The distinction between an animal rights group and an animal welfare group is sometimes fuzzy. While the public or the media might call any animal advocacy group an "animal rights" group, die-hard activists tend to be more discerning and find that any tolerance of animal use puts a group squarely into the "animal welfare" category.

For example, PeTA, which promotes veganism and is considered radical by most in the mainstream, is often accused of selling the animals out when they work on campaigns for more humane factory farming conditions. On the contrary, The Humane Society of the US is widely regarded in the animal advocacy community as very mainstream, but is sometimes called an "animal rights" group by hunters and others who would like to paint the group as extremist in order to discredit the group.

Read more about the distinction between animal rights and animal welfare.