Educating, mentoring, and uniting animal rights advocates globally to turn research and advocacy into legal protections for animals.

About ICARE

At the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE), we envision a world where all sentient beings are recognised as individuals with inherent rights and dignity.

We are a group of Animal Rights Law academics and practitioners who provide unparalleled educational opportunities that blend theory with practical application.

Our research and advocacy activities are designed to have a wide-reaching impact, influencing legislation and ethical standards worldwide. Our focus on long-term training and network building ensures sustained advocacy and progress for animal rights.

Join us in our mission to transform the legal landscape for animals and achieve our vision of a world where animals are treated with justice and compassion!

About ICARE: Our Story

Our Theory of Change and Values

Our Mission

Our mission is to end animal exploitation and reduce the suffering of all sentient beings caused by human actions through the universal recognition and enforcement of animals’ fundamental rights.

Our Vision

Our vision is a world where all sentient beings possess legal rights, are treated with dignity, and are no longer exploited for human purposes or ‘left behind’. We believe in interspecies justice and advocate for non-anthropocentric legal systems that uphold the dignity and rights of all sentient beings. This entails recognising non-human animals as individuals with fundamental interests, needs, agency, personalities, cultures, relationships, and preferences and as subjects of lives that can fare well or poorly for themselves.

Meet the Team

Founder & Executive Director
Director of Legal Research & Advocacy
Marine is a dedicated advocate for human and animal rights, committed to driving meaningful and lasting policy change. As a PhD candidate in Global Animal Law and Researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, she pioneers the concept of 'Animal Labour Law', aiming to grant labour rights to non-human animal workers. Marine is the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the open-access Journal of Animal Rights Law and the Founder and Executive Director of the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE). She has also recently joined the Board of the Culture and Animals Foundation (CAF).
With multiple master's degrees in International Law and high honours in Animal Law and Society, Marine combines academic excellence with practical expertise. She regularly lectures on Animal Law, organises speed moot courts in human rights law and animal rights law, and has coordinated numerous international and national academic events. Fluent in French, English, and Spanish, she engages diverse audiences worldwide.
Known for her professionalism and collaborative spirit, Marine works closely with researchers and NGOs, always ready to contribute her expertise. Her publications and active participation in academic forums demonstrate her reliability and commitment to the cause.
Through her ongoing efforts and collaborative approach, Marine strives to make a meaningful impact in the field of animal rights, contributing to positive change and advancing the recognition of fundamental legal rights for animals.

Senior Policy & Research Advisor, International Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Dr Meganne Natali is a lawyer, lecturer, and leading legal expert in wildlife crime, holding a PhD in International Law and a Visiting Fellowship at Portsmouth University. She is dedicated to both advancing academic knowledge and implementing practical solutions to global challenges.
As a consultant collaborating with prominent organisations, including the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime,Four Paws, the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE), and World Animal Justice (WAJ), she works to strengthen international legal frameworks aimed at combating wildlife crime and reducing zoonotic disease risks through the regulation of wildlife trade.
Additionally, as a Case Manager at the Doctoral Clinic of International Law and Human Rights of Aix-en-Provence (France), she is committed to nurturing the next generation of legal scholars and advancing groundbreaking research.

Legal Expert and Social Media Content Creator
Silvina Pezzetta is an Argentinean CONICET researcher in Animal Law and Ethics. She has been working on animal rights legal theory and animal ethics for the last ten years while also participating as Amicus curiae in relevant national and international court cases.

She has taught animal ethics at the Buenos Aires University Law School (Argentina). She won the Culture & Animals Foundation Award in 2020 and the Tiny Beam Foundation Fellowship in 2021. She was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Law and International Public Law (Heidelberg, Germany) in 2019 and 2023. She was a Visiting Fellow at the ALPP Harvard Law School during the academic year 2023-2024.

Graphic Designer and Social Media Content Creator
Alessandra Vera holds a BA in Communications from Universidad de Lima (Peru). Her love for telling stories and planning communication strategies has allowed her to work with different organisations associated with conservation, tourism, theatre, music and contemporary art.
She is driven by a desire to be surrounded by as many animal species as possible, travel the world, and experiment with innovative communication through various media.

Marketing & Campaign Manager
Lauren has been vegan for five years and lives in the UK. She is a history graduate and an alumna of the Oxford University Society for Animal Ethics. She has been published in the Journal of Animal Ethics (JAE), where she examined attitudes towards animals in seventeenth-century England. Currently, she works in Digital Marketing.

Online Events Coordinator
Shreya is a dedicated animal welfare advocate whose vegan journey has fuelled her commitment to creating a world where animals are respected, not consumed.
Drawing on her background in marketing and events management, she channels her professional skills to strengthen the movement.
She believes effective outreach and community-building are powerful catalysts for transforming compassion into lasting impact.

Grant Writer
With a sharp pen and a heart for justice, Yara Zalzal brings over eight years of expertise in grant writing, editing, translation, and donor engagement. She has worked with non-profits, academic institutions, businesses, and grassroots initiatives to craft compelling proposals and content that support meaningful, impact-driven work.
Based in Lebanon, Yara’s passion for animal rights is rooted in a region where legal protection for animals is still alarmingly scarce. Since 2016, she has been rescuing and caring for vulnerable animals and is currently laying the groundwork for her own non-profit, focused on education and campaigning, to raise awareness around animal rights and protection, as well as policy-making.
Beyond her professional roles, Yara uses poetry and short stories as advocacy tools, to challenge norms and portray animals with empathy and dignity.

Volunteer Coordinator
Maria is a seasoned non-profit professional with a proven track record of success in driving positive social change. With a deep passion for animal rights, she brings a wealth of experience in leading teams, developing impactful campaigns, building strong relationships, and securing funding to support critical initiatives.
Maria holds a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications and a Master's degree in Interpersonal and Environmental Communication. Her expertise spans across diverse areas, including non-profit management, strategic communications, community engagement, and fundraising.

Maria is dedicated to creating a more just and compassionate world and is committed to leveraging her skills to advance animal welfare, foster environmental conservation and promote the development of more sustainable food systems.

Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Angélique is a Kenyan lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Strathmore University. She is currently a Project Intern at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) within the Regional Office for Africa. She has also worked as a legal assistant at the Judiciary of Kenya's Milimani Law Courts and the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW Kenya).

Driven by a strong interest in legal and policy research, particularly in environmental law, she also volunteers as a researcher for the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and contributes as an editor to the weADAPT platform hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Introduced to effective altruism and animal welfare in 2023, she has developed a keen interest in these areas and a desire to leverage her legal skills and background to create meaningful interventions.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Insia Fatima Jessani is a young lawyer from Pakistan with a deep passion for both animal and human rights law. She is particularly committed to advocating for the welfare of animals.
Insia enjoys conducting legal research on these subjects and is driven by her dedication to promoting justice for all.

Communications Manager
Dr. B. Louise Schriewer is qualified for judicial office in Germany and holds a doctorate from the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law. As part of her legal education, Louise studied in Spain and worked in Vietnam. After completing her traineeship at the High Court of Berlin, she joined McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and became part of a transcontinental team working on international arbitration cases. In 2016, Louise moved to the USA, where she started her coaching and consulting business. Louise has helped hundreds of people with work-related challenges and offered consulting services to the CEOs of small companies.
In addition to running her business, Louise co-led the multinational legal team of Volt (a new, pan-European political movement). Volt gained its first seat in the 2019 European Parliamentary elections, after which she handed over her role to her successor. She has taught classes on EU law at the University of Kiel, served as a course facilitator for Ubiquity University, and been involved in different leadership development programs for businesses and non-profits. Louise has contributed to the German Yearbook of International Law and other publications.

Outside of academia, she has written extensively for the general public, including in the Huffington Post. Until 2023, Louise served as the editor for Better Humans, one of Medium's oldest and biggest publications.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters

After a distinguished career as a civil litigator and court-appointed guardian ad litem, Kimberly made a strategic shift to Animal Law to fiercely advocate for the rights of non-human animals. As a proud recipient of the Center for Animal Law Studies Leadership Award, she graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Laws (LLM) in Animal Law from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Kimberly was chosen as an Ambassador for the Center for Animal Law Studies Global Ambassador Program for the 2024/2025 term, where she took the initiative to launch Animal Law Alliance. As Executive Director, she is committed to providing pro bono legal services to animal welfare organisations that deliver critical care, housing, and services to companion animals, farmed animals, and wildlife.

As a passionate advocate for Animal Law, Kimberly is determined to expand rights and legal protections for all species. Her lifelong devotion to animals and her decision to embrace a vegan lifestyle exemplify her unwavering commitment to advancing animal welfare.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters

Valéria is a Brazilian attorney currently pursuing an LL.M. in Environmental and Energy Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Passionate about animal protection, she has been actively involved in rescuing animals from mistreatment in her home country and has volunteered with wildlife in Namibia.

In addition to her practical experience, Valéria has also contributed to the academic field by writing articles on Animal Law. During her LL.M., she has been deepening her studies to strengthen environmental and animal protection through legal mechanisms, combining her legal expertise with a commitment to sustainability to drive positive impact.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters

Having completed her LL.M. and M.Phil. at the University of Colombo, specialising in Animal Welfare Law, Dulki is a Senior Executive Researcher at the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) within the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. She is the first Sri Lankan recipient of a full scholarship from Lewis & Clark Law School in the USA to study at the Center for Animal Law Studies’ renowned Online LLM in Animal Law program.

Dulki has also contributed as an editor to the CELP publication A Compilation of Animal Welfare Provisions and Case Law, the first-ever compilation of animal welfare laws and judgments in Sri Lanka. She has written for various journals, newspapers, and book publications on animal-related issues in national, regional, and global contexts. Dulki is also an Associate Editor at the Journal of Animal Rights Law.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Anna is a licensed attorney in the United States and is passionate about animal law and animal rights advocacy. She holds a Juris Doctorate and Master's degree in Public Policy and Administration. Anna has worked and volunteered with numerous animal welfare and rights organisations.

Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Thalia Puente Fernandez is a law student with a passion for social impact and community building.
She has experience creating digital content, running campaigns, and supporting organisations that align with her values.

Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
After researching illegal wildlife trade during a BSc in Environmental Management from Technological University Dublin and an internship with Ecojust, Francois pursued an MSc in Environmental & Climate Law at University College Dublin to understand the role and importance that legislation plays in combating environmental crime.
His current dissertation focuses on developing a theory of change to address bird of prey persecution in Ireland, and he recently joined ICARE’s wildlife crime team as a legal researcher.

Researcher, Political Representation of Animals

Madelon is an MA graduate in Human Rights and Democratisation at the Global Campus of Human Rights. During her studies, she gained experience in the fields of Environmental Law, the Rights of Nature, and Animal Law.

She is also deeply committed to animal welfare and animal protection, and is especially interested in the topic of legal representation of animals.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Maham is a dedicated law student at the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, with a passion for mooting, legal research, and advocacy. Recognised for her achievements in national and international moot court competitions, she also contributes as an executive member of a distinguished Law Firm, organising certified courses and managing outreach campaigns.

With experience in human rights and environmental law, Maham blends academic excellence with practical legal skills. Outside her legal pursuits, she is an avid writer, editor, and book blogger, committed to driving meaningful change through her work.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters

Katarína is an EU legal and policy expert with a decade of experience in international and European law. Passionate about sustainability, environmental protection, and animal welfare, she actively engages in advocacy and research initiatives.

She has volunteered with animal shelters and organic farms and continues to expand her expertise in animal rights law and advocacy.

Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters

Deeksha is a passionate legal professional dedicated to advancing animal rights and fostering sustainable, ethical practices worldwide.

With a Master’s in International Law and Human Rights from the University for Peace and extensive experience in advocacy, Deeksha combines academic rigour with hands-on expertise in protecting the rights of animals.

Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Yareli Alfaro is a dedicated professional from New York who recently graduated with a Master of Arts in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
With a strong background in client support and research, she has effectively managed public assistance programs and contributed to various legal and academic projects. Yareli is fluent in Spanish and is committed to advocating for community welfare and ethical practices.

Legal Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
A graduate of the College of Europe with a specialisation in European affairs, Pauline is a dedicated consultant in Public Affairs and Fundraising, with a strong commitment to advancing animal welfare.
She brings her expertise in EU policy-making, regulatory frameworks, and strategic communications to support animal advocacy organisations across France and Europe in order to secure meaningful and lasting progress for animals.
Her work spans a wide range of issues, including the fight against intensive farming, animal experimentation, hunting practices, and the protection of wild animals.

Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Ashley is a legal and policy advisor from Belgium with a strong commitment to animal rights. With a background in EU law, environmental law, and a specialised diploma in animal law from the University of Limoges, she aims to bring both strategic insight and legal expertise to her advocacy work.
Ashley strives for a society where animal rights are effectively represented and taken into account in all politics.

Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Prithvi is a dedicated data scientist with a strong passion for animal rights and ethical practices. With a solid academic foundation and a commitment to social impact, he’s eager to apply his expertise in research and technology to support the recognition and protection of animals’ fundamental rights.