About
FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organization for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need, and protects them. FOUR PAWS USA, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the organization's U.S. presence, supporting sustainable campaigns and projects that focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals, and wild animals — such as bears, big cats, and orangutans — kept in inappropriate conditions, as well as animals in disasters and conflict zones.
Mission
FOUR PAWS advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy, and understanding. Its approach is summarized as Reveal, Rescue, Protect: revealing inappropriate and life-threatening conditions for animals, rescuing animals in need worldwide with continuing help and medical care, and protecting rescued wildlife by providing species-appropriate sanctuary homes. The organization works to achieve changes in politics, society, and the economy that benefit animals, grounded in scientific expertise, research, and national and international advocacy for legislative change.
What they do
- Sanctuaries and partner projects in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Jordan, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Ukraine, and Vietnam that provide safe homes for big cats, bears, orangutans, and elephants rescued from non-species-appropriate captivity — including LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa (since 2006), BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh in Vietnam (since 2017), and BEAR SANCTUARY Mueritz in Germany (since 2006)
- Stray Animal Care projects that neuter and medically treat stray dogs and cats to create humane, long-term solutions
- Disaster Relief for Animals, assisting with rescue, public health services, and protection of livelihoods when catastrophes strike
- Rapid Response for Animals: a trained unit of veterinarians, rescue workers, and crisis managers helping animals in wars and conflict zones
- Global campaigns, including efforts for fur-free fashion (#WearItKind), against the dog and cat meat trade in Southeast Asia, against long-distance live animal transport, and to end bear bile farming
History
FOUR PAWS was founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends. Today it has offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam, as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries. Its U.S. office is at 36 Bromfield Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
Financials
The U.S. entity is registered with the IRS as Four Paws International Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization based in Boston (EIN 27-4352918). According to IRS Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for fiscal year 2023 the U.S. entity reported total revenue of about $2.22 million and total expenses of about $2.38 million.