Andrea Polanco, PhD
Ⓥ Social science researcher at Faunalytics | #FirstGenPhD | PhD in animal welfare science | She/her | Views my own
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDOver a hundred years ago, one small brown dog became a symbol of resistance. His suffering sparked public outrage, riots, and a movement that still stands united against animal experimentation today. On National Brown Dog Day, we remember his story: riseforanimals.org/news/brown-d...
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDColleagues & I worked with @usgao.bsky.social for a year to clarify a major discrepancy in NIH's reported spending on animal experimentation. Now GAO has re-released its report to more accurately reflect what we do & don't know about NIH’s use of public funds: www.gao.gov/assets/gao-2... 🧵👇
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDNew episode! What should parents feed their kids? Meat or plant-based? We use ethics, science and psychology to tackle this big one, and put 2 philosophers' arguments to the test with parents
- V skeptical of an animal testing company, w/ a history of negligence, claiming they should handle lab monkey retirement b/c sanctuaries can't (capacity is a real issue, but still). Buried in the PR fluff is the real goal: keeping retired animals for "future public health or biodefense emergencies."
- Alpha Genesis mostly dunks on sanctuaries in their press release, w/o detailing their own infrastructure. I doubt they'll keep all retired monkeys in outdoor group settings: www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/... Their past negligence killed 22 monkeys: spectrumlocalnews.com/sc/south-car...
- Colombia just made animal protection education mandatory in schools, a great real-world example of humane education, which I recently researched for @faunalytics.bsky.social! The theory: sustained education ➡️ deeper thinking ➡️ empathy ➡️ empowered change. But there’s a big challenge...
- There’s v limited longitudinal research on humane ed delivered as an ongoing curriculum, making its impact hard to measure. That said, the evidence we do have is promising 👀 Even a single university lecture on the ethics of eating meat led to a 9% reduction in meat consumption lasting 3 years.
- Colombia’s policy could be an opportunity to close this research gap & to better understand how humane ed can drive lasting change for animals. Learn more about humane education's impact here: faunalytics.org/tactics-in-p... And Colombia's new empathy law here: www.speciesunite.com/news-stories...
- I finally completed my tattoo leg sleeve that commemorates laboratory animals (my PhD focused on lab monkeys). I love horror so I wanted this sleeve to be vengeful & to depict revenge (tw: gore). It was completed in 4 sessions by korztattoo in Montréal. #vegantattoo www.reddit.com/r/tattoos/s/...
- "The Environmental Protection Agency will stop using rabbits, mice, rats and other mammals to test the toxicity of chemicals by 2035." Big win for lab animals in the U.S. Unfortunately, however, the ban doesn't include fish. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/c...
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhD🐔 We're hiring! Visit thl.link/4ba4oYx for more information on our 5️⃣ open positions!
- These are my best pictures of 2025 😤
- The nominees for Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards 🎥 #Oscars
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDSome stories are only revealed through sound. Industry Standard is a vinyl album built from undercover field recordings gathered during investigations into animal industries. Sonic Art meets Animal Advocacy. Out 18 Jan (new moon). Pre-order: www.tracksinvestigations.org/industrystan...
- For those who enjoy experimental music or want to listen to something new, I highly recommend Industry Standard by @tracksinvest.bsky.social & Gnostic Front. GF manipulated audio from undercover footage into music. It's mindblowing. BUY the vinyl here: www.tracksinvestigations.org/industrystan...
- "Republicans have shown they can challenge the animal research field, but the real test will be whether it can do the same for the livestock sector."
- American voters support animal welfare — and MAGA is seizing on it: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
- Some U.S. primate research centers are preparing for closure in case they lose more NIH funding. Oregon Health & Science University estimates $241m to close their primate center & move animals to other sites vs. $220m-$291m to convert to a sanctuary. Abolishing this industry is near!
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDICE’s public violence should be a reminder that they commit brutal acts in private facilities too. Every report has been horrific and we only have the smallest glimpse into the horrors.
- Started a list on @letterboxd.social focusing on fictional portrayals of the ALF. What am I missing? No documentaries please, just movies!
- Great coverage of our poll and its implications for legal animal advocacy. Can advocates really challenge “commonly accepted” factory farming practices when that phrase is ambiguous—does it mean what the public believes or what Big Ag claims?
- A new poll by @faunalytics.bsky.social suggests that most American adults consider standard factory farm practices — including battery cages and routine mutilations — unacceptable. @gaeacabico.bsky.social reports:
- My fab colleague conducted desk research on how international orgs (IFC, UN FAO, & WTO) influence the growth of animal agriculture in low- & middle-income countries (LMICs). LMICs are the world's top-producing animal slaughter countries, with consumption predicted to ⬆️ by 14% in these regions.
- Animal product consumption in low- and middle-income countries is predicted to grow by 14% over the next decade. Our new report investigates the international orgs driving this expansion and how advocates can intervene to promote sustainable, plant-based solutions. faunalytics.org/globalizing-...
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDPlease share with journal editors in your networks!
- 💡 Simple editor interventions can help address reviewer suggestions for animal experiments! ✅ Grab our new new Editor Checklist here: animalmethodsbias.org/resources/ed... 🔎 Learn more about these recommendations: animalmethodsbias.org/projects/edi... Expand this 🧵 for more info 👇 🧪
- "Science is a slaughterhouse." Not sure who wrote this editorial, but the opening line goes hard. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhD🚨 Whistleblower: I was paid by meat companies to spread lies and stir drama in vegan communities. "It was pretty gross. I knew it. I did it anyway." Read the full piece to find out exactly what they were paid to do: veganhorizon.substack.com/p/i-got-paid...
- Last week, the CDC (U.S.) said they'll ban monkey research. Today, Poland will ban fur farming. Incredible wins, esp considering how animals exploited for science and for fur tend to be sidelined in EA/effective animal advocacy circles. Thank you to all the activists who fight for these animals 💜
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDIt is indeed a historic moment. Polish President Karol Nawrocki has today signed off on legislation that will end the suffering of millions of animals on fur farms. This is huge because Poland is currently biggest fur producer in Europe!
- We asked U.S. adults (~1k, representative) about their level of acceptability to standard animal agriculture practices, such as extreme confinement & painful mutilations. Unsurprisingly, most people don't approve 👇. Check out the full @faunalytics.bsky.social study: faunalytics.org/public-accep...
- And kudos to @bryantresearch.bsky.social as their U.K. poll inspired this study 🤩: bryantresearch.co.uk/insight-item...
- Join us for our @faunalytics.bsky.social research symposium on Sept 18th! 🤩 Featuring a keynote by @dr-faraz-harsini.bsky.social, plus insightful talks on aquaculture, overlooked regions, legislation, animals in science, & effective messaging strategies. 🤓 Register for FREE: luma.com/ut1z9msp
- Dr. Ahmmad Brown & I researched inclusivity in the U.S. animal advocacy movement, before the #DEI backlash. Based on interviews w/ BIPOC individuals in/outside the movement (plus org leaders), & research on 200+ orgs, our latest @faunalytics.bsky.social report maps barriers & paths to inclusion.
- 🔍 We found that social justice is often missing from core missions (e.g., only 20% of orgs mention it) & DEI is often forgotten about (just 22% of orgs have formal DEI workplace policies). Yet 43% have a program dedicated to social justice, suggesting one-off efforts.
- 💡 Our interviews w/ org leaders confirmed that the movement is split on whether animal advocacy should be a standalone cause or instead align with broader justice issues. Some fear “mission drift", while others see alignment as essential to stay relevant and inclusive.
- 🤔 We don't have a simple answer to this (e.g., we don't tell orgs to change their mission statement if they're single-issued). Rather, we want orgs to be intentional & genuine about their DEI efforts. Our report goes into detail on how to figure this out: faunalytics.org/from-perform...
- 🧑🏫 Have you ever wanted to teach animal advocates about a topic you're passionate about? 📊 @faunalytics.bsky.social is looking for scholars to submit an expert overview presentation for our remote symposium in Sept! 📅 Submit by June 20th 🔗 Learn more + apply: faunalytics.org/fauna-connec...
- So glad gothic horror is back. If you really enjoyed Nosferatu and Lily Depp's performance, you should check out Penny Dreadful with Eva Green - the best of possessed Victorian ladies 👀
- Did your partner or friend influence you to go vegan? In this Faunalytics study, we review the smoking cessation literature to hypothesize the peer influence of veganism! Quitting smoking & quitting meat have a lot in common, but can we expect the same social influences?
- Obv it's hard to say w/o a proper social network study tracking veganism. But advocates should consider peer groups: ppl are 11.8x more likely to quit 🚬 if their partner quits & 4.4x if their partner is a nonsmoker, while those w/ smoking partners are least likely to quit.
- But vegans tend to be friends with other vegans > omnis, so can we expect a strong peer influence 🫠? We have recs on how to conduct a social network analysis on veganism in our report! faunalytics.org/what-vegan-a...
- One of the saddest studies you'll ever read: 504 children (& their caregivers) in Gaza were surveyed & interviewed back in June: 49% of caregivers said that their children (72% boys vs. 26% girls) think they would die during this war. www.warchild.org.uk/sites/defaul...
- Quebec imported hundreds of macaques from Cambodia last month: www.msn.com/en-ca/news/c...
- 🚨 A must-watch doc by Bloomberg Investigates: The Dirty Business of Monkey Laundering How a US gov agency set out to prove suppliers to research labs were importing wild monkeys from Cambodia with false paperwork. It includes the great work of Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. www.youtube.com/watch?v=En7B...
- Imagine being a uni student & using your life savings to travel to the US in hopes of gaining pro dev, but only to end up working in a factory farm where you were forced to participate in standard (cruel) industry practices for low pay & major health risks.
- That's what happened to three Guatemalan students a couple of years ago (you can see the current lawsuit by @farmstand.bsky.social here: farmstand.org/big-ag-facil...)
- In love with Japan 😍
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDIn a Faunalytics study by @andreapolanco.bsky.social, she determined that animal protection groups have a pay gap for marginalized individuals. The study also identifies salary trends in the movement, which can prove helpful for non-profit workers advocating for themselves.
- Was excited to find this book at the leftist book sale today, I wish I had come across it in grad school!
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDI created a starter pack of researchers studying animal advocacy, animal ethics, animal minds, animal law, plant-based and sustainable diet advocacy, and related disciplines. Please let me know who I missed, and please let me know if I included you but you prefer to be removed. go.bsky.app/SKnT1a6at://did:plc:rkfxazqpgyzgjlfakzrigpzn/app.bsky.graph.starterpack/3lb5p6kaxdp2v
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDBuffalo running. Can you guys share this to help my old followers find me? I really depend on the old site for sales but don’t want my work used to train AI.
- Reposted by Andrea Polanco, PhDOne of the wildest details to me behind the escaped monkey story: There's a colony of wild macaques on an island in South Carolina that the federal govt uses as a reservoir for lab monkeys, allowing a private company to oversee it & pluck monkeys for medical testing www.vox.com/future-perfe...
