Who's who in activism
A sample of groups opposed to animal research, and how to tell them apart
Name: | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) |
Website: | http://www.peta.org/ |
Key Features: | Says it's the largest animal rights group worldwide, with nearly 2 million members; opposes all forms of animal testing; has been accused of using its assets (more than $31 million in revenue) to fund more militant groups, ALF and ELF; sends people undercover to document alleged abuses |
Known for: | Threw pie at Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who promotes fur in fashion; compared factory farming to the Holocaust; captured footage of Huntingdon Life Science researchers allegedly abusing animals |
| Name: | Animal Liberation Front |
| Website: | http://www.animalliberationfront.com/ |
| Key Features: | Calls itself the "most active liberation group,"... |
| Name: | Earth Liberation Front |
| Website: | http://earth-liberation-front.org/ |
| Key Features: | Favors direct action (destroying property) to subvert actions injuring people, animals or the environment, sometimes called "ecotage" |
| Known for: | Committed arson at Vail ski resort, resulting in $12 million in damages; was accused of setting fire this year to five luxury homes outside Seattle |
| Name: | Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine |
| Website: | http://www.pcrm.org/ |
| Key Features: | Is an association for doctors and non-doctors that opposes the use of animals in research and promotes vegetarian diet; has been linked to PETA. |
| Known for: | In 2004, doctor and PCRM member Jerry Vlasak, said: "I don't think you'd have to kill too many researchers. I think for five lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives." |
| Name: | Animal Legal Defense Fund |
| Website: | http://www.aldf.org/ |
| Key Features: | Is a non-profit animal rights law organization that files lawsuits to protect animal rights |
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