This explicit rejection of rights theory by supposed rights advocates is becoming increasingly more apparent. Animal advocates have planned a march for animals to be held in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 1996. Another supporter of the 1996 march is Don Barnes of NAVS, which also supports the use of animals in experiments despite its supposedly anti-vivisection policy. This rejection of rights by animal advocates does not necessarily mean that all of these advocates have simply embraced some version of classical welfarism. Many modern animal advocates see the abolition of animal exploitation as a long-term goal, but they see welfarist reform, which seeks to reduce animal suffering, as setting the course for the interim strategy.
Reform is basically about strategies, abolition is the ultimate goal. . . .
The two aren't contradictory. This view posits some sort of causal relationship between welfare and rights such that pursuing welfarist reform will lead eventually to the abolition of all institutionalized animal exploitation. For example, claimed animal rights advocates, including groups such as PETA and NAVS, actively support welfarist legislation, such as the federal Animal Welfare Act and other admittedly welfarist approaches to regulating the use of animals in experiments. Although claiming to support animal rights, the Ark Trust, founded by Gretchen Wyler of the Fund for Animals, supports the use of animals in entertainment despite the wholly gratuitous nature of such exploitation. Changes are made to this site on an ongoing basis.