About FePA

We are their voice

Uniting our voices for a single purpose: protecting our animals!

For four decades, we have been the voice of the animals of Puerto Rico: we educate, we protect, we support our member organizations in community-impact programs, and we promote legislation so that dignified care and treatment become a reality.

Our story

In 1983, a group of citizens in Puerto Rico came together with a clear purpose: to give the animals of the island a steady voice, beginning with the education of shelters and rescuers. That is how the Federación Protectora de Animales (FePA) was born, today the oldest organization in Puerto Rico dedicated to defending and protecting animal welfare.

Over time, that effort became a gathering place for every voice and initiative committed to animal protection and welfare, a cause that today also recognizes its connection to the environment and food sustainability.

Sea turtle swimming among plastic waste, the link between animal welfare and the environment — Animal welfare also depends on the environment: the waste we generate, especially plastic, reaches the sea and affects the species that inhabit it.

Our mission

Our mission is to eradicate animal cruelty in Puerto Rico through three mutually reinforcing fronts: humane education, community impact, and systemic change.

Through humane education, we train teachers, students, and communities so that respect for animals is taught from an early age. Through community impact, we support our member organizations with grants and training that reach the communities where animals need us most. Through systemic change, we monitor, demand, and work on legislation so that the government delivers coherent solutions that comprehensively address all animal-related issues.

Mundi the elephant, a landmark animal welfare case in Puerto Rico — The case of the Puerto Rico zoo shows the power of advocacy: thanks to FePA’s behind-the-scenes efforts and the public outcry of organizations and citizens, the zoo was closed and its animals were moved to accredited sanctuaries and zoos in the United States. Pictured: Mundi, who now lives at the Elephant Refuge North America sanctuary in Georgia.

Our impact

Today we sustain active partnerships that amplify and sustain our work across the Puerto Rican archipelago.

In the first year of our agreement with the Puerto Rico Department of Education alone we trained nearly 1,000 teachers who would go on to impact a network of 117,000 students across the island. Our educational work has also reached police officers, prosecutors, FePA members, animal-welfare organizations, shelters, independent rescuers, and the general public, impacting thousands of people across the island.

We have also built a collaboration network with Para la Naturaleza, Club 4H, the Puerto Rico Psychology Association, and the Puerto Rico Social Workers Association, in order to further expand the reach of our mission.

Hens crowded in an industrial farm — No animal deserves to be mistreated; all animals are sentient beings.

Hens inside a wire cage — No animal deserves to be mistreated; all animals are sentient beings.

Our network

Member organization network

Ámalos tú también
Albergue Villa Michelle
All Sato Rescue
Humane Society de Puerto Rico
Our Big Fat Caribbean Rescue

Does your organization want to join? Become a member →

Standing with them, together

FePA is a nonprofit organization with federal 501(c)(3) status and state tax exemption under section 1101.01, so donations are tax-deductible as permitted by applicable law. Your contribution funds grants for member organizations, free spay-neuter programs (including TNR: trap, neuter, and return of community cats), humane education, training workshops and systemic change efforts.

Donate Become a member Contact us