American Humane Society
The American Humane Society, is an American animal welfare organization founded in 1877 committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals. It was previously called the International Humane Association and subsequently the American Humane Association and American Humane before changing its name to American Humane Society in 2025. In 1940, it became the sole monitoring body for the humane treatment of animals on the sets of unionized Hollywood films and other broadcast productions, a role it maintains through an agreement with the Screen Actors Guild. American Humane Society is best known for its certification mark "No Animals Were Harmed", which appears at the end of film or television credits where animals are featured.
The organization also rescues animals following natural disasters, and runs programs that certify farms, zoos, and aquariums, among other institutions for the humane treatment of animals.
American Humane Society is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a section 501 nonprofit organization.
History
American Humane Society began on October 9, 1877, as the International Humane Association, with the amalgamation of 27 organizations from across the United States after a meeting at the Kennard House in Cleveland, Ohio. The invitation to the other groups came from the Illinois Humane Society, sent on September 15, 1877, to discuss the specific problem of farm animal maltreatment during their transport between the eastern and western US. Groups attending the meeting included associations from the State of New York, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. A group from Minnesota also pledged its support to the forthcoming results of the conference, though they could not attend, and a group from the Canadian province of Quebec requested that a transcript of the proceedings be sent to them afterward.The International Humane Association changed its name to the "American Humane Association" in November 1878. New member organizations were in attendance for their second annual general meeting, held in Baltimore, Maryland, and also came from California, Massachusetts, Maine, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. Canadian regions were also included in the Association. From 1892 to 1900, Francis H. Rowley was Secretary of the American Humane Association.
In 1916, American Humane Society founded Red Star Rescue Relief after the U.S. Secretary of War asked the organization to rescue injured horses on the battlefields of World War I. Officers in 1917 included President William O. Stillman and 2nd Vice-President Peter G. Gerry. There were 36 Vice-Presidents listed including William Howard Taft, Thomas R. Marshall, and Francis H. Rowley.
American Humane Society began its work in film in 1940 after an incident that occurred on the set of the film Jesse James. The group began protesting the public release of the film because of a scene in which a horse was forced to run off the edge of a cliff. The horse fell over 70 feet to the ground below and broke its spine, having to be put down afterwards. In 1966, American Humane Society's access to some sets was diminished for 14 years following the dismantling of the Hays Office, during which time their jurisdiction was lessened.
In 1954, tensions within the ranks of American Humane Society members came to a head at the organization's annual meeting, as a member-nominated slate of board candidates stood for office in opposition to a board-nominated slate. The majority of those assembled at the Atlanta, Georgia convention elected the three candidates on the member-nominated slate; J. Perry, Raymond Naramore, and Roland Smith. In the meeting's aftermath, there were firings and resignations on the part of staff members, including Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, Helen Jones, and Fred Myers. This core group went on to found a new organization, the National Humane Society, later known as The Humane Society of the United States, as an alternative to American Humane Society.
American Humane Society's first "No Animals Were Harmed" end credit was issued at the end of the movie The Doberman Gang in 1972. Since then, the group has launched programs to certify the humane treatment of animals at a wide variety of institutions.
In 1980, following the release of Heaven's Gate, the opening of which was met with a national picketing and protest effort after complaints about how the filming of the movie had involved the inhumane treatment of animals – including the deaths of five horses – the Screen Actors Guild negotiated for the universal presence of American Humane Society on the set as part of its union deal, forcing filmmakers to contact American Humane Society in advance of any animal being present on set.
In 2000, the American Humane Certified Farm program created the first farm animal welfare label to be overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program began as "Free Farmed" under Adele Douglass and is now referred to as the American Humane Certified Farm Program.
In 2025, the organization changed its name to "American Humane Society".
Programs
No Animals Were Harmed Certification
The American Humane Society's No Animals Were Harmed certification program oversees animals used during unionized media productions, and it is sanctioned by the Screen Actors Guild to oversee a production's humane care of animals. It is the only organization with jurisdiction to do so within the United States. Because of this, the society may choose to issue the end credit disclaimer "No Animals Were Harmed", with a piece of a filmstrip that depicts a dog, a horse and an elephant. American Humane Society also reports on animal safety during filming if public concerns arise or if animal accidents happen on the set. American Humane Society protects the animals on the set as well as the cast/crew members who interact with the animals.The society's standard of animal care was established in 1988 and continues to evolve. It covers all living creatures. On the set, representatives attempt to ensure the guidelines are upheld. American Humane Society's oversight includes film, television, commercials, music videos, and internet productions.
The Screen Actors Guildand thus the American Humane Societyhave no jurisdiction concerning non-American and non-union productions.
In 2024, American Humane Society reported supervising 1,000 productions in 25 countries, protecting 100,000 animal actors.
It's possible to see and search for the certification of a past film production or currently-released film productions through their Humane Hollywood website.
Standards
American Humane currently has four certifications with unique qualifications, which are as follow:•Full Certification: American Humane’s Safety Representatives were on set to ensure the safety of the animals throughout production. After a screening of the finished product and cross-checking all animal action, American Humane determines the film met or exceeded Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media and, is awarded the end credit disclaimer “No Animals Were Harmed.”
•Modified Certification: American Humane’s Safety Representatives were not able to monitor every scene in which animals appeared. However, American Humane oversaw significant animal action filmed in compliance with American Humane's Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media. After screening the finished product and cross-checking all animal action supervised during production, American Humane acknowledges that the filmmakers have cooperated fully with their process.
•Not Monitored: The production did not seek monitoring oversight from American Humane’s Safety Representatives during filming and American Humane cannot attest to the treatment of the animal actors or know whether American Humane's Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were followed.
•Special Circumstances: The current definition of this is unknown and is only described as special circumstances. Previously, in the former rating system, it was given when productions followed guidelines and there was cooperation with representatives, and yet, an incident occurred and it was determined the production or animal suppliers had no negligence or malice.
The previous ratings system that was used had the following ratings: Outstanding, Acceptable, Special Circumstances, Unacceptable, Production Compliant, and Not Monitored.