MILAN, Italy—This Christmas, each of us will have the chance to give a second chance—a new life—to an animal who might otherwise have seemed destined to know only suffering and death. Thanks to Humane World for Animals Europe (formerly called Humane Society International Europe) and its 2025 Christmas campaign, everyone can help rewrite the ending of a series of stories by choosing a charity gift for loved ones while simultaneously giving a happier ending to the year to animals who have been victims of cruelty.
Humane World for Animals has renewed its partnership with Bobi Craft, a social enterprise company that supports the poorest communities in Viet Nam through the art of handicrafts. A team of skilled artisans has created a collection of amigurumi—hand-crocheted animal figures—ready to be collected by anyone wishing to support the animal-welfare organization’s work with a gift that does double good.
Rosaclelia Ganzerli, individual giving director at Humane World for Animals Europe, says: “Our amigurumi are little companions for fun and adventure—ethical, sustainable, cruelty-free and handmade. Choosing them as charity gifts means believing in the possibility of changing the fate of so many animals in need. Following the success of our 2024 series, we worked to present an even more complete collection, which now includes not only dogs and cats but also many other species from diverse natural habitats, showcasing our deep love for all animals.”
Humane World for Animals leads projects in over 50 countries to tackle the most entrenched forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, including the dog and cat meat trade, dogfighting, trophy hunting, fur farming, wildlife trafficking, factory farming and animal testing and research.
The amigurumi symbolically represent the animals who the organization works to protect through these projects and campaigns, such as those suffering and dying in the dog and cat meat trade in Viet Nam—the home nation of Bobi Craft—and across Asia. One example is Ginger, a cat rescued at the end of 2023: without Humane World for Animals’ intervention, Ginger would have been drowned in a slaughterhouse in Thai Nguyen, Viet Nam, along with hundreds of other cats destined for human consumption. Their story had a happy ending: after the slaughterhouse owner decided to join the organization’s “Models for Change” program and shift to a new profession, Ginger and the other cats were rescued, treated and adopted into loving homes.
Another example is Cecil the lion. Unfortunately, he did not share the same positive fate: ten years ago, he was killed by a U.S. trophy hunter on the edge of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Humane World for Animals is fighting to prevent such tragic cruelty forever, advocating for the European Union and its member states to ban the export and import of hunting trophies of animals protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, including lions and elephants.
At the same time, the organization is campaigning for the European Union and the rest of the world to ban fur farming, ending the suffering of millions of animals who die for fashion, confined in cages where they endure severe physical and psychological harm. Earlier this year, at one such farm in Ohio (USA), Humane World for Animals’ rescue team saved hundreds of foxes and other animals from what responders described as a “horrific situation.” The animals were kept in filthy metal cages, forced to endure extremely harsh temperatures; some of them were injured, while others were emaciated and dehydrated. Once rescued, they were transferred to accredited shelters and wildlife rehabilitation centers, where they finally found safety and peace.
Another happy story of rescue is that of Jackie, a capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus), and victim of the wild animal pet trade industry. Jackie lived as someone’s pet for 20 years—likely half the lifespan based on averages for capuchins kept in captivity. Capuchins are social species and when confined, living a solitary life like Jackie did, they are deprived of the company and stimulation needed for their well-being. Since arriving at Black Beauty Ranch, Humane World for Animals’ sanctuary in Texas, Jackie has formed a close-knit troop with fellow capuchins Phoenix and Baby Spice and is finally enjoying freedom and the chance to express her natural behaviors in a natural setting.
Another story from the Black Beauty Ranch is that of Mami the sheep, who arrived there on December 22, 2018, after being part of a large-scale rescue case of over 125 animals at a farm in Maryland (USA). The rescue team at Humane World for Animals was on-scene during a very cold rainy winter day to help remove the animals from the property, who appeared to suffer from neglect and were living in filthy conditions. Mami, along with other sheep, cows and goats, was lucky to be relocated to Black Beauty Ranch where she now shares an expansive pasture with four other sheep, three goats, two llamas and two emus. These animals will never again have to live in conditions unsuited to their well-being.
Ralph the rabbit, on the other hand, is a fictional character, yet he speaks on behalf of all rabbits and other animals still used in laboratory testing. Ralph stars in a viral, award-winning short film that depicts his daily life as a “tester,” shining a light on the suffering of all animals confined in laboratories and voicing Humane World for Animals’ stance: that chemical safety and scientific progress can be ensured through modern, more effective animal-free methods rather than outdated animal testing.
Supporting the work of Humane World for Animals by collecting crochet animals—either for yourself or as gifts for loved ones—means helping to change the lives of millions of animals, such as dogs rescued from the horrors of dogfighting in multiple locations across the United States, and supporting initiatives like the “Io non combatto” project, which aims to prevent and combat this criminal activity in Italy.
With every purchase, the buyer or gift recipient will receive a personalized letter from Humane World for Animals certifying their commitment to animals and the environment.
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Download a selection of pictures HERE.
Link to the campaign: www.humaneworld.org/natale
Notes:
Bobi Craft is a social enterprise company that supports some of the poorest communities in Viet Nam through the art of handicrafts. It employs around 400 people—98% of whom are women and 20% people with disabilities—who create handmade toys and other products using organic cotton and recycled materials.
