5 collections related to Animal welfare -- Law and legislation

The Animal Rights Network Records contains correspondence, office files, reports, clippings, publications, mailings, and audiovisual resources documenting the activities of the Animal Rights Network in advocating for the ethical and humane treatment of animals. Issues addressed by the organization include live animal experimentation, exploitation of animals for sport and entertainment, intensive breeding and slaughter of domestic animals for food, and irresponsible pet ownership. The Animal Rights Network (ARN) published a bimonthly magazine, The Animals' Agenda, which contained original content and also served to assist smaller animal rights organizations network with members of the animal rights community, as well as maintained a library and archives component. ARN encouraged its members to collect and maintain their own collections documenting the animal rights and animal welfare movements, and many members donated their collections to ARN. The bulk of the material dates from the 1950s to 1990s. In 1979, several Connecticut-based animal rights activists withdrew from Friends of Animals, Inc., to found the Animal Rights Network (ARN). ARN joined forces with the animal rights magazine Agenda, and together they worked to unite local, national, and international animal rights groups to achieve common goals. ARN's main objectives incorporated the central issues confronting the animal rights movement. These objectives included live animal experimentation, exploitation of animals for sport and entertainment, intensive breeding and slaughter of domestic animals for food, and irresponsible pet ownership. The group used its financial resources to develop advertising campaigns and publications in order to educate the public about animal rights issues. In 2001, the board of directors determined that the role of ARN as a movement building and networking tool was no longer necessary, and formed a new organization called the Institute for Animals and Society (IAS) to advance animal advocacy issues in public policy development by conducting scholarly research and analysis, providing education and training, and fostering cooperation with other social justice movements and interests. IAS merged with Society and Animals Forum to create the Animals and Society Institute in 2005. Less

The records of the Animal Welfare Institute include administrative files of both the AWI and the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL), subject files on animals the organization works to protect, files on legislation that SAPL has been involved with, files on the work of other animal rights groups, subject files on regional activities, photographs, publications, books, audiovisual materials, and archived web content. Materials of the organization range in date from its founding in the early 1950s to the early 2020's; other materials in the collection date back to the 1930s. The Animal Welfare Institute was created in 1951 as a non-profit, charitable organization focused on reducing the amount of suffering inflicted on animals by humans. The AWI continues to be active in these endeavors today, working to reduce animal cruelty in captive and domestic situations--including farming and laboratories--and also working to protect the rights of animals living in the wild, both on land and in the water. Less

The Doris Day Animal League Records, 1978-2006, contains a wide variety of materials that document the organization's efforts to protect the lives of animals through policy initiatives and education--specifically relating to animal testing, animals in the entertainment industry, companion animals legislation, and horse slaughter. Included in the collection are correspondence, Freedom of Information Act requests, pamphlets, reports, legislative and judicial summaries, journal and newspaper articles, editorials, surveys, videotapes, photographs, and other materials. Some of the organization's largest efforts documented in these records are the United States Air Force chimpanzee divestiture, high production volume testing (HPV) on animals, no apes in entertainment, efforts to influence Disney's creation of their Wild Animal Kingdom park, dog breeding regulation, spay and neuter legislation, and horse slaughter legislation. Founded in 1987 by Doris Day, the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) is a nonprofit lobbying organization committed to providing animal advocacy through policy initiatives, education, and corporate engagement. Based in Washington D.C., DDAL serves to influence federal, state, and local laws and policies that focus on animal welfare. Some of the organization's largest efforts relate to the United States Air Force chimpanzee divestiture, high production volume testing (HPV) on animals, no apes in entertainment, dog breeding regulation, spay and neuter legislation, and horse slaughter legislation. In 2006, DDAL merged into the Humane Society of the United States. Less

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) Records include original correspondence, publications, animal rights research, legislative files, voting ballots, reports, grants, memorabilia, and photographs dating from 1918, with the bulk of the records from the 1960s to the 2010s. These materials encompass the full range of the organization's activities in promoting the protection of companion animals, farm animals, animals in laboratories, and wildlife. Additionally, the records reflect the organization’s special focus on public policy, humane education, and direct animal care work. Researchers should be advised that SCRC staff has identified materials in this collection that depict animal cruelty and abuse. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), originally known as the National Humane Society, is an animal welfare and rights nonprofit organization that was first formed in 1954 by former members of the American Humane Association (AHA). The organization committed itself to preventing cruelty to animals of all kinds as a part of the national animal humane movement. Since 1954, the HSUS has expanded its operations to include animal rights and welfare advocacy, education, legislation, research, investigation, and field services. The HSUS has been instrumental in lobbying for federal animal rights and welfare legislation, including the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958, the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966, and the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006. For a more comprehensive historical timeline and a list of abbreviations related to the HSUS, refer to the document available online. Less