Humane World for Animals

The Humane Society of the United States rebranded as “Humane World for Animals” in 2024, with its lobbying affiliate operating as the Humane World Action Fund (formerly Humane Society Legislative Fund). It remains one of the largest animal protection organizations in the world, operating across factory farming, wildlife protection, pet welfare, and animal testing policy.

The lab-animal program is not a standalone division with a discrete budget line. Instead it is split across (a) an issue/campaign program focused on research-testing policy and corporate/government change, and (b) an operational rescue capability used when lab-animal supply chains collapse or animals are seized. The program most directly responsible is publicly framed as “Animal testing and research,” led by Vice President for Animal Research Issues Kathleen Conlee (as of March 2026).

The Animal Rescue Team (ART) is the operational arm that executes physical transfers. Key ART personnel publicly tied to beagle operations include Miguel Abi-hassan, Adam Parascandola, and Jessica Johnson. HSUS positions itself as a mainstream institutional actor — working within legal and political systems rather than through direct action — giving it access to federal enforcement agencies, courts, and policymakers that more confrontational organizations cannot reach.

HSUS's “Be Cruelty-Free” campaign targets cosmetics and chemical testing that relies on animal models, including dog studies. The Charles River Mattawan investigation is highlighted in HSUS's 2022 annual report as a major pre-Envigo lab-animal initiative under this campaign umbrella.

The campaign operates internationally through Humane Society International and has contributed to multiple U.S. state laws banning the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. HSUS and its legislative affiliate formally endorsed the federal Humane Cosmetics Act approach in congressional materials, framing it as an explicit move away from cosmetic animal testing.