The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is one of the largest animal welfare and conservation charities in the world. The organization works to rescue individual animals, safeguard populations, preserve habitat, and advocate for greater protections. Brian Davies founded IFAW.

IFAW was founded by Brian Davies with the goal to stop the commercial hunt for whitecoat seals on the east coast of Canada. Stichting IFAW was the first IFAW office outside the United States. It gave IFAW additional support to fight the seal hunt, which at the time led to a storm of protests in the Netherlands.

Rating Information This charity's score is 99%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.

Animal rights means that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation. Animal welfare allows these uses as long as “humane” guidelines are followed.

We're the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and we've been here for animals since 1824. We're the world's oldest and largest animal welfare charity, with the primary focus of rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming or releasing animals across England and Wales.

Through community engagement, IFAW aims to strengthen and nurture the relationships between humans and animals around the world. The lives of communities, the animals in their care and the wildlife around them are inextricably linked through the habitats, shared resources and the interactions they have.

We're the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and we've been here for animals since 1824. We're the world's oldest and largest animal welfare charity, with the primary focus of rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming or releasing animals across England and Wales.

Shortlist: Oyster's top 17 charities for endangered animals

• 1) Defenders of Wildlife.
• 2) International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• 3) Jane Goodall Foundation.
• 4) David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
• 5) World Wildlife Fund.
• 6) Gorilla Doctors.
• 7) Save the Elephants.
• 8) International Rhino Foundation.

In 1997, David Fraser and his colleagues at the University of British Columbia introduced a framework complementary to the Five Freedoms to demonstrate this point. They proposed there are three major concepts of animal welfare: health and production; natural behavior; and feelings (affective states).

An animal experiences good welfare if the animal is healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear and distress, and is able to express behaviors that are important for its physical and mental state.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, otherwise known as ASPCA, has been fighting against animal cruelty in North America since 1866. Founded by Henry Bergh, the ASPCA is one of the first and largest non-profit organizations established to protect animals in the world.

5 Countries That Are Highly Rated for Animal Welfare

• Austria. Austria is one of the strictest countries when it comes to animal welfare laws.
• Switzerland.
• Kenya.
• India.
• Tanzania.
• Organisations and charities that campaign against animal cruelty.