Chris DeRose was celebrated by stars including Priscilla Presley, Scott Bakula, Charlotte Ross and other movie and tv stars at Last Chance for Animals' 40th Anniversary Gala. It was a star-studded event at Hollywood's legendary Paramount Studios New York backlot! For over four decades, Chris DeRose has been a leader in the animal rights movement, founding Last Chance for Animals (LCA) in 1984. LCA is an international, nonprofit animal advocacy organization focused on investigating, exposing, and ending animal exploitation.

Chris DeRose grew up without a father and was put into an orphanage three separate times by his mother, for months at a time during the ages of five to eight, when his mother fell ill. All three times he never knew if she would be back for him.

When Chris was in acting school in Hollywood in the late 1970s, a mutt dog walked in off the street and sat right at Chris' feet. This dog changed his life. Chris took the dog home, fed him, and took him to the pound the following morning. As Chris was leaving the dog at the pound, he recognized the same look of longing and desperation in the dog's eyes that Chris had shown to his mother when she left him at the orphanage. Chris realized animals have feelings and returned to the pound the next day to get the dog. Turns out the dog's parents had picked up "Ruffy" and requested to meet Chris. Ruffy's mom and dad thanked Chris profusely for bringing Ruffy to the pound, where they were able to locate him. Ruffy lived a long, healthy, happy life. The experience with Ruffy began Chris' journey fighting for the rights of animals.

Chris had a promising future as an actor. But, he let it go to follow his passion, devoting 100% of his time to saving animals and educating people about animal abuse. For ten years, using the power of the media, he worked as a reporter and special correspondent on Inside Edition, When Animals Attack, 48 Hours, A Current Affair, and Hard Copy. Chris contributed to more than 100 animal stories on these national shows that reached hundreds of millions of people.

Chris has always felt a passion for righting wrongs and speaking for the voiceless. As a Big Brother to street kids, he supported and encouraged many young men who, as a result, built better lives for themselves. Through his experience studying criminology as a private investigator and as a special police officer, Chris gained the skills that made him highly effective at exposing hidden cruelties.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., Chris has fought all his battles non-violently and has spent time in jail, including solitary confinement, for his peaceful actions. One tactic that rocked the foundation of animal experimentation was a daring daytime break-in at UCLA’s Brain Research Institute, documented by a film crew that showed the shocking truth of animal “research.” This first-ever live-action footage clearly demonstrated that animal rights activists do not fabricate laboratory horrors, as they had been accused of for years. The 1988 UCLA break-in footage aired worldwide on CNN and the national television show 48 Hours.

Chris was also the driving force behind the first animal rights television show designed for the mainstream public, Hollywood Animal Crusaders, which aired nine times in 1999 on the cable channel Animal Planet. This remarkable achievement opened the door for other shows that introduced animal rights into American homes.

Through his investigative work, Chris and LCA gathered evidence that resulted in the nation’s first state prison sentences for multiple-count animal cruelty cases. He spearheaded an undercover investigation and won a lawsuit against the Gettysburg National Park Service to halt the slaughter of deer in national parks. LCA’s frontline campaign to save the Coulston primates came to fruition in 2002 when the Coulston Foundation shut its doors for good after years of total disregard for the lives and welfare of the primates in its care.

In August 2003, LCA’s 15-year investigation of Class “B” animal dealers cumulated in the bust of C. C. Baird, America’s largest and most notorious Class “B” animal dealer. Baird’s license was permanently revoked and he received the largest fine ever imposed by the USDA. This was the largest multi-agency investigation (federal, state, and local) on any animal issue in U.S. history. The 2006 HBO America Undercover documentary, Dealing Dogs, profiles this groundbreaking undercover investigation into the world of pet theft. If you feel inspired by Chris' heroic activism, please get involved by visiting: https://www.lcanimal.org/