Jennifer Steen joined the Lewis & Clark Animal Law MSL program after having spent over a decade working with nonprofit organizations. Her work focused largely on the rehabilitation and conservation of primates rescued from the bushmeat trade in west Africa and Indonesia. Once she returned to the States, Jennifer worked with primates who were retired from biomedical research and the pet trade, as well as with domestic animals. She has worked in a variety of roles, including managing animal rescue and care, program administration, leading community workshops, and engaging with partner organizations and the public.
Through these experiences, Jennifer’s dedication to changing the way we see and treat non-human animals has only grown. She has special interests in global wildlife law, particularly around wildlife trafficking, as well as in advocating for new, effective biomedical testing methods that do not involve the exploitation of animals.
Jennifer is a Research & Campaigns Coordinator for the Laboratory Investigations Department of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Her work focuses largely on trying to shut down the primate importation pipeline, a billion-dollar industry in which wild-caught macaques are captured and smuggled into the U.S. for use in laboratory research. This work involves writing complaints to various regulatory agencies, tracking and exposing the activities of importers and labs, and preventing new primate facilities from being built.
“The hundreds of animals I have worked with, and their counterparts, deserve equal moral and ethical considerations to vulnerable humans. We can help to pave a path forward by strengthening regulations, have compassion for other species and individuals, and protect those who are unable to protect themselves. I am excited to join the Lewis & Clark MSL program and to learn from, and study with, some of the top scholars in the animal protection movement.”