Every wildlife advocate has experienced the frustration of feeling ineffective. The passion that drives us to work so hard on behalf of vulnerable species can also lead to burnout and despair if results aren’t achieved. Thankfully, data exists that can help wildlife advocates understand how people think about and respond to different advocacy tactics, providing us with the best strategies to inspire changes to hearts and minds – changes that are necessary for us to ultimately improve the world for wild creatures.

Sarah Hanneken is an attorney specializing in litigation and legislation impacting animals. As Legal Advocacy Counsel at Animal Equality, Sarah pursues strategic impact litigation and legislative initiatives to protect the interests of animals, particularly those used in agriculture. Sarah uses her creativity and extensive advocacy experience to develop novel legal strategies specifically designed to shift people’s perception of the species whom society currently treats as mere commodities. By highlighting animals’ individuality in highly publicized court cases, and by utilizing Theory of Change methodology in pursuit of more animal-friendly laws and regulations, Sarah contributes to the animal protection movement’s effort to achieve a social paradigm shift for lasting animal protection and respect. 

Prior to joining Animal Equality, Sarah worked for 4.5 years in the Litigation Program at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, where she honed her skills as a litigator and activist. Outside of work, Sarah serves on the board of directors of Faunalytics, a nonprofit that conducts essential research related to animal advocacy, maintains an online research library, and directly supports advocates and advocacy organizations in their work to improve the lives of animals.