Cheri Shankar

Cheri Shankar is an animal protection advocate and philanthropist who began her work in 2002 as a volunteer and donor for cat and dog rescue organizations in Los Angeles. She hosted her first political fundraiser in 2004 and has since advocated at the federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. for legislation protecting animals and she is a former board member of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. Cheri has worked to pass laws on a range of animal rights causes, including legislation to protect sharks, bears, whales and bobcats from cruelty. Her campaign to ban the use of bull hooks on elephants in Los Angeles and Oakland preceded Ringling Bros.' 2016 retirement of its circus elephants and the company's eventual move away from animal acts. She spearheaded California's fur sales ban, the first statewide ban of its kind, and was the lead petitioner for Proposition 12, the farm animal protection measure upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023. Cheri currently resides in Vancouver, BC.

Session: Effective Political Advocacy for Animals Workshop