Four Paws was founded on 4 March 1988 by Helmut Dungler to protect animals from being farmed for their fur.^{[citation needed]} In 1989, the first charges were brought against a number of fur farms in Austria. Furthermore, Austrian Airlines and Lauda Air stopped the transport of captured exotic birds.^{[citation needed]}

In 1991, Four Paws demanded the mandatory labelling of eggs and a total ban on battery cages for egg-laying hens.^{[citation needed]} In 1998, the organisation opened the first sanctuary for bears in Arbesbach, Austria.^[2] In 1999, the foundation brought about the closure of Austria's largest battery cage egg producer.^[3]

In 2000, Bear Sanctuary Belitsa opened in Bulgaria, and the first three former dancing bears moved in.^[4] In 2002, animal welfare entered Germany's basic law, and Federal Minister Renate Künast thanked Four Paws by name.^{[citation needed]} In 2005, the Federal Animal Welfare Act came into force in Austria and banned both fur farming and the use of wild animals in circuses.^[5] In 2008, the Lionsrock big cat sanctuary opened in Bethlehem, South Africa.^{[citation needed]} Helmut Dungler was awarded the Silver Order of Merit for Services Rendered to the Republic of Austria.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, Four Paws started a collaboration with the Princess Alia Foundation of Jordan, with the Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife project.^[6] In 2011, 50,000 signatures against the puppy trade were handed over to the European Commission in Brussels.^{[citation needed]} At the same time, an international protest by Four Paws against a planned law to cull dogs was successful. The law was thrown out by the Romanian Supreme Court.^{[citation needed]} In 2012, an EU-wide ban on conventional battery cages for hens came into force.^[7]

In 2014, the Bear Sanctuary Prishtina in Kosovo was opened. In 2015, Four Paws initiated a campaign against canned lion hunting, which attracted 281,000 supporters.^[8] In 2018, the organisation rescued lions and bears from "Europe's worst zoo", in Tirana, Albania.^[9] The same year, the first International Animal Welfare Summit was organised by Four Paws in Vienna, with famous guests that included Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.^[10]

On 17 January 2018, Switzerland took a step against anonymous pet trafficking on the internet. From 1 March 2018, online traders have had to provide their full name and address as well as the country of origin and breeding of the dogs offered for sale.^[11] On 5 January 2020, Four Paws founder and president, Helmut Dungler, died unexpectedly.^[12] In January 2020, Four Paws rescued sick lions at a zoo in Khartoum, Sudan, after worldwide outrage following concerning reports of the animals' condition.^[13]

On 4 September 2020, the organisation, together with veterinarians Amir Khalil and Frank Goeritz from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research examined and approved "the world's loneliest elephant", Kaavan, for travel from the Islamabad Zoo in Pakistan to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia.^[14] The relocation to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, at the end of November 2020, was supported by singer Cher's NGO Free the Wild and by businessman Eric Margolis.^[15][16]

In January 2021, Four Paws published the Austrian edition of the Meat Atlas, in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the environmental protection organization Global 2000.^[17]

In March 2022, four tigers were rescued from Argentina to find a new home in South Africa. It was the organization's first rescue in South America.^[18]

On 16 April 2020, claims by Four Paws in The Independent stated there had been a surge in consumption of dog and cat meat in Vietnam as a result of fake news suggesting it would cure COVID-19.^[19] Four Paws' head of stray animal care in Asia, Katherine Polak, was quoted as saying she strongly suspected doctors were now recommending cat and dog meat to treat COVID-19. However, on 24 April 2020, fact=checking nonprofit PolitiFact rated the claim as false.^[20] Reporter Tina Nguyen called it mind-boggling and a nasty racist attack.^[21] In May 2020, Four Paws responded with an official statement defending their claims.^[22]

The organisation is positioned as "a strong, global, and independent voice for animals under direct human control" by offering sustainable solutions for animals in need, changing consumer behaviour, driving legal change, and building partnerships. The purpose of Four Paws is to inform the general public about animal rights. The organisation also supports a ban on farming animals for fur, strict limitations on keeping wild animals in private captivity, and a ban on wild animals in circuses.^[1]

Four Paws projects include the following:^[1]

• Bears: Four Paws rescues bears forced to live in poor conditions in circuses, zoos, or in private hands. The organisation has projects in Vietnam,^[23] Austria,^[24] Bulgaria,^[25] Poland,^[26] Ukraine,^[27] and Kosovo.^[28]

• Big cats: Four Paws has established sanctuaries and projects for big cats in South Africa,^[29][30] Jordan,^[31][32][30] and the Netherlands,^[33] The organisation also cooperates with partners like the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.^[34]
• Stray animals: Four Paws creates solutions to prevent outbreaks of disease and uncontrolled levels of reproduction among strays in places such as Myanmar,^[35] Romania,^[36] Ukraine,^[37] and Cambodia^[38] In addition, the organization is working to sustainably end the dog and cat meat trade.^[39]
• Horses: The organisation protects Europe's last populations of horses living in the wild Danube Delta in Romania^[40] and in the Jordanian city of Petra.^[40]
• Orangutans: Four Paws looks after orphaned orangutans and prepares them to live independently in the wild.^[41] Furthermore, the organisation funds a forest school in Indonesia's East Kalimantan.^[42]
• Fur farming: Four Paws supports a ban on farming animals for fur, a legal obligation to label all fur products and, in the long term, a Europe-wide ban on importing and selling all fur products.^[43][44] In August 2018, Four Paws joined the Fur Free Alliance to launch a new campaign urging fashion brand Prada to adopt a fur-free policy like Gucci, Versace, Armani, Donna Karan, and Hugo Boss.^[45] In February 2021, the organisation published a statement on the assessment conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Health Organization on SARS-CoV-2 in animals used for fur farming, demonstrating high risks for public health.^[46]
• Assistance for animals in distress: The organisation rescues animals after natural disasters and helps local people whose livelihood depends upon the animals.^[47]
• European Union: The organisation has urged the European Parliament to call for stricter regulation on the trade in live wild animals, a clear commitment to step up efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade, as well as EU and member states' financial support to wildlife rescue centres and sanctuaries.^[48] Moreover, the organization has criticized the EU Council's decision on the signing of the Mercosur agreement between the EU and the United States concerning "high quality beef".^[49]

• List of bear sanctuaries
• List of animal sanctuaries

• Official website
• VIER PFOTEN, Austrian headquarters website