Welcome to HumaneSpot.org, from the Humane Research Council! This website is tailored to the needs of animal advocates and offers a wide range of useful tools and resources. If you've already registered, just log in to start exploring right away, or apply for full access.
Read HRC's Humane Thinking, the place where our experts provide (i.e., "blog about") their thoughts on the latest research and trends in the movement, and what they mean for animal protection.
Click here to read the latest Humane Thinking posts.
Get HRC's Take on the Latest Research
Read HRC's Humane Thinking, the place where our experts provide (i.e., "blog about") their thoughts on the latest research and trends in the movement, and what they mean for animal protection.
Click here to read the latest Humane Thinking posts.
What's New from HumaneSpot.org and HRC
The Power of Tracking Studies
Submitted by Che on Jul 01, 2008 Advocacy Strategies | General Animal Protection | Research Tools and MethodsA survey of public opinion can be very informative, but it covers only a snapshot in time. Without the ability to compare and contrast results over years, even decades, it’s difficult to know if the results were influenced by external factors (e.g., a major news item). With tracking studies, however, the results are more like a video than a snapshot. Tracking polls provide consistency, comparability, and context for otherwise isolated data – and that means more meaningful results for advocates.
Why Population Growth is Animal Enemy #1
Submitted by Che on Jun 23, 2008 Advocacy Strategies | Diet and Nutrition | Farmed Animals | General Animal Protection | Vegetarianism and VeganismThe so-called "developing" world is growing quickly and in most cases adopting Western lifestyles and diets as they do so. Feeding a global population of more than 9.3 billion (by 2050) will therefore mean the consumption of billions more animals. With references to Thomas Malthus and a recent study by David and Marcia Pimentel, we take a closer look at this population problem.
Gallup Values and Beliefs Survey
Submitted on Jun 21, 2008 Animal Experimentation | Wildlife and Exotics
by
According to Gallup's 2008 Values and Belief's Survey, there were no significant changes in U.S. public opinion from last year's survey for the following animal issues: medical testing on animals; cloning animals; and fur clothing. However, when compared with 2001 data, fewer people today think medical testing on animals and wearing animal fur are "morally acceptable."
Evaluation for Normal People (audio/podcast)
Submitted on Jun 20, 2008 Advocacy Strategies | General Animal Protection | Research Tools and Methods
by Stanford Social Innovation Review
Alana Conner, senior editor of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, describes the trials and tribulations of evaluating program effectiveness. An experimental social psychologist by training, she illustrates how many evaluation practices in the nonprofit sector may actually mislead funders and organizations. Although most programs would love to implement "Cadillac" evaluations, they can only afford "second-hand Yugos." Following Dr. Conner's talk, Rick Aubry, executive director of Rubicon Programs Inc., describes how his organization secured funding for a state-of-the-art evaluation system. [Abstract excerpted from website]
What the World Eats (in One Week)
Submitted by Che on Jun 17, 2008 Diet and Nutrition | Farmed Animals | General Animal Protection | Vegetarianism and VeganismMy last post on in vitro meat production argued that the new technology will render animal farming obsolete, but I also admitted that the change will take a while. In the meantime, overall meat consumption will rise dramatically in spite of the immense gap between the world's wealthy (and well-fed) and its poor (and malnourished). Here we take a closer look at the diets of nine families in nine very different countries, through the lens of photo-journalist Peter Menzel.
Public Perceptions of Transgenic Animals
Submitted on Jun 15, 2008 Animal Experimentation
by
The field of animal biotechnology has been rapidly expanding and the development of transgenic animals has been part of this research expansion. How the public perceives such developments is an important component of
policy considerations... While general awareness of biotechnology and its specific applications remains low to
moderate, this article presents data regarding public acceptance of a variety of applications. These range from the use of animals as disease models and as sources for tissues and organs, to the use of transgenic animals for disease control, for food, and for the production of pharmaceutical and industrial products. [Excerpted from report]
How to End 98% of Animal Abuse in the Next 25 Years
Submitted by Che on Jun 11, 2008 Advocacy Strategies | Diet and Nutrition | Farmed Animals | General Animal Protection | Vegetarianism and VeganismSo-called "lab meat" is the future of farmed animal advocacy, with the potential to completely replace the hundreds of billions of animals consumed every year throughout the world. While it still faces major science- and business-related hurdles, the promise of in vitro meat is eliminating the vast majority of animal suffering caused by humans. More than just another example of "system-wide change," the successful commercialization of lab meat would be downright revolutionary.