Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society was founded in 1984 by Julie Castle, Gregory Castle, Francis Battista, Cyrus Mejia, Anne Mejia and Judah Battista. The founders established the group to operate a large-scale sanctuary and national programs aimed at reducing shelter deaths. The organization holds positions in Elliott International Limited, GLAS Funds, Viking Global Opportunities LP, Altimeter Growth Partners VI LP, Cantillon Global Equity Funds and Hudson Bay International Fund. It maintains physical sites in Utah, New York, California and Arkansas. Operations include an animal transport fleet and partnerships such as Southwest Airlines for rescue flights. Geographic reach covers multiple U.S. regions through both owned centers and the Best Friends Network of more than 5,500 shelters and rescues. The group lists 575 Project and Best Friends Art Project among its activities. It maintains a Lifesaving Center in New York City opened within the last decade and additional centers in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. A partnership with Southern Utah University supports certificate programs in animal welfare. No operational events from the last 24 months appear in available records. The society functions as both operator of physical sanctuaries and allocator across external funds. This dual structure separates direct program execution from investment holdings in a manner distinct from pure grant-making foundations.