionate and humane treatment of all animals, and work with other like-minded organizations and government departments to strengthen legislation to protect animals from cruelty and neglect.

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) – International Fund for Animal Welfare rescues and protects animals around the world. Founded in 1969, IFAW saves individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW provides hands-on assistance to animals in need, whether it’s dogs and cats, wildlife and livestock, or rescuing animals in the wake of disasters. We also advocate saving populations from cruelty and depletion, such as our campaign to end commercial whaling and seal hunts.

Open Cages is an international organization based in Poland and founded in 2018 that works to help animals in Europe and Eastern Europe through corporate campaigns, investigations, and outreach. They are building a mass movement of dedicated activists all over Europe striving to free animals from cruelty, confinement, exploitation and death. Their campaigns include banning animal fur, eliminating cages for chickens living in industrial factory farms, fighting cruelty on industrial farms and changing policies, and promoting animal sentience and respect.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 3 million members. 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. They work through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) – PAWS mission is dedicated to the protection of performing animals, to providing sanctuary to abused, abandoned, and retired captive wildlife, to enforcing the best standards of care for all captive wildlife, to the preservation of wild species and their habitat, and to promoting public education about captive wildlife issues.

ProVeg International – (Formerly known as VEBU) is a leading international food awareness organization working across four continents, and expanding internationally. ProVeg collaborates with governments, public institutions, provide companies, medical professionals, and the public to develop plant-based alternatives and help the world transition to a more plant-based society and economy to make the world more sustainable for humans, animals and our planet.

RedRover – RedRover brings animals from crisis to care and strengthens the bond between people and animals through the following programs: 1) RedRover Responders.Volunteer teams shelter and care for animals displaced by natural disasters and reconnects them to owners. They also shelter and care for animals rescued from puppy mills, hoarding cases and other significant abuse situations (Formerly Emergency Animal Rescue Service).2) RedRover Readers. Helps children explore the bond between people and animals through stories and discussion (Formerly Humane Education Ambassador Readers). 3) RedRover Relief. Provides guidance, case management and financial assistance to help pet owners, Good Samaritans and rescuers obtain urgent veterinary care. They work with domestic violence shelters to help survivors of domestic violence and their pets safely escape abusive environments, so families can escape together and stay together (Formerly LifeLine Grant Program).

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) – Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.

Sinergia Animal – Sinergia Animal is an international animal protection organization working to end the worst practices of industrial animal agriculture. they work in six countries of the Global South – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia and Thailand – to reduce the suffering of animals exploited by the food industry and to reduce the consumption of animal products by promoting more compassionate and healthy diets. Sinergia engages in corporate outreach with the goal of reducing animal suffering and decreasing the consumption of animal products. They focus especially on countries where major international animal advocacy organizations are not currently working, and aim to work as pioneers, paving the way for other organizations to expand their operations. Sinergia is great for donors who want to promote corporate reforms in relatively neglected countries.

Soi Dog – Soi Dog Foundation is a not-for-profit, legally registered charitable organization in Thailand, the United States, Australia, the UK, France and Holland. Soi Dog helps the homeless, neglected and abused dogs and cats of Thailand, works to end the dog meat trade throughout the region, and responds to animal welfare disasters and emergencies. They aim to set an example for the Asian region on how to humanely reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats through spaying and neutering, and to better the lives and living conditions of the stray dogs and feral cats of Asia.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) – Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. The Wildlife Conservation Society was founded in 1895 and is based at the Bronx Zoo. It aims to conserve 2 million square miles of wild places worldwide. It runs around 500 field conservation projects in 65 countries. It also has five facilities in New York, all of which are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

World Animal Protection (WAP) – From regional hubs in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America, World Animal Protection is moving to protect animals around the world – in farming, in communities, in disasters, in the wild, in global respect for animals, and in education. It is an international non-profit animal welfare organization that has been in operation for over 30 years. The charity describes its vision as: A world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty has ended.) 

World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) – WWF is probably the most well-known conservation organization in the world. They have been fighting for wildlife conservation for decades and have made a huge difference to our natural world both on land and in the ocean. This organization combines hands-on conservation efforts and takes an active part in forming policy and legislation. WWF pays particular attention to species that are endangered and threatened, including elephants, tigers, orangutangs, rhinos, chimpanzees, leopards, gorillas, whales, turtles and dolphins. WWF works all over the world; priority regions are the Amazon, Himalayas, Mediterranean, Borneo, and Madagascar.

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