Within the world of animal rights, there are three types of activist organizations.  Some groups preach and practice non-violent tactics.  Other groups publicly or tacitly endorse violence in the name of animal rights.  Still others, fortunately a small number, actually commit crimes which they claim are carried out "for the animals."  However, all three have a common cause: the ultimate goal of animal liberation, which, among other consequences, would mean a halt to medical progress.

Fanatical, radical and dangerous

Some animal rights militants have moved beyond words. Violent animal rights activity is one of today’s top domestic terrorist threats according to the FBI, which is investigating over 150 open cases. "There's been no other movement that has brought as much violence and destruction and vandalism," a FBI official told The Wall Street Journal in 2005.

Animal rights militants are endangering research, individual scientists and their families through acts of intimidation, harassment and violence. They are responsible for hundreds of crimes with damages totaling in the millions of dollars. As a result of the activities of these zealots, potentially life-saving research has been destroyed, scientists and their families have been terrorized, and some research programs have been set back.

Although law enforcement has begun a crackdown on these criminals, they still pose a dire threat to research. The most dangerous among the extremist groups are SHAC (Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty), ALF (the Animal Liberation Front), ELF (the Earth Liberation Front) and their various factions.  According to the FBI, estimates of damage and destruction perpetrated by the ALF alone total more than $100 million dollars to date.   "The ALF is considered a terrorist group, whose purpose is to bring about social and political change through the use of force and violence," a FBI official told a congressional committee in 2002.

National organizations with ulterior motives

For many of us, the names of national animal rights organizations - including the Humane Society of the United States, PETA,  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and In Defense of Animals - are well known. Their websites and appeals for donations are designed to suggest to potential contributors  that their donations would go to improve animal welfare.  A closer examination into the activities and beliefs of these groups, and the way their dollars are really spent, is necessary for a complete understanding of their mission.  

These organizations - sometimes openly, sometimes behind the scenes - actively push an animal rights agenda.  If you think your donation is going to fund shelters, animal rescue operations or animal care, be wary. It may instead be funneled into animal-rights-driven activities, some of which threatens biomedical research.  Your dollars intended to help animals may be better spent if given to your local shelter or a group you feel confident embraces the principles of animal welfare, not the extreme animal rights philosophy.


The truth about PETA:  Cheerleaders for violence, not animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is perhaps the best-known animal rights group.  With millions of dollars and celebrity cache, PETA uses flashy ad campaigns and often ridiculous and offensive efforts to garner endless media attention.  Over the years, PETA has also made inroads into the public school system, providing young children with animal rights propaganda designed to sway the minds of students - particularly in regard to the use of animals in medical research.

Even though it claims to be a nonviolent organization, PETA’s president and founder Ingrid Newkirk along with other top staff often serve as cheerleaders for those willing to commit violence on behalf of animal rights, as can be seen in the quotes above. 

Despite its $29 million annual budget, PETA does very little to directly improve the lives of animals. In fact, its shelters more often than not wind up killing the very animals they claim to protect.  The Center for Consumer Freedom released data that shows PETA has killed more than 10,000 animals from 1998 to 2003.  The Center reports that “In 2003, PETA euthanized over 85 percent of the animals it took in, finding adoptive homes for just 14 percent.  By comparison, the Norfolk, VA SPCA found adoptive homes for 73 percent of its animals and Virginia Beach SPCA adopted out 66 percent.” 

The PETA story gets worse.  In 2005, two PETA staff members were charged with animal cruely for allegedly obtaining dogs and cats from North Carolina shelters and a veterinarian, promising to take them to the PETA shelter where they would find good homes, only to kill the animals in a PETA van and toss the bodies into a dumpster.

PETA runs an ongoing and vigorous campaign of misinformation about the use of animals in biomedical research. Unfortunately, because PETA is so well-funded and has had a 20-year head start with its publicity, it has succeeded in perpetuating lies about the treatment of laboratory animals that are widely accepted by the public.  Organizations including Americans for Medical Progress are now working to counter those myths and inform the public about the humane and necessary use of animals in life-saving research.