Top 10 Animal Rights Activists

Howard Lyman

Howard Lyman is known by many as the "Mad Cowboy," (MadCowboy.com). He is a former cattle rancher-turned vegan and food safety activist. In 1996, he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, sparking the infamous "Veggie Libel" case brought on by Texas ranchers. Lyman is the author of Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat. He is the former Director of the "Beyond Beef Campaign" and the Humane Society of the United States' "Eating with Conscience Campaign", past President of both the International Vegetarian Union, and EarthSave International. He is currently President of Voice for a Viable Future. Animal Rights Activist, Lyman travels over 100,000 miles every year delivering lectures and speeches to raise awareness.

Rachael Ray

In effort to reduce the amount of abandoned and abused animals that are placed in shelters, celebrity chef and talk show host, Rachael Ray has created a website that is dedicated to animals. She has featured information on proper pet nutrition and has developed her own line of pet food. Ray’s website raises awareness about organizations that make a difference for animals. A portion of proceeds made from her pet food are donated to these organizations which include: North Shore Animal League America, the largest no-kill adoption and rescue organization in the world; Bad Rap, an organization that educates people on American Pit Bull Terriers as family pets; and American Vet Dogs, an organization dedicated to providing service dogs to former military personnel in an effort to help them live with dignity and independence.

Ric O’Barry

Few have done more for the safety and preservation of dolphins than Ric O’Barry. Through ten years of capturing and training dolphins in the 60’s for entertainment venues O’Barry discovered the inhumane treatment these mammals endured outside of their natural habitat. For nearly 40 years, he fought against dolphin captivity and dedicated his life to saving dolphins through the Dolphin Project, which he started in 1970. O’Barry is currently the director of the Save Japan Dolphins campaign which focuses on ending dolphin killings in Japan. His life’s work was chronicled in the Oscar winning documentary, The Cove. This inspirational animal rights activist continues his efforts to raise awareness of dolphins around the world with a mission to keep them safe for generations to come.

Jane Goodall

Considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Jane Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, in Tanzania. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, a global nonprofit that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. Goodall has received many awards and honors for her work, among them the Gold Medal of Conservation from the San Diego Zoological Society, the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize, and the National Geographic Society Centennial Award. Now 77 years old, Goodall does not spend much time in Africa. She does however continue her efforts to inspire others to make a difference, traveling 300 days a year to deliver speeches and lectures around the world.

Mariana Tosca

You may remember Mariana Tosca for her acting roles in films like Christmas in the Clouds, The Doors, The Rites of Spring, or I Knew a Girl Named Hollywood. But acting isn’t her only passion. For decades, Tosca has been at the forefront of social advocacy and animal rights advocacy efforts around the world. She sits on the Advisory Board of ElephantVoices, DreamCatcher Wild Horse & Burro Sanctuary, Born Free USA, the National Equine Resource Network and serves on the Honorary Board of Voice for the Animals Foundation. Tosca also serves alongside Dr. Jane Goodall on the Advisory Council of Save the Chimps, the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary, home to hundreds of chimpanzees retired from the NASA space program, bio-medical research and the entertainment & pet trades.

Tippi Hedren

Tippi Hedren is an actress and formal model who founded the Shambala Preserve in 1983 to provide sanctuary to exotic felines. Located in California, The Shambala houses approximately 70 animals including African lions, Siberian and Bengal tigers, leopards, mountain lions, bobcats and servals. Animals that are brought to Shambala are not bred, traded, or sold. They come to the preserve to live out their lives and receive the best food/nutritional, medical and human care available. Hedren who lives on site, conducts monthly tours of the preserve for the public. Her efforts played a significant role in convincing lawmakers to pass The Captive Wildlife Safety Act in 2003 limiting private ownership of big cats in this country. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Humane Society of the United States.

Bob Barker

Best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, Bob Barker is an avid animal rights supporter. In 1994 Barker set up a foundation called the DJ & T Foundation that funds grants for spay/neuter clinics. Barker said that he became involved in animal rights over 20 years ago while chairing Be Kind to Animals Week in L.A. His involvement with different organizations during that event made him aware of the terrible exploitation of animals, compelling him to rectify the situation. Since then, he has donated $2 million to Drury University to establish a Professorship of Animal Rights and an animal ethics course. He has also donated $5 million to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to fight whaling and $1 million to SHARK to fight pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania.

Cindy Lowry

For 10 years, Cindy Lowry was the Alaska field coordinator for Greenpeace. Greenpeace is the largest independent direct action environmentalist group in the world. In 1988, Lowry was involved in the rescue of 3 California Gray whales trapped in Artic ice that brought together the US and Russia amid the Cold War. The story was closely followed by the media and drew audiences from around the globe. The rescue, called Operation Breakout, cost over $1 million and took several weeks with the combined effort of local volunteers, Eskimo fishermen, government officials in the US and Russia, military personal from both, the ARCO oil company and Greenpeace. Lowry’s efforts in Operation Breakout have been highlighted in the upcoming film, Big Miracle, being released February 3, 2012, starring Drew Barrymore as Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer (Cindy Lowry).

Russell Simmons

Most people recognize Russell Simmons for his notorious macho role in hip hop. Some find it fascinating that he’s a vegan, animal rights activist who practices yoga and Transcendental Meditation. Simmons believes that the abuse of animals is the worst karmic disaster in the history of mankind and it is this belief that lead to his involvement with PETA and animal rights overall. His beliefs can also be seen in his clothing line, Argyleculture. The line is free of fur, wool and leather. Simmons actively advocates for the reporting of animal cruelty including writing a letter to the CEO of KFC asking them to improve their chicken slaughtering practices. Because of his tireless efforts to advocate for animal rights and promote a vegan lifestyle, he was awarded the PETA 2011 Person of the Year Award.

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank began her film acting career in 1992, and has starred in many different roles since then. In the fall of 2009, she took on a new role: ambassador for the annual Iams Home for the Holidays campaign which promotes pet adoption for the holidays. While promoting her movie Amelia, this compassionate animal lover found time in her busy schedule to sit for interviews and record ads encouraging people to visit their local shelters to adopt one of the more than 8 million animals that were awaiting homes. The campaign ran from October 1, 2009 to January 4, 2010 with over 3,900 shelters and rescue organizations in 17 countries participated. Almost 1.4 million animals were adopted as a result of Swank’s passion, enthusiasm and dedication to the welfare of abandoned animals.