Each year, trained responders from the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International enter disaster zones to rescue and rehabilitate affected animals. Over the years, our teams have responded swiftly and effectively to situations ranging from hurricanes to earthquakes to...

Throughout 2018, Humane Society International has driven transformational changes for animals around the globe. Vietnam adopted animal welfare language for the first time in its history; Unilever supported a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics; the Indonesian government supported a ban on the...

As mom to an animal-loving daughter, it warms my heart to see stories of children who are working to make the world a better place for animals. We have all seen these on social media or maybe in our own homes and neighborhoods – children who ask for donations to animal shelters instead of birthday...

On Sunday, Hurricane Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall. Our Animal Rescue and Response team moved toward the strike zone, ready to assist animals in need. Bringing together supplies, equipment and personnel to support emergency response agencies...

In January, our Humane Society International/India team learned about eight puppies who were stuck in tar in the town of Tirur in the south Indian state of Kerala. The puppies, as you can see in the video below, were completely covered in the sticky black stuff that was fast hardening up around...

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all of the wonderful people -- family members and friends -- who share our lives, and also for the animals who are so important to us. At the Humane Society of the United States, where we have a dogs-in-the workplace policy, the companion animals of friends...

For over a decade, we have been fighting hard to prevent the suffering and abuse of captive big cats, confronting a dangerous industry and the individuals who take advantage of these animals. And we celebrated in December of last year when President Biden signed the Big Cat Public Safety Act into...

We begin our work in 2022 encouraged by the knowledge that a handful of significant animal protection laws at the state level have now taken effect across the country. That makes for a great start to a year in which we hope to extend the reach of our campaigns to help all animals. Two ballot...

Inscribing the humane treatment of animals into our laws takes years, and so we are heartened by some key measures at the state level taking effect in 2024, which are the result of so much rallying and advocacy, and which will contribute to shaping the humane world we envision. As of Jan. 1, 2024, California’s Proposition 12, widely considered the world’s strongest law for the protection of farm animals, now enjoys full implementation.

Gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for the coronavirus in the first known cases of its transmission to non-human primates. The animals are believed to have contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper. This is distressing news on many levels. While gorillas are not...

On Dec. 31, Florida's greyhound racetracks closed for good as a result of a ballot measure we helped pass with our partner groups in 2018. That win brought down what was once the stronghold of this "sport" and effectively sounded the death knell for greyhound racing in the United States. The work...

Update: By the time our team departed the area in mid-September, 872 families were served during our response effort, including 9,083 animals. When we learned that Hurricane Idalia would likely make landfall, we identified the best means for us to help care for animals in a potential crisis and...

The road to a more humane and just society for animals is paved by many hands and hearts doing many different kinds of work: Sheltering and finding loving homes for dogs, cats and other companion animals in local communities; tending to sick and injured animals, from those who share our homes to...

With the weight of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine heavy in our hearts, we are thinking of the Ukrainian people and their animals and identifying ways to help them now and over the longer term. How could we do otherwise with a torrent of images and news reports flooding in all around us? People...

The images coming out of Kentucky after historic flooding recently devastated the eastern part of the state are simply heartbreaking: Entire homes lie in shambles, streets and bridges are still impassible and tall trees have been snapped like twigs from the force of the water. Our Kentucky state...

Veterans Day appears on our calendars every year as a special day on which to honor the men and women who have faithfully served in our nation’s armed forces. But the fact is that we ought to be mindful of veterans’ service and loyalty every day. We have a large debt to all those who have answered...

Thanks to a tip-off from concerned citizens, the quick response of our Chinese partners at animal group Vshine and decisive action by law enforcement officials, two illegal dog slaughterhouses in a northern province of China are getting permanently closed down and more than fifty dogs rescued from...

A bill that would prohibit public contact with big cats like tigers, lions and leopards and ban the possession of these animals as pets was swiftly reintroduced in the U.S. House today, suggesting that the measure is poised for early action in Congress. The Big Cat Public Safety Act had already...

Congress has begun its annual process of funding federal departments, agencies and programs, and last night two House subcommittees voted to include several crucial provisions benefiting animals in their FY2021 appropriations bills. The Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee bill presented by...

Ahead of a looming U.S. government shutdown, congressional leaders have unveiled the first of two packages of bills to keep federal government funded through September 30 (the end of fiscal year 2024). This first package of funding and directives for several agencies contains many key items with positive implications for animals.