Money matters

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 1999:

Animal welfare, The Chronicle of
Philanthropy reported in December 1998, is
the favorite charitable cause of only 1% of the
wealthiest Americans as surveyed by the investment
management firm U.S. Trust; is the #2
cause of only another 1%; and rates third for
4%. All nine other major charitable categories
in the survey rated at least half again more
favorably at every level of priority. As a cause
to volunteer for, animal welfare rated worse,
outweighed by a factor of at least 2.5 at each
level of priority. Ninety-three percent of the
wealthiest Americans said they did not expect to
increase their support for animal welfare during
the next three years, 5% said they would
increase it, and 1% said they would reduce it.

PETA in the December 17 edition of
The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an
advertisement showing an imprisoned infant
rhesus macaque, captioned “the kind of people
who would rescue Allison, inadvertantly put her
there. You mean well,” the text continued.
“Yet, without your knowledge, your donation
directly finances animal suffering.” PETA
offered to send respondents “a list of crueltyfree
charitable organizations,” presumably also
involved in health care. Both ANIMAL PEOP
L E and The Chronicle of Philanthropy h a v e
found, however, that lists of “cruelty-free”
health charities often inadvertantly include mail
mills incorporated by unscrupulous solicitors,
which avoid funding animal experiments chiefly
by funding no legitimate health-related work
whatever. Several such bogus outfits have
repeatedly changed names after getting into
trouble for mail fraud.