AAVS Celebrates 40 Years of Sanctuary Support

Help us celebrate our sanctuary success story.

On December 8, 1982, AAVS awarded its first sanctuary grant to a Texas nonprofit established to house a colony of monkeys who had been used in scientific research. At that time, providing lifetime care to animals released from laboratories was a worthy idea, but implementation raised more questions than answers. Importantly, how could such operations be sustained over time to provide high quality care?

AAVS recognized that if our goal is to get animals out of labs, then animals who do ‘get out’ embody the fulfillment of our mission, and we have a duty to help with their care. Forty years since that first grant, AAVS has awarded over $4 million to sanctuaries that care for animals formerly exploited for research and testing purposes.

This success story has been possible thanks to your support of our Sanctuary Fund—your incredible generosity has helped enable the relocation of hundreds of animals from research facilities to accredited sanctuaries, where they are thriving. However, more animals are waiting to experience the joy of sanctuary. Our funding is critically needed to help sanctuaries welcome more animals and maintain high standards of care.

Please support AAVS’s Sanctuary Fund.

Your donation will support animals who have never before had access to fresh air and grass beneath their feet. In sanctuaries, they enjoy healthy diets, stimulating environments, professional veterinary care, and vital social companionship. Working together, we can ensure a brighter future for all of those forgotten animals who deserve a better life.

THANK YOU!