Humane Society Press Publishes "Protecting All Animals: A Fifty-Year History of The Humane Society of the United States"

WASHINGTON (April 14, 2004) – For 50 years, The Humane Society of the
United States (HSUS) has led the effort to protect animals. From
investigating puppy mills to enacting animal cruelty legislation, the
organization's efforts are well known and far reaching. That history
has now been chronicled in a book published by Humane Society Press -
Protecting All Animals: A Fifty-Year History of The Humane Society of
the United States.

The 264-page book tells the story of The HSUS' essential role in
improving standards of practice in animal care and control, building
support for the first modern laws to protect animals from
mistreatment in slaughterhouses and laboratories, exposing the
cruelties of intensive animal agriculture, and promoting the
protection of animals in the wild. The book includes historical
photos of HSUS staff testifying before Congress, rescuing pets during
disasters, meeting with government officials, investigating animal
cruelty and traveling the world in the effort to protect animals.

Protecting All Animals was a labor of love for historian Bernard
Unti, who delved into The HSUS' archives to produce it. "This was a
great story to tell," said Unti, whose Ph.D. thesis focused on 19th
century anti-cruelty work. "The Humane Society of the United States
formed at a time when very little was being done about the treatment
of animals in slaughterhouses, laboratories, zoos, rodeos and other
locations. The founders were determined to create a new kind of
animal protection organization, located in the nation's capital,
drawing on a national membership base, and focused on confronting
national cruelties that were beyond the scope of local humane
societies."

The book chronicles the beginnings of the modern humane movement in
the United States in the 1860s and takes the reader to the present,
when thousands of organizations work at the national and local levels
to protect animals. Protecting All Animals explores various campaigns
to confront commercial whaling, factory farming, pet overpopulation
and the fur industry. It includes seven chapters covering farm
animals and sustainable agriculture; animal research issues;
companion animals; wildlife and marine mammals; humane education; and
The HSUS in action, which includes domestic and international
investigations, disaster relief and field work. The first chapter
provides an overview of the organization's history. It is available
on The HSUS web site – www.hsus.org.

The origins of The HSUS lay in a schism that embroiled the American
Humane Association, then the dominant national humane organization.
Four staff members, concerned that the group was not advancing a
progressive agenda in the fight against animal cruelty, left AHA and
formed the National Humane Society, the predecessor to The HSUS, on
November 22, 1954.

Borrowing money against their life insurance policies, the dedicated
group of activists secured office space in Washington, where they
could influence national policy. Fifty years later, the group they
founded is the nation's largest animal protection organization
representing more than eight million members and constituents.

Patricia Forkan, The HSUS' executive vice president and one of the
many staffers who joined the organization in the 1970s, said that the
history of The HSUS is an example of the growing influence of non-
governmental organizations on the international scene.

"NGOs have played a vital role in building compassion for people, the
environment, and animals," said Forkan. "Protecting All Animals
explores the struggles and triumphs that we've had along the way. I
hope it inspires a new generation to consider careers in advocacy for
animals."

"The humane movement has grown increasingly sophisticated in its
professionalism and approach to the hundreds of issues it has to
confront," said Unti. "For a half century, The Humane Society of the
United States has been a leader in the field, inspiring the formation
of other organizations working at the community level to protect
animals."

”Protecting All Animals: A Fifty-Year History of The Humane Society of
the United States”
By Bernard Unti
$ 125.00 Hardcover, casebound with foil stamping (ISBN 0-9748400-0-9)
$ 29.50 Softcover (ISBN 0-9658942-8-2)

For more information on The Humane Society of the United States and
its 50th anniversary, visit http://www.hsus.org.

Rachel Querry
Deputy Director, Media Relations
The Humane Society of the United States
Phone: 301-258-8255
http://www.hsus.org

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group Apr 17, 2004