Felidae Conservation Fund belief that the study of wild cats can serve as a leverage point for addressing the broader environmental issues of habitat loss, human-nature interactions, and wildlife sustainability. This belief is based on the idea that because cats are often the top predators in the ecosystems they inhabit, understanding and solving the problems they face can inform and guide the conservation and preservation of wild animals and wild habitats of all kinds. Felidae currently collaborates on research projects in field locations around the globe, including the United States, Malaysia, Mongolia, Chile, Peru, Iran, Namibia and Pakistan. Felidae provides strategic guidance, funding,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals They promote alternatives, including embryonic stem cell research and in vitro cell research. PETA employees have themselves volunteered for human testing of vaccines; Scott Van Valkenburg, the group's Director of Major Gifts, said in 1999 that he had volunteered for human testing of HIV vaccines. PETA opposes the use of animals for producing clothing made with fur, leather, wool, or silk. It also opposes the use of down from birds and the use of silk from silkworms or spiders. The group notes on its website: "Every year, millions of animals are killed for the clothing industry—all in the name of