One Funder’s Mission to Take Down Animal Abusers
/The Greenbaum Foundation funds work to prevent animal suffering in a variety of ways, including sanctuaries and public education on animal welfare. But they also back some pretty ass-kicking stuff, including investigations exposing circuses, puppy mills, factory farms, and others committing acts of cruelty.
The foundation supports both humanitarian work and groups that prevent animal suffering. There’s a pretty big spread of tactics, but Greenbaum takes a pretty hard line against animal abuse, including the notable program backing investigative work.
For example, Animal Recovery Mission, which has branding that looks more like a private security firm than an animal welfare group, conducts investigations to eliminate severe animal cruelty. Its mission is to be “an uncompromising defending force for the welfare of animals” by exposing such cruelty.
For example, in 2010, the group’s first undercover investigation resulted in the closing of more than 70 illegal slaughter farms in one region of Florida. The group also targets dog fighting, horse slaughter and other extreme offenders. Their teams gather evidence and then works with government agencies to have the offenders shut down.
Another group, Last Chance for Animals, was founded in 1984 to conduct direct action against animal cruelty. This group has done a lot of protest work, but they also hold investigations into puppy mills, animal fighting, and mistreatment of exotic animals like tigers.
Mercy for Animals, which also has a supporter in scientist/actress/ex-Blossom Mayim Bialik, conducts similar investigations, but with an emphasis on agribusiness, so cattle and poultry factory farms.
For Jim Greenbaum, who oversees giving with his wife Lucie Berreby-Greenbaum, such tactics all boil down to stopping the most horrific abuse, in the largest numbers they can:
“In the factory farming arena, when the public sees what kind of abuse goes on in those settings, it leads many of them to end their practice of eating meat, and thus saves the lives of countless animals,” he said by email. “For those animals which remain in the factory farming situation, oftentimes their horrific conditions might become a little bit less horrific.”
While the foundation's work is a joint endeavor of Jim and Lucie, it's Lucie who directs the animal work and seems most deeply invested here. The foundation's website says that Lucie "has a natural affinity towards all animals. She strives to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, to help the world understand the true nature of all sentient beings."
The animal cruelty investigations program is just one of four focuses the Greenbaum Foundation funds to prevent animal suffering. To find out more about the foundation and its telecom millionaire-turned-philanthropist, see our IP profile at the link below.
