Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is a United States non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1947 out of concern for perceived cruelties of the use of steel-jawed leghold traps for trapping fur-bearing animals. The organization was originally called Defenders of Fur Bearers and its mission was focused on North American mammals. Today, the organization's mission is broader and includes preservation and conservation actions concerning organisms, both animals and plants, preservation of biodiversity, and threats to habitats. They advocate for the Endangered Species Act in the United States through lobbying and by using the legal system for the protection of endangered or threatened species. They have offices in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Defenders of Wildlife focuses its programs on the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity and habitat alteration and destruction. Defenders of Wildlife also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that will help keep species from becoming endangered. Its programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health. Its sister organization, Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, lobbies and works to influence legislative action. [http://www.defendersactionfund.org/index.html]