Dear Mr. Vice President,

All animals, domesticated and wild, have lives that matter to them. Yet so many animals are at risk from human activities, both malicious and incidental.

The United States has a raft of federal laws – from the Animal Welfare Act to the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act to the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act – that reflect a broad moral concern for animals.  But there are gaps in the law and in enforcement.

We urge you to make animal welfare a priority in your Presidential campaign and in your term as President if Americans elect you to serve.

Animal cruelty is a matter of moral urgency. It is also a matter of human self-interest. There is an established link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans.  The FBI's profile of serial killers includes childhood cruelty to animals. Bestiality is often an antecedent to the sexual exploitation of children. There are also links between the mistreatment of animals on factory farms to environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and public health threats. 

Animal welfare is one of the biggest causes in the United States, with 35,000 organizations devoted to helping them. The number of paid staff is in the tens of thousands and the number of volunteers in the millions.  One study rated it as the top cause in the United States by number of donors and volunteers.

Its economic and cultural footprint is much bigger than that. The pet industry attracts more than $75 billion in annual economic activity, with two-thirds of American households with pets. Wildlife-based tourism, bird watching, and other forms of nature-based recreation also contribute tens of billions to the economy. Wildlife-based tourism in Africa is one of the largest contributors to the GDP of many nations on the continent. 

We want to know where you stand on this issue and what you'll do to address major animal protection concerns as President.

We have three requests:

1. Issue an animal welfare platform broad in reach and a public narrative about the issue on your campaign website, as Senator Booker and Secretary Castro did.
    
2. Commit to bringing on an animal welfare liaison in the White House to organize efforts within multiple federal agencies to advance animal welfare policies and enforcement.
    
3. Create a committee of animal welfare advocates to advise your campaign on what your animal welfare priorities would be in your first 100 days and announce those goals.

The treatment of animals is not a sidelight concern in our society. How we conduct agriculture, conduct testing and research, manage the land and habitat are central matters to the safety of people and the planet.  The COVID-19 crisis – with its origins in the exploitation and trafficking of wild animals for food – reminds us that the mistreatment of animals can have devastating consequences for our society. 

We urge you to address this issue in a way that is commensurate with its importance to society.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President

Animal Wellness Action