Why and when was Humane USA created?
Humane USA was formed in the fall of 1999 to fill a void in the animal protection movement. Despite the existence of hundreds, even thousands, of local, state, and national organizations, not a single national organization was constituted to help elect humane-minded candidates to office. Money raised for animal protection was devoted to educating children and other members of the public about animal issues, investigating animal cruelty, intervening in these cases, and providing shelter, food, and other forms of care for needy animals. Most of these efforts were organized by nonprofit charitable organizations. By law, these organizations are not allowed to directly influence the outcome of elections. Thus, the animal protection movement was at a disadvantage without a major political action committee to support candidates for office.
