At present the vast majority of studies of new social movements (NSMs), such as the animal protection movement (APM), focus on post-industrial countries and postmaterialist societies. According to NSM scholars, post-industrial countries offer a healthier environment for NSMs to thrive because these countries possess high levels of economic, physical and material security. However, little is known about the APMs in countries which are industrial, such as those found in South East Asia (SEA). Therefore, the thesis offers a novel empirical account of the APM in Malaysia; a NSM that exists in an industrial country that does not have a strong post-materialist society. The study is focused on understanding the emergence, development and trajectory of the APM in Malaysia. The study is concerned with factors such as the accessibility of political opportunities, the level of post-materialist values, the roles played by the long standing cultural beliefs and the types of resources available in Malaysia. The study finds that the APM Malaysia is surviving in a very perplexing environment. The movement is stymied as a result of operating in a country with: a moderately closedstate structure; low levels of post-materialist values; overpowering cultural beliefs and lack of resources. It is hoped that this study will be able to provide a new perspective and insight in the analysis of APMs in industrial countries and non-post-materialist societies in SEA, thus broadening the knowledge of NSMs.