Friends of Animals

youtube.comWho Are Friends of Animals?YouTube video by Friends of Animals

26 Nov 2024

Meet Friends of Animals. Since 1957, we've been advocating for animal rights, protecting wildlife+fighting against exploitation. From managing a sanctuary at @primarilyprimates.bsky.social to campaigning for vegan living, we’re here to make a difference. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCkc... #BeVegan

362 black bears slaughtered in 6 days in New Jersey. Bears are paying with their lives for conflicts driven by human behavior. FoA will keep pushing for prevention through education and bear-resistant trash programs. Read more: friendsofanimals.org/foa-jeers-nj...

Finally, NYC voted to ban the carriage horse trade. After 40 years of fighting for the horses’ freedom, FoA isn’t relenting. Not until all 180 horses set foot in accredited sanctuaries, where they can choose how to spend their days and never again suffer at the hands of humans.

The bill to ban carriage horses in NYC has passed. We celebrate this victory for the horses as we spent over four decades advocating for this moment. Friends of Animals will ensure every horse goes to accredited sanctuaries. Count on it. History is made. Thank you @SpeakerMenin

FoA is here at City Hall Park. The bill passed through the health committee this morning, and the rally just ended. The bill goes for a final vote at 1:30 p.m. We are here to deliver the message that once the bill is passed all carriage horses must go to accredited sanctuaries.

At our sanctuary, rescued wild horses roam, graze and rest without being ridden or made to work. They’ll never be sold or traded. We’ve offered that same lifelong care to six NYC carriage horses, with 20 acres to call home. Horses owe us nothing. We owe them everything.

This Thursday, NYC Council will vote to end the carriage horse trade. For decades, FoA has fought to end this exploitation. We’ve pledged $25,000 and offered sanctuary to six horses. At our Texas sanctuary, rescued horses flourish with the care and dignity every horse deserves.

FoA celebrates end of horse carriage trade, acknowledges there is more work ahead: friendsofanimals.org/foa-celebrat...

BREAKING NEWS: Legislators strike deal to ban NYC horse carriage industry Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached a deal to abolish the city’s horse carriage industry.

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The updated bill shared with POLITICO, requires the city to “consider” establishing programs to compensate carriage owners for their horses. Friends of Animals is offering $25,000 to start.

We invite the carriage horse owners to engage with us on this, and to allow us to place the first six horses at our San Antonio, Texas sanctuary. The carriage trade has no future, but FoA is committed to making sure the horses do.

The carriage horse trade being deadly is not the only reason it needs to be banned—on a day-to-day basis it robs equines of their basic needs—adequate turnout for roaming free and socialization.

“Lugging tourists around New York’s dangerous, congested streets is a nightmare made even worse by horses eventually being sold to slaughter,” FoA’s President Priscilla Feral said.

The legislation has already secured formal support from more than half of the Council’s 51 members, so it is likely to become law now that the mayor has committed to signing it.

Friends of Animals applauds Speaker Menin for her leadership in achieving a carriage horse ban, however the phase-out should be quicker, as this timeline means the horses will still be in danger for another year-and-a-half.

Menin said Mamdani has agreed to back a bill that would make it illegal to operate a horse-drawn carriage in the city, starting in June 2028, in an announcement shared exclusively with POLITICO on Tuesday. Menin is scheduling a full Council vote on the measure for Oct. 22.

Colorado’s wildlife is under attack from a well-funded trophy hunting agenda. Amendment 83 would make hunting and fishing the “preferred” means of wildlife management in the state Constitution. Colorado voters: Vote NO on Amendment 83. Read more: friendsofanimals.org/friends-of-a...

So-called “animal rights groups” celebrate Switzerland’s “fur sale ban.” But fur that meets certification rules still being developed can be imported and sold. Animals will still die for their coats. Regulating atrocities is nothing to celebrate. friendsofanimals.org/switzerlands...

We’re cheering Winchester and Bethel, CT, for banning anticoagulant rodenticides on municipal properties! These local wins strengthen FoA’s push for a statewide ban on these ghastly poisons. Read more: friendsofanimals.org/two-more-ct-towns-adopt-policies-to-ban-anticoagulant-rodenticides/

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THANK YOU to everyone who helped us surpass our Giving Day for Apes goal. We set out to fundraise $40,000 to help our elderly chimps age gracefully, and with the help of 224 donors, we raised $43,771–our new record! We couldn't do it without you!

Just $40 can help provide vegan protein and multivitamins for one chimp for an entire month! Help our senior chimps feel their best during their golden years: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

Friends of Animals reposted

As chimps age they can develop heart conditions, joint problems and pain, just like us. They need specialized exams, procedures and equipment to keep them healthy. One vet visit can cost up to $3500. Help cover the cost: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

Friends of Animals reposted

Medication for older chimps can cost up to $120 per month for each chimp! Help cover the cost at this link: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

Friends of Animals reposted

Who’s helping us fund our next enclosure modification?! Ramps and handholds can make all the difference for an aging chimp who has a harder time climbing and getting around. Every donation gets us closer to another enclosure modification. Donate HERE: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

Friends of Animals reposted

GIVING DAY FOR APES IS HERE! We have 24 HOURS to raise $40,000 for Shu Shu and our other senior chimps. Watch her story and help us make their golden years their BEST yet! DONATE HERE: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

North Atlantic right whales are on the brink of extinction. Maine's lobster industry wants another seven years without new fishing gear protections. The House voted to approve the delay until 2035. Now the industry is pushing the Senate to follow suit.

Stronger protections would be a nuisance for the industry. Delaying them could be a death knell for right whales. Friends of Animals is contacting senators, and we urge you to do the same. Tell both of your senators to vote NO on H.R. 9436. friendsofanimals.org/help-us-save...

JEERS to the BLM, which announced a $30M USDA investment to expand wild horse fertility control. More fertility control won't end the roundups. It only perpetuates the myth that there are too many wild horses on public lands. Wild horses are not the problem. friendsofanimals.org/blms-investm...

givingdayforapes.orgSupport Support Shu Shu & Friends' Golden Years on Giving Day for ApesChimpanzees develop many of the same aging conditions as humans. Help chimps at PPI age gracefully

On Oct 6, Primarily Primates is participating in Giving Day for Apes, a global, 24-hour fundraiser for ape sanctuaries! Our goal is to raise $40k for senior chimps like Shu Shu. Learn more: www.givingdayforapes.org/story/shu-shu

Primarily Primates@primarilyprimates.bsky.social

Shu Shu spent the first 27 years of her life in a research laboratory, giving birth to babies she was never allowed to raise. Today, her daughters Norma and Selena also call PPI home after their connection was discovered decades later. She turns 57 this year, and our commitment lasts a lifetime.

In honor of National Hunting and Fishing Day on Saturday, we went around the internet to see how people in the hunting and fishing industry attempt to justify killing wildlife. Here are some of those slobs, in their own words, making their case. "When people tell you who they are, believe them."

friendsofanimals.orgFriends of AnimalsFoA has been working to free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world since 1957.

Read more about why Friends of Animals is calling for an end to National Hunting and Fishing Day, and what you can do to help: friendsofanimals.org/cancel-natio...

Exotic pet ownership is a growing concern in Connecticut, and cases like this show why wild animals should never be treated as pets. Read more about the uptick in cases and what FoA is doing to help: friendsofanimals.org/opinion-wild...

22 Sept

National Wildlife Refuges should be places where wild animals are safe from unnecessary harm. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is adding 1,488 hunting and fishing opportunities across 107 National Wildlife Refuges and four fish hatcheries.

22 Sept

The agency is also bringing back lead ammunition where it was banned and expanding its use where it is still allowed. Lead from spent ammunition and lost fishing equipment can poison wildlife, causing severe neurological and physical harm and, in some cases, death.

22 Sept

Friends of Animals plans to challenge this reckless plan. Do you spend time in any of the National Wildlife Refuges affected by this rule? Learn how to take action and see the full list of affected refuges: friendsofanimals.org/help-us-figh...

17 Sept

A new federal memo could give developers and industries more room to kill endangered wildlife as collateral damage, as long as killing them wasn’t the intent. Read more and take action: friendsofanimals.org/trump-admini...

16 Sept

Our fight for wolves has a long history. For decades, Friends of Animals has pushed back against wolf control and weakened protections. With the Trump administration putting gray wolves and Mexican wolves under federal review again, that fight will continue if necessary.

14 Sept

As NYFW continues, Friends of Animals is making sure one message is seen across Manhattan: feathers are just as cruel as fur. Our moving billboard trucks and street posters beg the question: if fur is finally off the runway, why are feathers still having a moment at NYFW?

12 Sept

Wolves should never be political bargaining chips. The Endangered Species Act requires decisions about their protection to be based on science, not political pressure. The president does not get to decide their fate. Read why: friendsofanimals.org/trump-cant-j...

11 Sept

Iceland may finally put down its harpoons. After two endangered fin whales were killed this past June, FoA pushed travelers to take their tourism dollars elsewhere until Iceland ended whaling for good. Now, a permanent ban may finally be on the table. friendsofanimals.org/iceland-prop...

10 Sept

Feathers belong on the bird, not your runways. #NYFW2026 #NYFW

9 Sept

Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral has a message for the fashion industry. Fur is banned from the runway for the first time this Fashion Week. Feathers should be next. Birds should never suffer for a look. Join the Feather-Free Movement: friendsofanimals.org

8 Sept

With the Bureau of Land Management continuing to rip wild horses from federal public lands out West and another NYC carriage horse collapsing in Central Park, we’re shining a light on the horses who have already found sanctuary with us and the work still ahead.

21 Aug

We knew about some of the BLM’s atrocious, criminal behavior from revelations in 2015, but yesterday's New York Times expose by David PhilIipps sickens us at Friends of Animals and fortifies our ongoing legal efforts to shut down all wild horse roundups. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...

20 Aug

We're cheering a federal judge who blocked a deal that would’ve allowed a road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The road would’ve cut directly through Izembek’s wetlands that some 200 plus species call home. More: friendsofanimals.org/cheers-feder...

nytimes.comBorder Construction in Big Bend Is Halted After Drawing CriticismThe Trump administration has been carving a path through some of the beloved national park’s major natural attractions.

18 Aug

Cheers to the activists and advocates who lambasted the Trump Admin’s border wall project in Big Bend Nat'l Park, which has been temporarily halted. Let this serve as reminder: your voice carries weight and is essential in our fight safeguard nature. nytimes.com/2026/08/17/u...

18 Aug

In July, the US FWS and NOAA Fisheries finalized a rule making it easier to destroy endangered species' habitat. Now, we're asking you to contact your members of Congress and urge them to support H.R. 9901, which reestablishes strong ESA protections. More: friendsofanimals.org/we-need-your...

17 Aug

US FWS aims to gun down upwards of half a million barred owls over the next 30 years since they've been mislabeled as "invasive. Read the full Mother Jones article to learn more about the horrific plan and the legal action FoA is taking to stop it: friendsofanimals.org/should-we-ki...

14 Aug

Ospreys, who were once on the brink of extinction, are hailed as a conservation success story since rebounding from the days of DDT. But researchers and advocates have noticed a growing, concerning trend: ospreys appear to be in decline. More: friendsofanimals.org/ospreys-send...

13 Aug

In January, FoA went to court to defend Utah’s prairie dogs, and on Aug. 12 a panel of Tenth Circuit judges unanimously awarded us a victory! It was a battle between relentless development and preservation of a threatened species. More on the victory: friendsofanimals.org/utah-prairie...