By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
A decade ago, an American trophy hunter shot an African lion just outside Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park with an arrow. Like many hunters before and after him, he was seeking a trophy, a part of his kill that he could lawfully import back home to the United States. He could hang it on his wall, and have a story to tell, too. To his family. To his friends. To fellow hunters at Safari Club International conventions.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
It’s estimated that more than 50 million mice, rats, dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits and other animals endure experiments in U.S. laboratories each year. The sheer scale of this animal suffering is hard to imagine, but thanks to new commitments to phase out animal testing and prioritize replacing animals in research, things could soon drastically change.
WASHINGTON (May 2, 2025)—As the Triple Crown begins with this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, we are again reminded of the risks horses face in the name of sport and entertainment, notes Humane World Action Fund President Sara Amundson:
“At Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund, our position remains clear: we support the strongest possible protections for racehorses—and we reject any system that tolerates animal suffering and exploitation.
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2025)—The National Institutes of Health’s announcement that it will prioritize human-based research technologies to reduce use of animals in NIH-funded research is applauded by Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
After 50 years in a laboratory, Montessa is finally getting a chance to enjoy life to the fullest. The 51-year-old chimp was brought to Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico in 1975 when she was just a year old. She spent her first 30 years there being used in harmful biomedical research experiments.
But a few weeks ago, after years of delays, and half a century at Alamogordo, Montessa made the journey to her new home at Chimp Haven, a lush 200-acre sanctuary in Louisiana.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In a sign of progress for animals used in laboratories, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced a strong commitment to reduce animal testing and advance new, superior approaches that don’t use animals for pharmaceutical testing.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
We have a new name—Humane World Action Fund—and an ambitious agenda, grounded in the mission we’ve pursued for several decades: to deliver positive and permanent policy outcomes for animals. We are as committed as ever to bringing laws into greater alignment with humane values—the values of kindness, compassion and fairness to all creatures. These are values we share with tens of millions of people not simply within the United States but throughout the world.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month for a second term, his administration has been issuing dozens of executive orders, some of which can have an impact on animals.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Inevitably, the passing of an American president offers an opportunity to think not only about an individual’s achievements in office, but to reflect on what those achievements say about our nation, and who we are, and what we can be. In this regard, Jimmy Carter leaves one of the richest legacies of anyone who has ever occupied the White House.
