About Friends of Philip
Who We Are
Friends of Philip is a 501(c)3 non-profit fish and aquatic animal sanctuary. We are a vegan organization focused on providing sanctuary and life-long care to fishes of all species, along with a small number of aquatic amphibians and terrestrial species.
We aim to foster the connection between humans and aquatic life through sharing the stories and vibrant personalities of our rescued residents. Our organization focuses on: broadening the rescue conversation to include non-mammal aquatic life; advocating for the end of consumption and commodification of farmed and wild-caught fish and aquatic life; educating the public on fish and aquatic animal welfare, sentience, and health; and providing sanctuary to rescued fish and aquatic life.
Who is Philip?
Philip was our first resident, a betta fish surrendered to our founder by a large chain store. Like countless bettas and other fish, Philip was languishing on a pet store shelf, and surely would have died without help. Philip came home to us as a surrender and recovered beautifully.
We said goodbye to Philip after four wonderful years in 2023. His life and legacy are what inspire us to do what we do! Learn more about his story here!
Why Fish?
Fish are the most consumed food animal, the most numerous pet animal, and second only to mice in numbers used for research. Yet they are also the least talked about both in the public sphere and the smaller animal rights world.
We rarely come into contact with fishes in their natural environment, and when we do it is typically a brief and incomplete interaction. Because they live in an environment so dramatically different from our own, one that we rarely visit or consider, humans interact most frequently with live fish as companion animals kept in tanks. Sadly due to poor or misunderstood care practices, aquatic animals are rarely able to express their natural behaviors in captivity.
This contrasts with the typical interaction that many of us have with terrestrial companion animals such as dogs and cats, who we regularly see and interact with in happy, healthy ways. A conventional farmed animal sanctuary facilitates a similar interaction with terrestrial farmed animals, and allows the public to learn about and connect to them organically. Friends of Philip applies this same sanctuary model to our aquatic friends.