Table of Contents
Introduction
Many charities use charity donations to fund or undertake animal testing. This is the case despite there are alternative testing methods that are humane and more accurate. Other charities use donations to cause animal suffering in other ways, such as animal gifting. Many people have no idea their charity donations are being used to inflict misery and agony on animals.
Thankfully, many other charities are not involved in animal testing. Many choose to use humane research methods and condemn animal gifting. You can help stop animal cruelty by only supporting charities that do not use charity donations to fund animal suffering.
On this page you have access to lists letting you know the position of each charity with regards to animal research.
You can also Learn of charities that are the cause of animal cruelty in other forms, such as animal gifting. These can be charities like Oxfam and Heifer International, who ship animals such as goats and cows to poor families in poor parts of the world. Among other things, these families cannot afford veterinary treatment for the animal. The whole process results in these animals suffering.
If you would like to learn about animals being tested on in labs, see this Animal Experimentation page.
Image: Frightened lab monkeys hugging each other for comfort. Source
“Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals and the answer is: ‘Because animals are like us.’
Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: ‘Because the animals are not like us.’
Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.”
~ Prof. Charles R. Magel, pointing out double standards
Which Charities Do And Don’t Fund Animal Research?
If you want to find out if your charity donations are being used to torture animals, this alphabetical list will help you.
It tells you whether medical charities:
- Conduct or funds test on animals
- Haven’t ruled out funding testing on animals in the future
- Are members of the AMRC
The AMRC are the Association of Medical Research Charities, is the main representative body of medical charities in the UK. They are advocates for animal research and has recently introduced a requirement that all its members must include a declaration of support for animal experiments on their websites. This means that many of the UK’s biggest medical research charities are forced to support vivisection
Charities that are currently conducting or funding animal research appear on the list in red.
If you would like to help stop charities testing on animals, this website tells you ways you can help. You can begin by contacting charities who fund animal research and telling them they will never again receive charity donations from you, until they change to humane research methods.
Image: Stop your charity donations hurting innocent animal victims of charities who test on animals. They should change to more accurate, humane testing methods. Source
Animal Testing: Charities In Categories Of Type
You may prefer this list, as it is categorised into types of medical health charity, such as cancer, or cardio charities. It then tells you which of these do and do not test on animals, so you can see if your charity donations are used to hurt animals.
Image: Do your charity donations fund cruel animal research? Source
Animal Testing – Good, Bad, And Undetermined Charities
NAVS, the National Anti-Vivisection Society, provide a list of Good and Bad charities, so you can see who uses charity donations to fund animal suffering.
You can choose whether you would like to see an alphabetical list, or whether you would prefer to see them in Good, Good With Caution, Bad, and Undetermined categories.
NAVS also offer a pocket sized Good Charities Guide you can download.
Image: NAVS logo. Source
Australian Charities Who Do Not Test On Animals
The Humane Charities List has been compiled based on Australian charities that responded to a questionnaire, and signed a declaration before being approved.
If a medical or health related charity is not listed, it does not automatically mean that the charity does undertake or fund tests on animals, it could just mean they did not respond to the questionnaire. In this case, it is recommended that you should conduct your own enquiries into the charity regarding animal testing.
Medical or health charities in Australia who would like to be on this humane charities list can apply here.
Image: Find out if your donations to charity fund cruel animal experimentation.
“Vivisection is a social evil because if it advances human knowledge, it does so at the expense of human character.”
~ George Bernard Shaw on the immorality of animal research
Charities Fighting Against Animal Testing
Below are just a few organisations fighting against animal testing. They need your help to continue to put pressure on charities and other animal testers to stop the cruel practice. On their websites you can find many ways you can help.
Animal Free Research UK (formerly Dr Hadwen Trust)
Animal research UK is the UK’s leading medical research charity that funds and promotes exclusively non-animal techniques to replace animal experiments.
Image: Animal free Research UK was formerly known as the Dr Hadwen Trust. Source
SPEAK
A grass roots animal rights group currently campaigning to end the use of animals in research carried out by Oxford University in the UK.
European Coalition to End Animal Experiments
The European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) aim to eliminate ALL animal testing within the European Union. They have been the voice for helpless lab animals for nearly 25 years. In that time, they’ve ended animal testing for cosmetics in the EU and have delivered globally recognized cruelty-free standards for cosmetics, the Humane Cosmetics Standard.
PETA
PETA’s page about fighting against regulatory testing on animals is filled with information about animal testing and the resources they are using to fight it. It highlights their accomplishments including donating more than one million dollars to find non-animal testing methods. They received an award from the Institiute for In Vitro Sciences. They have proposed many different solutions for the United States to shift away from the use of animals in testing products for toxicity. You can help support PETA here in various ways and help to bring about change.
Centre For Animals & Social Justice (Formerly Uncaged)
Campaigns against animal experimentation.
Physicians Commitee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
Since 1985, the Physicians Committee, based in Washington DC, has been working tirelessly for alternatives to the use of animals in medical education and research and advocating for more effective scientific methods. Their staff of physicians, dietitians, and scientists are working with policymakers, industry, the medical community, the media, and the public to create a better future for people and animals.
Image: The beginning of an animal testing infograph poster. Source
Cruelty Free International
CFI is the the world’s leading single-issue organisation campaigning to create a world where nobody wants or believes we need to experiment on animals.
Cruelty Free International’s dedicated team combine legal and scientific expertise, research skills, media liaison, public campaigning, undercover investigations and political lobbying in order to work effectively for an end to animal experiments and their replacement with modern and humane alternatives. If you would like to help, there are suggestions, here. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.
Beagle Freedom Project
Beagle Freedom Project is a project of ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to rescuing animals in need. They also make educational films exposing animal abusing industries. They try to educate and change public perception to save lives and end animal exploitation.
The Beagle Freedom Project is a mission to rescue beagles used in animal experimentation in research laboratories and give them a chance at life in a loving forever home. They offer a cruelty-cutter app to help you check which items are cruelty free when shopping.
National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS)
NAVS has spearheaded the adoption of advanced, non-animal methods; exposed laboratory animal suffering and breaches of regulations with their undercover investigations; funded non-animal scientific and medical research; educated public and media about the flaws of animal research and provided legislators detailed briefings to support the replacement of animals in research with advanced methods. You can get involved here, or help NAVS continue their work to protect and save animals by donating what you can afford.
Image: NAVS is the world’s first body to challenge the use of animals in research. Source
New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)
Founded in 1895, NEAVS is based in Boston in the US. It is a national animal advocacy organisation dedicated to ending the use of animals in research, testing, and science education. Through research, outreach, education, legislation, and policy change, NEAVS advocates for replacing animals with modern alternatives that are ethically, humanely, and scientifically superior.
If you would like to find how you can help animals through NEAVS, you can do so here. If you wish, you can donate here. Their publications can be found here.
Image: NEAVS advocates for replacing animals with modern alternatives that are ethically, humanely, and scientifically superior. Source
John Hopkins Center For Alternatives To Animal Testing (CAAT)
CAAT promotes humane science by supporting the creation, development, validation, and use of alternatives to animals in research, product safety testing, and education.
CAAT follows a philosophy known as the 3Rs of alternatives:
- Replacement: Don’t use animals if a non-animal method exists that can answer the scientific question at hand.
- Reduction: If you must use animals, keep the number to the minimum necessary to answer the question.
- Refinement: If you must use animals, keep any pain or distress they experience to a minimum.
Gifts to CAAT can be made in many ways, for many different purposes, read more.
Image: Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) Website. Source
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC)
SHAC was a group strictly focused on animal testing at the Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) laboratories in the UK, which are one of the largest in Europe. HLS is a contract research organisation that kills approximately 75,000 animals each year. They perform testing for an enormous range of clients, including charities. They test chemicals, pesticides, cosmetics, foodstuffs and drugs on animals. SHAC obtained undercover footage of staff hitting and shouting at animals which resulted in HLS having their animal testing license temporarily suspended for six months. They brought HLS to the brink of bankruptcy and it had to be bailed out by the UK Government. Although HLS continues, SHAC has all but disbanded.
How To Most Effectively Spread Awareness
Would you like to help make the world a kinder place by helping stop terrified animals being put through horrific cruelty? By helping to change the habits of consumers by raising awareness, you can do that.
Spreading the animal rights message can be very emotionally draining and distressing. Have a look on this page to find out how to be an effective advocate for animals, whilst making sure you keep your mind healthy and happy. You can find more ways to spread awareness here.
Many Other Ways To Help Stop Animal Suffering
On this site there are many varied ways you can help animals and help stop cruelty. In fact, there are so many different ways that there is something for every personality type, no matter what their circumstances.
If you would like to learn more about why we so urgently need to help stop animal suffering, please see this website. It will allow you to broaden your knowledge of many different types of world wide animal abuse, giving you the ability to help animals by spreading awareness and answering questions people may have. Please be aware that you may find the information distressing.
One great way to help animals is to share the information you have seen on this website. Doing so means more people could help stop animal cruelty, and that would make you responsible for more animals being saved from suffering. Together we can help people help animals <3
Have Your Say In the Comments Section
Do you know of charities who cause animal suffering? Please let everyone know by leaving a comment.