Humane Society President Points To 'Major Change' In Businesses Nationwide

Humane Society president Wayne Pacelle believes there’s an unprecedented change taking place in our society in terms of animal rights. It’s an awakening, he says, and there’s not just one reason why it’s happening. There are several.

As Pacelle tells Oprah during an interview for “SuperSoul Sunday,” there are many players participating in the movement to improve the treatment of animals.

“It’s an ensemble cast of people. Thought leaders you and others have embraced these ideas, more and more politicians have embraced them, [and] we’ve had ballot measures that the public has supported,” Pacelle says.

Fortune 500 companies have begun embracing animal welfare too, he adds.

“Walmart announced with us in April of 2016 that it’s going to observe the five freedoms of farm animal welfare ... I mean, this is Walmart. It’s the biggest retailer in the world,” Pacelle says. “Now, almost all these companies are embracing animal welfare.”

Pacelle then reiterates the thesis he puts forth in his book, The Humane Economy .

“Companies that do not embrace that change are actually going to face risk,” he says.

As an example, Pacelle points to SeaWorld, which committed to ending its breeding of orcas after coming under intense scrutiny for its treatment of these creatures. This collective shift of public consciousness, he says, is playing a big role in prompting businesses to rethink their treatment of animals.

“This is a major change in our society,” Pacelle says. “When a company says, ‘Our stock is falling, our visitation is falling. Now if we embrace animal protection, that’s going to be a boon for our bottom line,’ I mean, that’s what we want.”

Another impact on animal rights:

2 simple changes you can make that will change the lives of countless animals