Friends of Animals, Inc.

Background Statement

Background Statement

Friends of Animals (FoA) is a non-profit, international animal advocacy organization established in 1957. 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.

Colorado-Specific Advocacy

FoA is actively engaged in animal advocacy efforts across Colorado, encompassing a range of important issues impacting wildlife and their habitats within the state.

Friends of Animals is committed to changing the way state wildlife areas are regulated and ending the model of wildlife “conservation” that focuses on killing animals. Not only is this model unethical, but it also overlooks the health of the broader ecosystem, the well-being of the animals who live there, and a broad range of responsible recreation.

When the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (CPW) passed regulations that restricted access to State Wildlife Areas to those with a hunting and fishing license, Friends of Animals took them to court. We are staunch advocates for fair and equal access to public lands ensuring that special privileges for hunters and fishers are not granted. Shortly thereafter, the CPW changed the regulations so that all people—not just hunters and fishers—could purchase a pass to access and support these areas. This was an important step to create a new model of conservation that is not reliant on hunting and fishing.

Friends of Animals continues to demand better management of State Wildlife Areas. This year, we filed a lawsuit against CPW for new regulations that once again discriminate against people who are not hunting or fishing. The regulations restrict or ban activities such as hiking, paddle boarding, dog walking, camping, and in some cases public access altogether, while inexplicably allowing someone who is hunting or fishing to engage in those same activities. These regulations perpetuate the myth that hunters should control wildlife management and restrict a broad range of responsible wildlife-related recreation.

This lawsuit is an important milestone in Friends of Animals persistent campaign to transform wildlife agencies to protect wild animals and not just the interests of hunters and fishers. The lawsuit also seeks to foster fairness and inclusivity in recreational activities within State Wilderness Areas. Wildlife can thrive if management focuses on preserving and restoring habitat and garnering true respect for the lives of wild animals.

Friends of Animals is also closely following the developments regarding the Wolf Reintroduction in Colorado, advocating for the ethical and responsible management of wolf populations and their role in maintaining ecological balance in the region.

We also work on FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) litigation in Colorado. This litigation seeks to expose information about policies and practices that impact wildlife. This includes information about the imports of threatened and endangered species that have been hunted for sport in other countries. It also includes information about deaths and disease in wild horse facilities. This information is critical to holding the government accountable and advocating for meaningful change in how wildlife is treated.

Animal Protection and Legal Initiatives Beyond Colorado

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 animals.

Through its Colorado-based Wildlife Law Program, FoA has become the leading national wild horse protection organization. We have brought and won more than a dozen cases to protect wild horses, ensuring that herds remain with their families on the range instead of being ripped from federal public lands through cruel roundups.

Our lawsuits have stopped the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from needlessly rounding up thousands of horses in Wyoming, from limiting a Montana wild horse herd size to an outdated, low population target, and from attempting to loosen restrictions on the sale of thousands of wild horses to private parties who frequently sell them for slaughter.

As BLM repeatedly tries to commodify our public lands by catering to the meat industry and other polluters and commercial interests, our lawsuits to protect wild horses and burros are more important than ever.

Closing Statement

With a rich history of advocating for animals, both locally and globally, Friends of Animals continues to be at the forefront of the animal rights movement, striving to create a more compassionate world for all living beings.