The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, Inc.

What Is Kimmela? The Kimmela Center is devoted to transforming our relationships with other animals from exploitation to respect by combining academic scholarship with animal advocacy.
The Kimmela Solution Kimmela offers a unique solution. We are working to become the go-to source of scientific and academic expertise on nonhuman animals, bringing objectivity and credibility to the pressing issues we’ve identified through four active domains.
What Is a Scholar Advocate? Kimmela is helping to create and support a new professional path for scholars in a variety of academic fields who want to apply their training and expertise to advocacy for nonhuman animals.
Kimmela in Action Kimmela is the missing bridge between the scientific community and animal protection groups. Our work is published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at professional conferences. We collaborate with other organizations to translate scientific findings into accessible and useful information for the general public.

The Blog

Do Emotional Support Animals Need Emotional Support?

In 2018, a peacock named Dexter spent several hours perched atop a pile of luggage while waiting for a seat on a United Airlines flight.

Dexter’s owner claimed he was an Emotional Support Animal or ESA. And there are any number of organizations providing ways to register one’s pet as an ESA.

What does the use of animals as ESAs tell us about our relationship with them? And what are the effects on an animal who is used as an ESA?

Kimmela News

Scholar-Advocacy Returns to Superpod

On July 18th, a group of nine young scholar-advocates will take the stage at the San Juan Island Community Theater at Superpod 6 as part of the Second Biennial Scholar-Advocacy session.

Superpod 6 is a gathering of marine mammal experts, advocates and policy makers who convene on San Juan Island for several days to share their knowledge and ideas. This year scholar-advocates as young as 10 years old will showcase the way they’ve been using their education, talents and energy to advocate for marine mammals and the oceans.

Kimmela Center in Action

The Someone Project: Kimmela and Farm Sanctuary are working together to compile, review and publish the scientific evidence for cognitive and emotional complexity in farm animals.

Campaigns against Dolphin and Whale Captivity: Dr. Marino provides ongoing expert research and testimony.

“I Am Not an Animal”: Kimmela adds the dimension of human psychology to its work on human-nonhuman animal relationships.

The Nonhuman Rights Project: The Kimmela Center provided the scientific expertise, data and guidance for court cases on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State.

The Los Angeles Zoo Elephant Case: Dr. Marino has testified as an expert witness.