A reminder to prioritize horse welfare ahead of Kentucky Derby

Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund call for continued action to protect racehorses

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.

Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund support NIH’s new commitment to reduce animal use in research

NIH joins FDA and EPA in pivotal shift toward human-based research

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.

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

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.