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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin transferred 64 ETH (about $147,000) to the Animal Welfare Fund this Wednesday, bringing animal welfare and food biotechnology into the crypto spotlight.
In a post shared via his official channels, Buterin said he “encourage[s] others to think and act more in support of our non-human cousins,” adding that the “extreme suffering” imposed on animals “in the billions” is a major issue that is “not something we talk about often.”
Buterin’s transfer of 64 ETH to the Animal Welfare Fund was framed as an effort to address what he described as one of humanity’s greatest moral debts: factory farming and the large-scale suffering it involves.
“The extreme suffering we’re imposing on them in the billions is not something we talk about often…” — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin), May 12, 2026
Buterin specifically highlighted problems in the shrimp industry, pointing to the eyestalk ablation technique. According to animal welfare reports cited in his remarks, the procedure is used to accelerate reproduction in commercial farms through physical harm.
He also noted that such practices can function as industry standards while remaining largely unknown to consumers. Buterin urged users to investigate these technical processes, including with the help of artificial intelligence tools, to better understand their impact on the marine ecosystem.
Alongside the animal welfare theme, Buterin’s activity included a forward-looking view of global nutrition. He said that plant-based alternatives have improved significantly over the past decade, stating that “old impressions from ten years ago are no longer valid.”
He pointed to improvements in the organoleptic profile of lower-tech plant-based options. He also referenced industry projections that development of synthetic meat and alternative proteins could replace traditional mass-breeding methods before the end of this century.
This is not the first major donation by Buterin. In 2021, he sent a reported million-dollar amount in SHIB tokens for COVID-19 relief funds in India. The latest transfer underscores a diversification of his social impact priorities, temporarily shifting attention away from technical infrastructure work associated with the Ethereum Foundation.
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