# List of animal rights advocates

Advocates of animal rights believe that many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings. They employ a variety of methods including direct action to oppose animal agriculture. Many animal rights advocates argue that non-human animals should be regarded as persons whose interests deserve legal protection.

## Background

The animal rights movement emerged in the 19th century, focused largely on opposition to vivisection, and in the 1960s the modern movement sprang up in England around the Hunt Saboteurs Association. In the 1970s, the Australian and American philosophers Peter Singer and Tom Regan began to provide the movement with its philosophical foundations. Singer argued for animal liberation on the basis of utilitarianism, first in 1973 in The New York Review of Books and later in his Animal Liberation (1975), while Regan developed a deontological theory of animal rights in several papers from 1975 onwards, followed by The Case for Animal Rights (1983). A distinction persists within the movement—based on the utilitarian–deontological divide—between those who seek incremental reform, a position known as animal protectionism, and those on the abolitionist side, who argue that reform that aims to regulate, rather than abolish, the property status of animals is counterproductive.
Historically speaking, it can be argued that the genesis of the animal rights movement was in India given the impact that both Buddhism and Jainism had on people in India and the neighbouring countries in Asia. The country with the largest number and highest percentage of vegetarians is India. Buddhism among the global religions is an animal rights religion par excellence. It has long subscribed to the belief that all life forms including that of non-human animals are sacred and deserving of respect, and extolls kindness and compassion as utmost virtues worthy of cultivation. Buddhism unreservedly embraces all living beings in its ethical cosmology without discrimination on grounds of species, race, or creed. Buddhist tenets—including the first precept, "Do not kill"—extend to both human and non-human sentient beings. The Buddha was so adamant and protective of the more vulnerable members of the moral community—namely the animals—that, as recorded in Dhammapada, he declared: "He who has laid aside the cudgel that injures any creature whether moving or still, who neither slays nor causes to be slain—him I call an Arya (Noble person)." The earliest reference to the idea of non-violence to animals (pashu-ahimsa), apparently in a moral sense, is in the Kapisthala Katha Samhita of the Yajurveda (KapS 31.11), a Hindu text written about the 8th century BCE. Several Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist texts appearing in the following centuries, including the Tamil moral texts of the Tirukkural and the Naladiyar, emphasize on ahimsa and moral vegetarianism, which is equated to today's veganism.

## List

The following is a list of animal rights advocates from all positions within the movement, from academics to activists.
Overview of animal rights advocates :
| Name | Born | Country of birth | Occupation |
| Elisa Aaltola | 1976 | Finland | Philosopher, author of Animal Individuality: Cultural and Moral Categorisations (2006) and Animal Suffering: Philosophy and Culture (2012) |
| Carol J. Adams | 1951 | United States | Eco-feminist writer, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat (1990) |
| Bryan Adams | 1959 | Canada | Musician, campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Douglas Adams | 1952–2001 | United Kingdom | Writer, campaigner for the Great Ape Project |
| Dina Zulfikar | 1962 | Egypt | Film distributor, animal rights activist, co-founder of SPARE Animal Welfare Society, member of Animal welfare and rights in the Netherlands |
| Cleveland Amory | 1917–1998 | United States | Founder of the Fund for Animals, president of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society |
| Pamela Anderson | 1967 | Canada | Model, campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Claudine André | 1946 | Belgium | Conservationist, founded the bonobo sanctuary Lola ya bonobo |
| James Aspey | 1986 | Australia | Fitness trainer, animal rights lecturer |
| Michael Aufhauser | 1952 | Germany | Founder of Gut Aiderbichl, an animal sanctuary |
| Greg Avery | 1963 | United Kingdom | Co-founder of the Consort beagles, Hillgrove cats, and SHAC campaigns |
| Matt Ball | 1968 | United States | Co-founder and President of One Step for Animals, Senior Media Relations Specialist for The Good Food Institute, vegan, co-author of The Animal Activist's Handbook (2009) |
| Martin Balluch | 1954 | Austria | Co-founder of Vegane Gesellschaft Österreich, president of Verein Gegen Tierfabriken |
| Neal D. Barnard | 1953 | United States | President of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine |
| Shane and Sia Barbi | 1963 | United States | Models |
| Brigitte Bardot | 1934 | France | Former actress, animal rights activist, founder of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation |
| Bob Barker | 1923–2023 | United States | Former host of The Price Is Right, animal rights activist |
| Gene Baur | 1962 | United States | Founder of Farm Sanctuary |
| Tom Beauchamp | 1939 | United States | Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, co-author of The Human Use of Animals (1998) |
| Marc Bekoff | 1945 | United States | Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Jeremy Bentham | 1748–1832 | United Kingdom | Philosopher, author of the oft-quoted "The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?" |
| Steven Best | 1955 | United States | Philosopher, former Animal Liberation Press Office spokesperson |
| Michela Vittoria Brambilla | 1967 | Italy | Politician |
| Brigid Brophy | 1929–1995 | United Kingdom | Writer, author of article, "The Rights of Animals", in The Sunday Times, London, 1965. |
| Mel Broughton | 1960 | United Kingdom | Co-founder of the SPEAK campaign |
| Joseph Buddenberg | 1984 | United States | Mink liberator, twice indicted on Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act charges. Served two years in federal prison for liberating 5,740 mink from U.S fur farms. |
| Ned Buyukmihci | | United Kingdom | Doctor of veterinary medicine, founder of Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights |
| David Cantor | 1954 | United States | Founder and Executive Director of Responsible Policies for Animals, a unique national educational nonprofit organization based in Glenside, Pennsylvania. |
| Joey Carbstrong | 1986 | Australia | Animal rights activist, veganism activist |
| Paola Cavalieri | 1950 | Italy | Philosopher, campaigner for the Great Ape Project |
| Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 1623–1673 | United Kingdom | Writer, anti-vivisectionist |
| Alan Clark | 1928–1999 | United Kingdom | Conservative Member of Parliament (1974–1992 and 1997–1999), historian, diarist |
| Stephen R. L. Clark | 1945 | United Kingdom | Professor of philosophy at the University of Liverpool (1984–2009), author of The Moral Status of Animals (1977) |
| Jean Clemens | 1880–1909 | United States | Daughter of Mark Twain |
| Frances Power Cobbe | 1822–1904 | United Kingdom | Founder of the National Anti-Vivisection Society and the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection |
| Alasdair Cochrane | 1978 | United Kingdom | Political theorist based at the University of Sheffield; author of An Introduction to Animals and Political Theory and Animal Rights without Liberation |
| Sue Coe | 1951 | United Kingdom | Artist, illustrator, author of Cruel: Bearing Witness to Animal Exploitation (2012) |
| J. M. Coetzee | 1940 | South Africa | Novelist, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, author of The Lives of Animals (1999) |
| Priscilla Cohn | 1933–2019 | United States | Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University, associate director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics |
| Jake Conroy | 1976 | United States | Member of SHAC7, animal rights activist |
| Rod Coronado | 1966 | United States | Animal rights activist, formerly for the ALF, Earth First!, and ELF |
| James Cromwell | 1940 | United States | Actor, played the farmer in Babe (1995) |
| Karen Davis | 1944–2023 | United States | President of United Poultry Concerns, author of The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale (2005) |
| David DeGrazia | 1962 | United States | Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University, author of Taking Animals Seriously (1996) |
| Chris DeRose | 1948 | United States | Founder of Last Chance for Animals |
| Rukmini Devi | 1904–1986 | India | Dancer, founder of the Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Nina Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton | 1878–1951 | United Kingdom | Co-founder of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society |
| Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding | 1882–1970 | United Kingdom | Commander of RAF Fighter Command, president of the National Anti-Vivisection Society |
| Muriel Dowding, Baroness Dowding | 1908–1981 | United Kingdom | Founder of Beauty Without Cruelty |
| Alice Drakoules | 1850–1933 | United Kingdom | Lifelong supporter and treasurer of Humanitarian League et al. |
| Joan Dunayer | | United States | Author of Animal Equality (2001) and Speciesism (2004) |
| Lawrence Finsen | | United States | Professor of philosophy at University of Redlands, co-author of The Animal Rights Movement in America (1994) |
| Dian Fossey | 1932–1985 | United States | Primatologist, conservationist, advocate for mountain gorillas |
| Roger Fouts | 1943 | United States | Primate researcher known for his work with Washoe the chimpanzee, adviser to the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics |
| Gary L. Francione | 1954 | United States | Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law & Philosophy at Rutgers School of Law–Newark, leading abolitionist, author of Animals, Property, and the Law (2005) |
| Bruce Friedrich | 1969 | United States | Executive Director, The Good Food Institute |
| Birutė Galdikas | 1946 | Canada | Primatologist, conservationist, expert on orangutans |
| Maneka Gandhi | 1956 | India | Politician, founder of People for Animals |
| Robert Garner | 1960 | United Kingdom | Professor of political theory at the University of Leicester; co-author of The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation? (2010) |
| Juliet Gellatley | | United Kingdom | Founder and director of Viva! |
| Tal Gilboa | 1978 | Israel | Founder of the Israeli Animal Liberation Front |
| Dick Goddard | 1931–2020 | United States | Television meteorologist, animal advocate. Ohio 131st General Assembly–House Bill 60 (Dick Goddard's Law) was passed, which is named after him. |
| Antoine Goetschel | 1958 | Switzerland | Lawyer, animal advocate for the canton of Zurich |
| Lewis Gompertz | c. 1783–1861 | United Kingdom | Author, Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes (1824), founder Animals' Friend Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals |
| Jane Goodall | 1934 | United Kingdom | Founder, Jane Goodall Institute, co-founder with Marc Bekoff of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Brigitte Gothière | 1973 | France | Director and spokesman for the animal rights group L214, which she co-founded with Sébastien Arsac |
| Celia Hammond | 1941 | United Kingdom | Former model, founder of the Celia Hammond Animal Trust |
| Stevan Harnad | 1945 | Hungary | Cognitive Sciences, Université du Québec à Montreal |
| Alex Hershaft | 1934 | United States | Founder of Farm Animal Rights Movement and the Chairman of the U.S. Animal Rights National Conference |
| Barry Horne | 1952–2001 | United Kingdom | Animal rights activist, hunger striker |
| Oscar Horta | 1974 | Spain | Animal activist and moral philosopher who is currently a professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and one of the co-founders of the organization Animal Ethics |
| Wayne Hsiung | 1980 | United States | Lawyer, open rescue activist, co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere |
| Harish Iyer | 1979 | India | Animal, LGBTIQ and Child Rights Activist |
| V. R. Krishna Iyer | 1915–2014 | India | Former judge of the Supreme Court of India |
| pattrice jones | 1961 | United States | Writer, educator, activist, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary |
| Melanie Joy | 1966 | United States | Social psychologist and vegan activist, primarily notable for promulgating the term carnism |
| Roberta Kalechofsky | 1931–2022 | United States | Writer, author of Animal Suffering and the Holocaust: The Problem with Comparisons (2003) |
| Shannon Keith | | United States | Animal rights lawyer, director of Behind the Mask (2006) |
| Lisa Kemmerer | | United States | Philosopher-activist, author, and educator |
| Marti Kheel | 1948–2011 | United States | Ecofeminist writer, founder of Feminists for Animal Rights |
| Anna Kingsford | 1846–1888 | United Kingdom | Physician, anti-vivisectionist, author of The Perfect Way in Diet (1881) |
| Niko Koffeman | 1958 | Netherlands | Senator, Party for the Animals |
| Christine Korsgaard | 1952 | United States | Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University, author of Fellow Creatures (2018) |
| Tiphaine Lagarde [fr] | 1982 | France | Activist and co-founder of French antispeciesist association "269 Libération animale" |
| Carla Lane | 1928–2016 | United Kingdom | Television scriptwriter, ran Animaline animal sanctuary |
| Gill Langley | 1952 | United Kingdom | Scientist, campaigner against the use of animals in research |
| Charlotte Laws | 1960 | United States | Author, TV Host and Animal rights activist |
| Ronnie Lee | 1951 | United Kingdom | Founder of the Animal Liberation Front |
| Tobias Leenaert | 1973 | Belgium | Vegan activist, speaker, author of How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic Approach, and blog The Vegan Strategist, co-founder of the Center for Effective Vegan Advocacy (CEVA) and ProVeg International |
| Lizzy Lind af Hageby | 1878–1963 | Sweden | Founder of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society, known for the Brown Dog affair |
| Bob Linden | | United States | Host of Go Vegan Radio |
| Ludvig Lindström | 1975 | Sweden | Animal rights activist, founder of Global Happiness Organization |
| Andrew Linzey | 1951 | England | Theologian, founder of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics |
| Howard Lyman | 1938 | United States | Writer and activist, author of Mad Cowboy |
| Dan Lyons | | United Kingdom | CEO, Centre for Animals and Social Justice |
| Jo-Anne McArthur | 1976 | Canada | Photographer, founder of the We Animals project and subject of The Ghosts in Our Machine |
| Linda McCartney | 1941–1998 | United States | Photographer, musician, founder of Linda McCartney Foods |
| Paul McCartney | 1942 | England | Musician, campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Colin McGinn | 1950 | England | Philosopher |
| Charles R. Magel | 1920–2014 | United States | Professor emeritus of Philosophy and Ethics at Moorhead State University, animal rights activist and bibliographer |
| Bill Maher | 1956 | United States | Comedian, board director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Keith Mann | | England | Animal rights activist, author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement (2007) |
| Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson | 1941 | United States | Former psychoanalyst, author of When Elephants Weep (1995) |
| Dan Mathews | 1964 | United States | Senior Vice-President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Gauri Maulekhi | | India | Animal rights activist, Member Secretary People for Animals Uttarakhand, Trustee People for Animals, Consultant Humane Society International, Trustee People for Animals India |
| Mary Midgley | 1919–2018 | England | Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Newcastle University (retired), author of Animals And Why They Matter (1983) |
| Heather Mills | 1968 | United Kingdom | Campaigner for Viva! |
| Moby | 1965 | United States | Musician, DJ, released Animal Rights (1996) |
| Shaun Monson | 1958 | United States | Director of Earthlings (2005) |
| J. Howard Moore | 1862–1916 | United States | Zoologist, philosopher, educator, social reformer, and author of The Universal Kinship (1906) |
| José Ferrater Mora | 1912–1991 | Spain | Philosopher, honoured by the Ferrater Mora Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics |
| Morrissey | 1959 | England | Musician |
| Jesús Mosterín | 1941–2017 | Spain | Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of Barcelona, honorary president of the Spanish Great Ape Project |
| Ingrid Newkirk | 1949 | United Kingdom | Co-founder and President of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| David Nibert | 1953 | United States | Abolitionist, Professor of Sociology at Wittenberg University |
| Heather Nicholson | 1967 | United Kingdom | Co-founder of the Consort beagles, Hillgrove cats, and SHAC campaigns |
| Jack Norris | 1967 | United States | Co-founder and executive director of Vegan Outreach, vegan, author of Vitamin B12: Are You Getting It? and Staying Healthy On Plant-Based Diets, Animal Rights Hall of Fame member |
| Martha Nussbaum | 1947 | United States | Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago |
| Natasja Oerlemans | 1969 | Netherlands | Politician, Party for the Animals |
| David Olivier | 1956 | France | Philosopher and antispeciesist activist, founder of the journal Les Cahiers antispécistes |
| Esther Ouwehand | 1976 | Netherlands | Member of Parliament, Party for the Animals |
| Kelly Overton | | United States | Executive Director of People Protecting Animals & Their Habitats |
| Alex Pacheco | 1958 | United States | Co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Colleen Patrick-Goudreau | 1970 | United States | Author, Animal Advocate, Podcaster |
| David Pearce | 1959 | United Kingdom | Philosopher, vegan and animal activist |
| Jill Phipps | 1964–1995 | England | Animal rights activist, campaigner against live export |
| Joaquin Phoenix | 1974 | Puerto Rico (United States) | Actor, animal rights activist, narrator of Earthlings (2005) and Dominion (2018) |
| James Rachels | 1941–2003 | United States | Philosopher |
| Tom Regan | 1938–2017 | United States | Professor emeritus of philosophy at North Carolina State University, author of The Case for Animal Rights (1983) |
| Qiu Renzong | ca. 1933 | China | Bioethicist |
| Dorothy Burney Richards | 1894–1985 | United States | Founder of Beaversprite, director of Defenders of Wildlife 1948–1976 |
| Nathaniel Peabody Rogers | 1794–1846 | United States | Abolitionist writer |
| Bernard Rollin | 1943–2021 | United States | Professor of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University |
| Craig Rosebraugh | 1972 | United States | Writer, environmentalist, animal rights activist |
| Zoe Rosenberg | 2002 | United States | Animal sanctuary founder, animal rights activist |
| Mark Rowlands | 1962 | Wales | Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami, author of The Philosopher and the Wolf (2008) |
| Regan Russell | 1955–2020 | Canada | The second Canadian to be struck by a pig hauling driver; she was killed on scene while attending an animal vigil through Toronto Pig Save |
| Richard D. Ryder | 1940 | England | Psychologist, coined the term "speciesism" in 1970 |
| Henry Stephens Salt | 1851–1939 | England | Civil-rights campaigner, author of Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress (1892) |
| Becky Sandstedt | ca. 1960 | United States | Animal rights activist, former investigator for Farm Sanctuary |
| Steve F. Sapontzis | 1945 | United States | Professor emeritus of philosophy at California State University, East Bay, author of Morals, Reason, and Animals (1987) |
| Anuradha Sawhney | | India | Head of Indian operations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| Jérôme Segal | 1970 | France-Austria | Essayist, historian and author of Animal radical: Histoire et sociologie de l'antispécisme ("Animal radical: The history and sociology of antispeciesism") |
| Rakesh Shukla | 1971 | India | Runs a dog home in Bengaluru; formerly a software entrepreneur |
| Isaac Bashevis Singer | 1902–1991 | Poland | Winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature |
| Peter Singer | 1946 | Australia | Philosopher, author of Animal Liberation (1975) |
| Willie Smits | 1957 | Netherlands | Conservationist, founder of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation |
| Amy Soranno | 1993/1994 | Canada | Animal rights activist in British Columbia |
| Henry Spira | 1927–1998 | United States | Animal rights activist, founder of Animal Rights International |
| Kim Stallwood | 1995– | British | Animal rights activist, European director of the Animals and Society Institute, former national director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (1987–1992), campaigns officer for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (1981–1985), and national organizer for Compassion in World Farming (1976–1978), for which he remains a consultant. Founder of the Animal Rights Network (ARN), the world's largest library on animal rights, which became the Animals and Society Institute. Author of Growl: Life Lessons, Hard Truths, and Bold Strategies from an Animal Advocate. Lantern Books, 2013. |
| Gary Steiner | | United States | John Howard Harris Professor of Philosophy at Bucknell University |
| William O. Stephens | 1962 | United States | Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University |
| Pelle Strindlund | 1971 | Sweden | Writer, founding member of the Rescue Service |
| Cass Sunstein | 1954 | United States | Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs |
| David Sztybel | 1967 | Canada | Philosopher, writer |
| Sunaura Taylor | 1982 | United States | Artist and writer |
| Marianne Thieme | 1972 | Netherlands | Member of Parliament, Party for the Animals |
| Darren Thurston | ca. 1970 | Canada | Animal rights activist |
| Bob and Jenna Torres | | United States | Writers, animal rights and vegan activists |
| Tokugawa Tsunayoshi | 1646–1709 | Japan | The fifth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan, institutor of animal protection laws in 1695 |
| Andrew Tyler | 1946–2017 | United Kingdom | Director of Animal Aid |
| Jerry Vlasak | 1958 | United States | Physician, Animal Liberation Press Office spokesperson |
| John Vyvyan | 1908–1975 | England | Writer, author of The Dark Face of Science (1971) |
| Alice Walker | 1944 | United States | Writer |
| Donald Watson | 1910–2005 | England | Founder of the British Vegan Society |
| Robin Webb | 1945 | England | Spokesperson for the British Animal Liberation Press Office |
| Betty White | 1922–2021 | United States | Actress, author, comedian and animal rights activist |
| Caroline Earle White | 1833–1916 | United States | Co-founder of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, founder of the American Anti-Vivisection Society |
| Liz White | c. 1950 | Canada | Leader of the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada |
| Steven M. Wise | 1950-2024 | United States | Law professor, author of Rattling the Case: Toward Legal Rights for Animals (2000) |
| Ursula Wolf | 1951 | Germany | Philosopher, author of Das Tier in der Moral (1990) |
| Philip Wollen | 1950 | India | Australian philanthropist, environmentalist and animal rights activist |
| Gretchen Wyler | 1932–2007 | United States | Actress, dancer, animal rights activist, and founder of the Genesis Awards for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues |
| Jon Wynne-Tyson | 1924–2020 | England | Founder of Centaur Press, author of The Extended Circle: A Commonplace Book of Animal Rights (1985) |
| Roger Yates | 1957 | England | Sociologist, co-founder of Vegan Ireland: The Vegan Society of Ireland |
| Peter Daniel Young | | United States | Animal rights activist |
| Gary Yourofsky | 1970 | United States | Animal rights activist and lecturer |
| Benjamin Zephaniah | 1958–2023 | England | Rastafari poet, honorary patron of The Vegan Society |