Animal Rescue Team carrying dogs out during a rescue

Kathy Milani / The HSUS

How Humane World for Animals saves lives worldwide

Support rapid-response animal rescue missions around the globe. Discover how Humane World for Animals, a leading animal rescue organization, protects animals from cruelty, neglect, and disasters.

Did you know?

As a trusted animal welfare organization, we rescue, transport, and rehabilitate thousands of animals every year. Our sanctuaries provide safe, lifelong homes for animals with nowhere else to go.

475,000+
animals

rescued or cared for after disasters worldwide since 2017

4,000+
cruelty complaints

addressed each year

700+
domestic and exotic animals

cared for at our sanctuaries in Liberia, Texas, and Oregon

Always ready to help animals in need

Our highly trained Animal Rescue Team stands ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. Whether it’s a hurricane, wildfire, cruelty or neglect case, or animal fighting operation, our global animal rescue organization responds wherever animals need help.

A goat is being rescued by the HSUS Animal Rescue Team.

Meredith Lee/Humane World for Animals

Six goats were saved by our Animal Rescue Team.

Rescue, relief and rehabilitation

When disasters strike, Humane World for Animals sends our Animal Rescue Team -- teams of responders and veterinarians who collaborate with local agencies and animal welfare partners. Every year, we save hundreds of animals from puppy mills, the dog meat trade, animal fighting rings, and other widespread cruelty situations.

Our work extends beyond immediate rescues—we also investigate animal abuse cases and ensure animals receive the care and rehabilitation they need for recovery.

Kitten rescued from hurricane reaches out to HSUS rescuer through carrier on boat in high flooded water

Anthony Rathbun/AP Images for the HSUS

Rescued after a hurricane.

Disaster planning for animals

Animal safety is often overlooked in emergency preparedness. Our organization trains first responders and communities on how to protect animals during disasters, making sure families don’t have to leave their beloved pets behind. By promoting animal-inclusive evacuation plans, we help keep people and their animals safe and together.

Volunteers help to transport a rescue dog to our rehabilitation center.

Kevin Wolf/AP Images

Volunteers help transport a rescued dog to our rehab center.

Join our Animal Rescue Team as a volunteer

Animal lovers can make a tangible difference by volunteering with our Animal Rescue Team in the U.S. and Canada. Volunteers assist with the care and rehabilitation of rescued dogs, cats, horses, and wildlife after emergency situations like hurricanes, earthquakes, or large-scale cruelty investigations.

Animal sanctuaries: Safe havens for rescued animals

Our three animal rescue sanctuaries — spanning thousands of acres in Texas, Oregon, and Liberia — serve as lifelong homes for rescued animals, from horses and chimpanzees to exotic wildlife.

The latest in global animal rescue

Humane World for Animals operates rescue teams, community outreach programs, sanctuaries, and care centers that directly assist tens of thousands of animals each year. From natural disasters to cruelty cases, learn how our international animal rescue charity responds to crises and saves lives.

a person holding a dog

On June 12, our rescue team and South Carolina law enforcement saved 23 dogs and puppies from suspected dogfighting and severe neglect in Richland County.

Chimps being rescued in Liberia

Over the course of a few years, we will be working on island improvements to better hep the chimps at our sanctuary in Africa. These are the first six to enjoy the villa while their island is being upgraded.

Hurricane response

After Hurricane Katrina, Humane World for Animals was instrumental in passing the PETS Act to support the inclusion of animals in disaster-related planning.

Humane World for Animals assists Ohio authorities with a large-scale multi-species alleged neglect case

During an Ohio cruelty rescue, Humane World for Animals saved over 100 animals, including Murdock—a dehydrated, eyeless dog now receiving urgent care.

Rescued wolf-dog hybrid giving birth

The final wolf‑dog hybrid at a frigid Ohio fur farm began giving birth the moment rescuers from Humane World for Animals lifted her to safety. A moving testament to survival.

A mother dog with a litter of nursing puppies

A terrified mother dog was rescued from a cruel puppy mill in Oklahoma. With love, expert care, and patience, she’s now discovering what it means to live freely — and thriving alongside her pups at last.

Saving lives wherever animals are in crisis

Humane World for Animals is a leading global animal rescue organization, responding to disasters, cruelty cases, and neglect worldwide.

Campaigns
Three cats in dirty cage before being rescued from an alleged cruelty situation in Crystal Springs, MS

Meredith Lee/The HSUS

Animal rescue and response

In January 2023, our Animal Rescue Team responded to an alleged cruelty case in Mississippi, where more than 170 cats were trapped in horrific conditions.

Dogs on a dog meat farm

Jean Chung

Animal rescue and responseEnding the dog and cat meat trades

In May 2025, Humane World for Animals rescued 67 dogs who had been languishing on a dog meat farm, fated to be slaughtered for meat before the farm was shut down by local authorities

HSUS Animal Rescue Team members and volunteers carry beagles into the organization’s care and rehabilitation center

Kevin Wolf/AP Images for the HSUS

Animal testing and researchAnimal rescue and response

In 2022, our Animal Rescue Team removed nearly 4,000 beagles from a mass breeding facility that received multiple Animal Welfare Act violations for issues such as inadequate veterinary care and

Donate today to our Emergency Animal Relief Fund!

We never know where disasters will strike or when animals may be in need of urgent rescue, but we know we must be ready. Your support makes our preparedness, rescue, care and relief work possible.

Meredith Lee/The HSUS