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The Animal Policy Project
Research. Training. Impact.
The Animal Policy Project’s mission is to safeguard animals—domestic, captive, and wild—through policy design, reform, and advocacy. The Project provides students with training in applied professional advocacy skills and relies on interdisciplinary research combining science, policy, and ethics.
Animal Advocacy Clinic
Open to all majors, the Animal Advocacy Clinic is an experiential course that teaches students professional policy and advocacy skills through the practice of direct lobbying of legislatures and agencies regarding animal and wildlife welfare issues. The primary client of the clinic is the Humane Society of the United States – New York. Some recent victories of the clinic are listed below.
Student clinicians wrote and lobbied for the Elephant Protection Act to ban the use of elephants in entertainment in New York. The legislation was enacted in 2017.
Former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill based on research conducted by student clinicians that increases New York State’s powers to protect endangered species from the threat of federal policies that weaken protections.
The clinic supported successful legislation in New York State requiring veterinarians to report evidence of animal abuse to animal protection agencies, while protecting veterinarians who do.
Get Involved.
Students can get involved in many ways, including pursuing internships and fellowships, completing undergraduate and graduate master's theses and capstone projects, or registering for the Animal Advocacy Clinic.