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About us

Vision

We envision a world where all sentient beings have the freedom to lead a self-determined life, and are respected and valued as individuals.

We understand that there is still a long way to go to achieve our vision, we have outlined our intermediate goals and values which guide our work.

[ Consulting ]

Mission

We are a conduit that bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and animal advocacy. We work with and advise organizations and advocates to ensure they have the latest scientific information to help guide their work to achieve our vision.

Short-term Goals

Strengthened animal advocacy

With our expertise and experience, we support various organizations and advocates within animal movements and thereby strengthen them.

Use of scientific knowledge

By comprehensibly preparing scientific findings, we make it easier for organizations and advocates to use most up to date scientific information and to back up their work with sources.

Long-term Goals

Advancing the discourse

The linguist Siegfried Jäger describes a discourse as a transmission of knowledge through time. A discourse can shape individual and collective action and thus opens up the space for behavioural changes. Therefore, a constant and growing discourse in the sense of nonhuman animals is a concern for us. Through its manifold impact on society, discourse is an important tool for achieving our vision. We do not want to lead the debate purely on personal experiences and feelings, but very much refer to scientific findings.

Raise awareness for change

In order to bring about change, an awareness of the problem must be increased. Therefore, an important intermediate step on the way to our goal is a deepened awareness of the societail, political, legal and scientific issues nonhuman animals face.

The status of nonhuman animals in politics and the legal system

The status of nonhuman animals in politics and the legal system has significant consequences on their well-being. A truly recognized status for nonhuman animals in the eyes of politics and justice is an important step towards a society free of exploitation and oppression.

Transition away from an economic system that profits at the expense of nonhuman animals

The greatest motivation for people to exercise control over nonhuman animals and humans is profit in capitalist societies. Therefore, the transformation towards an (economic) system that is not oriented towards profit and growth is an inevitable step towards the end of (nonhuman) animal exploitation.

Recognition of the entanglement of speciesism and other forms of discriminitation

We see the oppression and exploitation of nonhuman animals not as a stand-alone phenomenon, but as part of a system that produces oppression and exploitation of various forms. Based on common underlying mechanisms, the liberation of nonhuman animals and humans must be thought together.

Promote anti-speciesist values

In our speciesist society, the needs of humans are placed above the needs of nonhuman animals, thus justifying the injustices that nonhuman animals experience. In order to put an end to the exploitation and oppression of nonhuman animals, it is necessary to recognize that humans do not prevail in their environment, are not morally more valuable than other living beings, and therefore we must not mistreat them.

Nonhuman animals are subjects

Since 1990, non-human animals have no longer been regarded as objects by law in Germany. However, they are still tried in court as property if there are no other provisions on the relevant facts. Non-human animals are therefore still considered human property according to the prevailing legal opinion.However, not only in court, but also in the minds of many people, non-human animals are ascribed only an instrumental value. Non-human animals are mostly used as resources, things or goods and thus their exploitation and oppression is legitimized.To move away from this, society must recognize that nonhuman animals are neither resources nor things. Rather, they are subjects with their own claims, agencies, interests, needs, and free will.

Our values

Not only do we want to strategically break new ground, we also want to promote a progressive organizational culture from the very beginning. It is important to us to cultivate a working culture that focuses on the person, their skills and their interests.

We work according to the following core values:

01

Antispeciesism

We take an anti-speciesist position. We see our work as part of movements that reject all forms of oppression of humans and nonhuman animals and strive for a free and fair society for all.

02

Perspectives

Our aim is to understand the perspectives of nonhuman animals in the best possible way in order to represent them in their interests.

03

Transparency

We work critically, knowledge- and source-based. In our organization we pay attention to transparency.

04

Education

We constantly educate ourselves and expand our skills and knowledge. This means that we are always at the cutting edge of science.

05

Networking

We see networking and exchange with others, also interdisciplinary, as an enrichment and essential part of our work, so that we strive for mutual support and joint projects.

06

Participation

We pay attention to an inclusive, non-discriminatory and barrier-free organisation and communication.

07

Critique

We strive to reflect, accept criticism and practice self-criticism, especially in places where we produce and reproduce discriminatory structures in our work.

Team

( Contact )

We, Eva, Marietheres and Sophie have been working together as a team for several years in the scientific department of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation. During this time, we were able to build mutual trust through open contact with each other and get to know our areas of interest and competencies. In terms of our cooperation, we found and established a common open working culture in which each can develop according to their interests and abilities.

Both through our own biographies and joint project work, which also included recent scientific findings such as emotion research, we are professionally strongly positioned with a wide variety of topics. We share a large, common knowledge base. At the same time, we complement each other with their different training and personal interests to form a comprehensive pool of experts.

The idea grew of making this knowledge available to a larger audience. We close the gap by harnessing animal-related scientific knowledge for different actors of animal movements, such as other organizations, and establish an expanded view of nonhuman animals. This was the cornerstone for Expertise for Animals. With the help of our non-profit organization, we want to be a supportive part of movements that drive the change in values to a society that takes nonhuman animals into account and enables them to lead a self-determined life.

Eva Seifert

Eva has always been fascinated by the living environment and therefore decided to study biology. Already during her studies, she focused on Human-Animal Studies — the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between humans and nonhuman animals. From then on, she also dealt with questions about the human-animal relations in her free time.

She quickly noticed that science-based work was easy for her and that she enjoyed it a lot. In the Albert Schweitzer Foundation’s Science Department, she was able to further expand this qualification and her professional expertise. 

With Expertise for Animals, Eva, together with Sophie and Marie, wants to create a work environment that is organized in a hierarchy-free manner and can thus develop the skills and knowledge of each person to the maximum. In this way, Expertise for Animals can draw attention to the problematic human-animal relations with great strength and at the same time work on drastically changing it.

Marietheres Reinke

Marietheres studied veterinary medicine at the LMU Munich and then worked in the science department of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation in Berlin. There, she dealt with the scientific underpinning of animal welfare and animal rights work and the development of the organization’s knowledge. Over the years, she has been able to establish and maintain valuable contacts in a wide range of fields, both within the movements and with various scientists.

Justice is a deeply rooted guiding principle of Marietheres. It motivates her to use her work so that nonhuman animals can live free from violence, abuse and exploitation. In addition, she has an understanding of empathy that transcends species boundaries and includes all living beings. By founding her own organization, she wants to actively bring about positive changes for nonhuman animals. Together with Eva and Sophie, Marietheres sees the special opportunity to use ideas and arguments effectively for a social change towards more justice and empathy for nonhuman animals.

Sophie-Madlin Langner

Sophie has always been passionate about nonhuman animals, so studying veterinary medicine was the logical consequence. During her studies, areas of interest and competencies in areas such as animal welfare and behavioural research emerged. In addition, animal-ethics and the power relations in which humans and nonhuman animals live (with each other) played an increasingly important role in the consideration of these disciplines. She was able to deepen these aspects during her employment at the Albert Schweitzer Foundation. As well as the handling and processing of scientific information as a research assistant at Doctors Against Animal Experiments.

Sophie also wants to contribute science-based work to Expertise for Animals. She is motivated to increase the visibility and recognition of animal interests and would like to draw attention to the entanglements with other forms of discrimination, such as racism and sexism.

Stephanie Kowalski

Stephanie has always seen herself as an advocate for non-human animals. In order to stand up for them more effectively, Stephanie studied veterinary medicine at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. She gained practical experience in a clinic for pigs, sheep and goats during her studies. She worked in a clinic treating mainly reptiles and birds.

She quickly realized that the work was not in line with her value system. For many years, Stephanie has now been working for non-profit organizations and advocating for the rights of non-human animals. For her, it is important to prepare scientific information for the animal movements. Thanks to her years of experience, she also evaluates image and video materials reliably and with expertise.

Stephanie sees animal and human rights as one. This is the only way to create an environment for all sentient beings in which they can lead self-determined lives. At Expertise for Animals, she brings her experience to help drive this change in values!

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FAQ

Why is Expertise for Animals a non-profit Limited Liability Company?

We have dealt intensively with the question of which organizational form suits us and our activities best. In the end, we decided in favor of the non-profit Limited Liability Company (gGmbH), as this legal form combines non-profit status with gainful employment.

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How can I apply to Expertise for Animals?

There are currently no jobs available at Expertise for Animals.

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What is the special approach of Expertise for Animals?

Expertise for Animals is one of the first organizations in the young field of consulting on animal-related topics. Instead of carrying out our own campaigns and petitions, we provide other organizations and actors with scientific knowledge on animal welfare. Scientific knowledge plays a central role in debates on nonhuman animals.

Our clients benefit from our professional support. Through the knowledge provided, they can work more informed and effective. The seriousness and validity of the campaigns, petitions, lobbying and educational work as well as their activities in animal law  increase through thoroughly researched and prepared information.

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What does Expertise for Animals do?

We advise organizations and advocates within animal movements. We work on topics related to nonhuman animals that are affected by direct and indirect actions of humans. We prepare reports and analysis, promote (interdisciplinary) networking and organize events on relevant topics. As a non-profit organization, we also provide self-initiated knowledge and information services on our website.

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Who is Expertise for Animals?

Expertise for Animals is a nonprofit organization founded by Eva Seifert, Marietheres Reinke, and Sophie-Madlin Langner. Stephanie Kowalski expanded the team to four members in September 2023. We work together as equals and make decisions according to the consensus principle. We share responsibility for the success of the organization.

The focus is on a grassroots democratic organization and coordination of the company, and we do not want to build rigid, but competence- and project-based hierarchies.

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EXPERTISE FOR ANIMALS
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