April 24, 2000–The WWF spearheads a joint letter to U.S. senators and representatives challenging PETA’s opposition to the EPA’s massive animal-testing program known as the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. (Click here to read the letter.) (PDF Format)

2000–The WWF’s European Toxics Program pushes for “numerous suspected substances” to be tested for hormonal effects using a two-generation reproduction toxicity study, which kills more than 2,500 animals per chemical tested. (Click here to read the WWF’s comments.) (PDF Format)

March 6, 2001–PETA writes to the president of the WWF-US to outline our concerns about animal testing and to urge the WWF to sign onto a statement calling for more funding for non-animal test method development and the use of only scientifically validated test methods. (Click here to read PETA’s letter, statement, and background paper.) (PDF Format)

April 5, 2001–The head of the WWF’s Global Toxics Program responds to PETA’s letter but refuses to endorse our statement, claiming, “Until we can come up with a better alternative, we sometimes have little choice but to test chemicals on laboratory animals.” (Click here to read the WWF’s letter.) (PDF Format)

December 27, 2001–PETA launches MeanGreenies.com and gives the WWF a grade of “F” on its “report card” of environmental groups’ positions on animal testing.

February 13, 2002–The WWF calls on the EPA to “require a developmental neurotoxicity study for pesticides that cause hypothyroidism.” Such studies kill upwards of 1,300 animals for every chemical tested. (Click here to read the WWF’s comments, and click here to read PETA’s DNT Factsheet.) (PDF Format)

May 1, 2002–In a presentation to Canada’s Standing Committee on Health, the WWF pushes Canada to bring its pesticide regulations more into line with those of the U.S.–stating that “reviews must consider a sufficient range of health and environmental effects of pesticides”–which is just a veiled way of calling for more animal testing.

August 30, 2002–PETA writes again to the WWF, urging the organization to endorse our non-animal strategy for testing chemicals for hormonal effects. (Click here to read PETA’s letter.) (PDF Format)

September 20, 2002–The WWF issues an “Answer to PETA’s Accusations” and a formal “Animal Testing Policy.” (Click here to read the WWF’s rebuttal and click here to view its “Animal Testing Policy.”) (PDF Format)

October 4, 2002–The WWF’s director general writes to PETA President Ingrid Newkirk regarding PETA’s alleged “misrepresentation of WWF’s views on animal testing.” (Click here to read the WWF’s letter.) (PDF Format)

October 10, 2002–Friend of animals and former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney tells the WWF that it has “strayed off course by supporting [animal testing] and should do everything in its power to rectify the situation.” (Click here to read Sir Paul’s letter.)

October 11, 2002–PETA’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, fires back a hard-hitting response to the WWF’s director general. (Click here to read PETA’s letter.) (PDF Format)

October 23, 2002–The results of a massive animal-poisoning experiment are published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, and the WWF is acknowledged as a financial supporter of this research. (Click here to read the article’s abstract and acknowledgments.) (PDF Format)

March 24, 2003–Sir Paul McCartney writes a second letter to the WWF, once again urging the organization to turn its back on animal testing. (Click here to read the letter.)

April 1, 2003–The WWF takes its first step forward by submitting comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urging the agency to “rely to the fullest extent possible on validated non-animal screens and tests. … Where such tests are not yet available, WWF believes EPA ought to invest in their development as a matter of priority, and that Congress should increase funding to speed this important transition.” (Click here to view the WWF’s comments.) (PDF Format)

April 8, 2003–The WWF’s director general responds to Sir Paul’s letter, advising him that the WWF would be ending its dialogue and efforts to cooperate with PETA. (Click here to read the WWF’s letter.) (PDF Format)

April 21, 2003–PETA’s senior vice president responds to the WWF’s letter to Sir Paul. (Click here to read PETA’s letter.) (PDF Format)

August 5, 2003–PETA again writes to the WWF. (Click here to read the letter.) (PDF Format)

August 5, 2004–PETA writes to the WWF for clarification regarding its new claim to oppose "all outdated and unnecessary animal testing." (Click here to read the letter.) (PDF Format).

WWF Fables and Facts (Click here to read PETA’s rebuttal to the WWF’s misleading claims.) (PDF Format)

“PETA Says No to Animal Testing” (Click here to read the article by PETA’s federal agency liaison from the Fall 2002 issue of the Earth Island Journal.) (PDF Format)