HSUS’ name change to Humane World for Animals takes effect

In an apparent effort to distance itself from recent criticism and scandal, the animal-activist organization known as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has formally implemented a name change this month, now being called Humane World for Animals. 

Chief among the complaints that the nonprofit has long endured is that it doesn’t actually have a connection to local Humane Societies — rather, it has piggy-backed off of the good work of local shelters, allowing that name recognition to help bring in roughly $170 million a year in donations — a hefty chunk of change that could be compromised from weaker name recognition, according to Jack Hubbard, owner and partner at the public relations agency Berman and Co.

Of course, Human World for Animals’ leader, Kitty Block, sees it differently, claiming that the new name is, “strong, it’s memorable, and perfectly captures who we are and what we’re striving to achieve.”

So what does this group strive to achieve?

HSUS has often spent close to $1 million on direct lobbying to the federal government, often related to fighting animal agriculture, promoting vegan causes, and ending what is considers animal cruelty. This lobbying amount has skyrocketed since 2017.

Data also shows that more than $50 million is regularly spent on “information materials and activities,” while another chunk of the money is used to pay the nearly 600 staff members who are part of the organization’s investigation, litigation, field work, and public policy initiatives. Most sources show that just 1 percent of HSUS’ funding makes it to animal shelters.

Hubbard laid out some of the top issues that have dogged HSUS in recent years:

• In 2010, Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle told the media that he thought convicted dogfighter Michael Vick “would do a good job as a pet owner.” The comment, which sparked backlash, came after Vick’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles, gave $50,000 to HSUS.
• A year later, U.S. Rep. Billy Long from Missouri pressed federal officials to investigate HSUS. Despite his efforts, the group escaped an Internal Revenue Service crackdown.
• HSUS covered part of a $25 million federal lawsuit settlement three years later. The organization was sued under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act on accusations of bribery, obstruction of justice, and fraud.
• In 2018, Pacelle resigned from leadership after being accused of sexual harassment. After the scandal, one board member said about the allegations: “We didn’t hire him to be a choir boy.”
• Longtime ally (and Block’s former employer) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals went on the offensive last fall against groups like HSUS and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), saying that they are promoting “factory farming” operations that label their products as “certified” or “humane.”

One organization that Hubbard is affiliated with, the Center for the Environment and Welfare, is pushing for Humane World for Animals to take the next step and offload its investments and donate them to local shelters in need. CEW has launched a petition on Change.org to that effect and has built up more than 11,000 signatures in a week’s time.

“The Humane Society of the United States has nearly $400 million in investments, including $100 million in offshore accounts,” Hubbard wrote in a piece published in The Washington Times. “It’s sitting on a huge rainy day fund while hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized each year.”

Frankly though, it’s highly unlikely that such a dramatic shift in financial allocations would actually happen.