NON-GOVERNMENT/NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
DEFENDERS
In 1947, Defenders of Furbearers, the organization that would later become Defenders of Wildlife, was founded. The fledgling organization boasted only one full-time employee and 1,500 members who made it their mission to protect coyotes and other furred animals from steel-jawed leghold traps and lethal poisons. In 2009, over sixty years later, Defenders of Wildlife employs over 150 dedicated professionals and is supported by more than 500,000 members nationwide. Our organization has evolved to take on the task of preserving our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats.