What Is the Purpose of the Humane Society?
Most people associate the Humane Society with catching stray animals and shelters filled with cages, each containing some poor homeless cat or dog. While this is part of what the Humane Society does, their mission is much broader than simply rounding up strays. The Society engages in a number of charitable operations, all dedicated to improving the relationship between people and animals.
Misconceptions
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not the parent organization for local animal shelters. While the Humane Society publishes guidelines for animal shelters, these are actually run by local organizations. Sometimes these are state agencies, other times they are city agencies. Like the HSUS, nearly all are non-profit agencies. While the Humane Society does work with pets, they also spend much of their resources on wildlife, and animal welfare programs. The goals of the HSUS are much broader than collecting strays, though a concern for the conditions and treatment of strays is part of its purpose.
History
The Humane Society was founded in 1954 by a group of people who were looking to improve the conditions for animals beyond the scope of local shelters. The group chose to base the new organization in Washington, D.C. to reflect the national focus of its efforts. The HSUS was one of the early advocates against the use of animal testing and other issues centered around the theme of animal cruelty. As the environmental movement of the 1960's and 1970's gained momentum, HSUS expanded its mission to include wildlife concerns. More than just cats and dogs, the Society looks to the welfare of everything from squirrels to whales.
Types
The Humane Society focuses on several categories of animals. The first and most well-known of these is pets. This is where the Society gets involved with the local shelters. They promote awareness of the conditions animals are kept in, and encourage good adoption practices (such as neutering). The Society also works with wildlife and marine animals. Much of their focus in this regard is on commercial and sport fishing/hunting. Another aspect of the Society's work includes efforts to stem "factory farming" where large amounts of animals are raised to produce food. HSUS also advocates against animal testing in research.
Geography
As an organization based in the United States, the Society mainly focuses on issues in America. They work both with urban and rural animals. In the cities they focus on household pets and urban wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and other animals. In rural areas their focus is more on farm animals, especially horses. The Humane Society also operates rural clinics to treat animals in impoverished areas. In recent years, HSUS has expanded some of their efforts to more international locations, specifically when it comes to the welfare of marine animals and wildlife. There is now an international branch of the Humane Society, with programs and activities around the globe.
Function
One of the ways in which the Humane Society differs from other animal groups is that they tend to focus more on the individual consumer end. Much of their promotional and educational materials are aimed at individual pet-owners, as well as consumers who might buy "farm factory" products. They do engage in investigations, legal actions, and legislative campaigns, though the majority of their interaction with the public occurs on the small scale. An example of this is their program for making people aware of urban wildlife, and what people can do to safeguard it (and themselves) when the urban wildlife invades their backyards. They tend to be less directly confrontational than other groups with similar interests (such as PETA, for example), although their interests and activities may overlap.
Tags: Humane Society, urban wildlife, advocates against, advocates against animal, against animal