“Animal” isn’t just the name of recording artist Kesha’s debut album. It also describes one of her great passions. She has taken her concern for our fellow creatures and put it to work for HSI.

Her goal is to help HSI promote respect, protection, and compassion for animals around the world. The level of care afforded to animals varies widely from place to place, even within the same country. But, says HSI vice president Kitty Block, “We believe empathy for animals is a basic human condition that needs to be encouraged and celebrated. Kesha, with her interest in our cause and international recognition, is in a unique position to help us promote a global culture of compassion for animals.”

Kesha’s causes

One of Kesha’s interests is helping street dogs around the world, and her concerns are very personal. “In my travels, I’ve seen many dogs living on the streets,” she says. “On one trip, I found two dogs who had been literally superglued together. I finally managed to separate them, but this was on an island with no vet, no shelter, no resources to help these dogs. HSI’s street dog programs can really make a difference in the lives of these animals.”

Kesha also supports these important efforts:

• Be Cruelty-Free, calling for an end to cosmetics testing on animals worldwide. See Kesha’s video on this issue.

• Shark finning. Every year, in oceans around the world, tens of millions of sharks are hunted to meet the demand for shark fins used in an Asian delicacy, shark fin soup. Demand for shark fins fuels shark finning. Kesha demands that this cruel and wasteful practice stop. As an avid diver, Kesha makes the case that these beautiful animals are greatly misunderstood. She wants to support the movements in the U.S. and internationally to ban the trade and sale of shark fins. See her exclusive anti-shark finning video message and take HSI’s No Shark Fin pledge.

• Protect Seals. Kesha has lent her voice to calling for an end to the annual slaughter of baby seals.

• On her website, Kesha has alerted her fans to the issues of wild horses in the U.S., dogfighting, coral reef protection, and polar bears through her website and social media.

About Kesha

Kesha has taken the world by storm since the release of her debut album,”Animal,” in 2010. That year, she was declared Billboard’s Hot 100 Artist; her smash debut single,”TiK ToK,” was named Billboard’s #1 Hot 100 Song, was the most played song of 2010, and was the biggest-selling digital track in the world. Kesha has had eight consecutive Top 10 hits, including four #1 singles: “TiK ToK,” “Your Love Is My Drug,” “We R Who We R” and most recently, “Timber.” “Timber,” a collaboration with Pitbull, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, Top 40 charts, UK charts, European singles charts, and Spotify. It was nominated for a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Song and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration, and won the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Award for Best Collaboration. Between her debut album, “Animal,” and her latest release, “Warrior,” Kesha has sold over 4 million units worldwide.

Kesha wants to have hands-on involvement in HSI’s efforts to protect animals. “My music is inspired by the freedom and primal beauty of animals and the natural world,” she says. “I take this opportunity incredibly seriously because we are ALL animals. One of the main underlying sentiments of my music is to respect all living creatures just as they are. I believe that together, we can change laws that allow innocent animals to be unjustly mistreated and abused all over the world.”

For more about Kesha, visit her website and Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter.