8 Animal Charities in the UK: What They Do and How to Support Them

Animal charities in the UK support everything from pet rescue and animal welfare to wildlife protection and habitat conservation. This guide helps you explore animal charities you can support through JustGiving, whether you’re looking to donate, start fundraising or simply learn more about the causes making a difference for animals.

Finding the right cause to support isn’t always easy, so we’ve put together a list in alphabetical order rather than a ranking. To help you choose, we’ve compared each charity by its core focus, where it works, and the type of support it provides.

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What do animal charities support?

Animal charities support a wide variety of causes, ranging from direct hands-on care to long-term environmental protection. Depending on their focus, some groups work locally in single communities, while others operate right across the UK or internationally. Many also span several categories at once.

Because of this, a small local pet rescue, a broad animal welfare group, and a global conservation project will naturally have different priorities. Each organisation focuses on different challenges, which is why their priorities, programmes and areas of expertise vary. Understanding these core focus areas helps you find the causes that align best with the work you want to support.

Key areas of work:

• Rescue and rehoming: Finding safe, loving homes for abandoned or surrendered animals.

• Veterinary care and pet support: Providing medical treatments, vaccinations, and neutering for pets in need.

• Cruelty prevention and welfare: Investigating neglect, raising care standards, and protecting animals from harm.

• Wildlife rescue: Treating injured or orphaned native wild animals and returning them to nature.

• Endangered species protection and habitat conservation: Protecting vulnerable species and preserving natural habitats around the world.

• Science, education and campaigning: Teaching responsible animal care, supporting research, and changing laws.

You can also explore more causes to donate to.

8 animal charities you can support through JustGiving

Here are eight animal charities you can support through JustGiving, from pet rescue and welfare to global wildlife conservation. They’re listed alphabetically, not ranked, since there’s no objective ‘best’ choice. Explore each card to compare what they do, where they work, and how you can help.

Battersea

Battersea helps rescue dogs and cats find new homes, while also reuniting lost pets with their owners whenever possible. Unlike many animal welfare groups that specialise in a single species, Battersea supports both dogs and cats under one roof. Alongside its day-to-day rescue work, it offers practical expert advice to pet owners, campaigns across the UK, and shares its expertise with rescue partners internationally. Explore Battersea on JustGiving to see how you can get involved.

Blue Cross

Blue Cross steps in to help sick, injured, and homeless pets when they need it most. It provides crucial veterinary treatment for animals whose owners might otherwise struggle with medical costs, alongside finding safe, suitable new homes for unwanted or abandoned pets. Rather than focusing on just one type of pet, Blue Cross supports a broad range of companion animals—including dogs, cats, small pets, and horses—helping them access veterinary care, welfare support and suitable new homes. Explore Blue Cross on JustGiving to see how you can help.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo works to protect endangered wildlife both at home in the UK and right across the globe. What makes it unique is how it blends its zoo-based species care with practical field conservation in the wild. By using its site to inspire visitors and support breeding programmes, while running dedicated conservation projects overseas, it’s supporting long-term conservation efforts for wildlife and the habitats they depend on. Explore Chester Zoo on JustGiving to see how you can get involved.

Dogs Trust

Dogs Trust focuses entirely on the care, rehabilitation, and rehoming of dogs, with rehoming centres across the UK and welfare work that reaches dogs internationally. Because its work is dedicated solely to canines, its specialist focus on dogs allows it to provide dedicated expertise in canine welfare and behaviour. Beyond helping stray and abandoned dogs find loving new families, it provides extensive training advice, behavioural support, and practical resources to help pet owners build happy, lifelong relationships with their dogs. Explore Dogs Trust on JustGiving to find out more.

International Animal Rescue

International Animal Rescue works across the globe to rescue wild animals from suffering, rehabilitate them, and return them to the wild whenever possible. For animals that can’t safely go back to nature, it provides lifelong care in dedicated sanctuaries. Alongside direct animal rescue, like protecting bears and primates, it works with local communities to conserve critical natural habitats, helping create conditions where wildlife populations can recover and flourish. Explore International Animal Rescue on JustGiving to see how you could support them.

RSPCA

Operating across England and Wales, the RSPCA works to prevent cruelty, rescue animals from danger, and help them rehabilitate and find safe new homes. Alongside its hands-on rescue work, it campaigns for stronger animal welfare laws and provides educational resources to help people care for pets responsibly.

It’s worth noting that while the national RSPCA sets welfare standards, many local RSPCA branches are separately registered charities. If you’re setting up a fundraiser or donating, make sure to check the specific JustGiving profile so your support goes straight to the exact branch or national charity you’d like to back. Explore the RSPCA on JustGiving to see how you can support them.

WWF-UK

WWF-UK works to protect threatened species and safeguard the natural habitats they rely on. It tackles nature loss on a global scale by addressing the wider environmental challenges that endanger animal species, from climate change to deforestation. By combining hands-on conservation work with campaigns for systemic change, its work combines conservation projects with wider efforts to address environmental pressures affecting wildlife. Explore WWF-UK on JustGiving to see how you can get involved.

ZSL

ZSL (Zoological Society of London) works to protect wild animals around the world and stop species from going extinct. What sets it apart is how it combines scientific research with practical conservation projects in the wild and public education at both London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo. By using its zoo sites to connect people with nature while running science-led recovery projects globally, it’s supporting wildlife conservation in the UK and around the world. Explore ZSL on JustGiving to see how you can support them.

How to choose an animal charity to support

There’s no single “best” animal charity to support — the right one depends on what matters most to you, not a ranking. These five questions can help you find a good fit.

There is no single ‘best’ dog charity to donate to or ‘best’ pet charity to donate to. It all depends on what you feel strongly about.

How to raise money for an animal charity

Raising money for an animal charity doesn’t mean you have to put on a big event. This five-step guide shows you how to choose a charity and activity, set up a JustGiving fundraising page, promote it to family, friends and colleagues, and follow appropriate safety and animal welfare guidance throughout.

1.

Choose your cause: Pick the charity you want to support and check its profile on JustGiving to make sure you have its correct details and current fundraising guidelines.

2.

Pick an activity: Choose a fundraising idea that fits your schedule, interests, and audience. Great ideas include sponsored walks, bake sales, birthday fundraisers, quizzes, gaming streams, or pet photo challenges. You could also plan it around a meaningful upcoming charity awareness day.

3.

Set up your page: Create your online fundraising page. Be sure to share why the cause matters to you and set a realistic target to keep yourself motivated. Whether you’re planning a workplace fundraising idea or organising something independently, a JustGiving page gives people a way to check it out and support you in your efforts.

4.

Spread the word: Share your page link with friends, family, and colleagues. Post updates as you go and thank everyone who chipped in to support you.

5.

Keep animal welfare first: Always ensure animals stay safe and stress-free during any activity. Check local permissions, event rules, and the charity’s safety guidance before you start.

Once you’ve chosen a cause and fundraising idea, setting up a page is a simple way to bring friends, family and colleagues together in support of something you care about. Ready to get started? Create your fundraising page today. If you still need some inspiration, take a look at our guide to some easy fundraising ideas you can try to build support for your cause.

Animal charities: your questions answered