All major faith traditions have teachings about animal care and welfare. Engaging with religious communities on welfare grounds can be among the most effective routes to welfare improvement in specific contexts.
Religious frameworks offer powerful resources for animal welfare advocacy that secular arguments may not reach. Islamic teaching against animal cruelty has been used to advocate for welfare improvements in halal slaughter practices. Buddhist ahimsa principles have supported animal welfare legislation in several Asian countries. Evangelical Christian creation care movements are engaging with factory farming as a stewardship issue. Religious communities control significant institutional resources including schools, hospitals, and farms where animal welfare improvements can be embedded in institutional values. Respectful engagement with religious communities on welfare grounds — building on shared values rather than opposition to religious practices — has produced significant welfare improvements in diverse contexts.