Friends of Animals (FoA) is a non-profit, international animal advocacy organization incorporated in the state of New York since 1957. Friends of Animals advocates for the rights of nonhuman animals, free-living and domestic. Our goal is to free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world.
The organization has grown from its beginnings as the most comprehensive low-cost spay neuter program in the country, facilitating more than 2.8 million spay/neuter procedures to date. It has evolved as well and now places critical habitat, wildlife protection and veganism at the core of animal advocacy. We also address the biggest contributors to climate change caused by human activity—deforestation, animal agriculture and fossil fuels.
Our advocacy work includes legal initiatives by our Wildlife Law Program as well as policy and legislative outreach on such issues as banning fur sales and prohibiting trophy imports of Africa’s Big 5.
FoA is on the frontlines of providing sanctuary for animals that were victims of exploitation in the exotic pet trade, research and entertainment industry, operating Primarily Primates in San Antonio, which cares for more than 300 animals including many chimps.
Our reach also extends overseas with two important projects in Africa: the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project in The Gambia and our work in Senegal where FoA has been instrumental in establishing and maintaining a recovery program for the Scimitar-horned Oryx and Dama Gazelle. FoA is also working to restore the critically endangered North African red-necked Ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), the largest bird on earth. What’s more, FoA has partnered with Senegal National Parks to establish water-efficient gardens as a new source of sustainable nutrition for local communities in the Ferlo area of northeast Senegal.
