For many of us, our furry friends are sometimes our best friends, but many times we don’t think about what other animals go through. They cannot fight for their own rights, but we can help them. Slowly, but surely we have made advances towards treating our furry friends right. Here’s a look at some of the major animal rights victories that have happened in the past year.

1. Major corporations went cage-free.

Many major food companies like McDonald’s, Walmart, Kraft Heinz, and Burger King and dozens more pledged to phase out battery cages for hens, but they also pledged to eliminate the use of pig gestation crates.

2. States cracked down on puppy mills.

Dozens of cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Sarasota – enacted ordinances to ban or restrict the sale of puppy mill dogs. Maryland banned the sale of puppies at flea markets and any other outdoor areas. You can help stop puppy mills by adopting your next pet instead of buying it.

3. Dogs and cats get a lifeline.

Dogs and cats used in research get a second chance at a forever home. The New York governor signed a law that requires publicly funded institutes of higher education to give dogs and cats used in research and biomedical testing a second chance to be adopted into a forever home.

4. Fur for Animals Campaign collected more than 1,000 fur item donations.

The Fur for Animal Campaign is a donation drive that collects fur coats, hats, and other fur items and donates them to wildlife rehabilitations to help comfort orphaned or injured animals.

5. Born Free USA joined forces with other groups help strengthen protection of the African Manatees.

Illegal trading, poaching, and human population growth have become increasing threats to the African manatees. There are less than 10,000 left ranging from West and Central Africa. Born Free joined forces with other groups to help educate citizens about the threats and the need to end the illegal trade of manatee products.

6. SeaWorld and Ringling Bros. embrace reform for their captive wildlife.

Ringling Bros. announced that it's closing. The show’s elephants are already retired, and now living at a conversation center in Florida. While SeaWorld announced that it would be ending all breeding of its orcas. The company also announced that after negotiations with the HSUS (humane society of the united states) that it would phase out its theatrical orca shows in favor of orca exhibits that highlight the whale’s natural abilities.

7. Question 3 was passed in Massachusetts.

Question 3 was a ballet measure that banned the sale and production of eggs, veal, and pork from animals confined in cages. It passed with a 78 percent vote, which was a greater margin than any other animal protection ballet in history.

For me, animal rights are just as important as human rights. Animals go through horrific things, just for our entertainment, they are tortured for the sake of testing, and kept in horrific conditions, only to be slaughtered and sold. It’s time to make animal rights more important, 2016 was a good year for animal rights, but, hopefully, 2017 will be even better.