IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW Rushes to Aid Animal Survivors of Pakistan's Tragic Flooding.

This report was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Michael Booth, Emergency Relief communications officer who is working with the Pakistani Government, the United Nations and regional relief organizations on the ground.

IFAW is rushing aid to the animal survivors of the devastating floods in Pakistan, which some officials are calling the worst in the county’s history. We are reaching out to groups and individuals that are helping animals in crisis during this disaster.

We are beginning the process of granting monies for distribution to local agencies, including the RAVI Foundation, to help feed animals, to support assessment operations in Punjab province, and to contact relevant authorities on behalf of IFAW.

Official requests for support have come in from the provincial level and we expect a federal-level request in the next few days. Stay tuned for updates on this incident as we continue our work to provide relief to the animal victims of this disaster.

For more information about IFAW’s emergency relief work around the world, please visit http://ifaw.org.

-- MB

VIDEO: IFAW China: Kung Fu Elephant

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Lisa Hua, campaigns manager in our China office...Where Lisa works with the local government officials to help educate rural populations on community development and ways to deal with the rare but serious wild Asian elephant encounters.

I finally got chance to see a herd of wild elephants in Yunnan after I’ve been working on this project for 6 years, but sadly, I saw them in the village corn fields...

Locals are grateful to IFAW’s help with alternative farming & community development and establishment of the precautionary system based on the monitoring result which strengthened their endurance to elephant damage and reduce their direct encounter with wild elephants.

This week the second round of IFAW AAW teacher training will be organized by local forestry bureau and education bureau. With their help, we are building up a school education network in Pu’er which enables us to have our message disseminated through this network and brought home by those kids at school.

I just learned that to encourage more teachers to participate in our teacher training program, local education bureau will actually put this training into their annual teacher performance assessment system, which means those who attend our training can earn more points in their own performance assessment.

IFAW China: Beijing Raptor Rehabilitation Center Adds to Success, Receives High Praise

Hi all - I just received this uplifting note in my inbox from Grace Gabriel, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's regional director for Asia. Her message tells the story of how the Beijing Raptor Rehabilitation Center has increased success rates for release activities...And moreover was just visited by an Avian expert from the US who sang the centers praises...Grace's note to our team is below...

Dear All,

Some great news from IFAW BRRC. In 2010, the release rate for raptors from BRRC has increased to 67% from an average of 54% in the past nine years!

Below is a great tribute to IFAW and our staff working at IFAW Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, from a raptor expert from Avian Medicine & Epidemiology Department of Clinical Sciences NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine Raleigh, NC.

Well done,

Grace.

Greetings from North Carolina!

I spent a few days at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center in late May, and wanted to provide some feedback and impressions from my second visit to this center. I first visited BRRC in May 2008, and met and interacted with Steele, Gavin, Linda and Crane, all of whom are still currently employed at the center.

Subsequently, I met Dr. Kati Loeffler in October, 2008 during a month-long training period at the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, NC, which she did prior to starting at BRRC in spring 2009.

IFAW Africa: Driving Livestock Away to Protect Elephants in Tsavo

The post was submitted by Elizabeth Wamba, a staff member of the International Fund for Animal Welfare's East Africa office.

In theory, wildlife conservation may mean purely conserving or protecting wildlife. Or is it not? In practice, it is a different ball game altogether. It not only means protecting wildlife from harm – mainly human threats such as poaching for trophies or meat or both - but also ensuring that their habitat is well preserved and protected from adverse human impact.

Surrounded by pastoral communities and farmers, Tsavo gets uninvited guests. Bovine in nature, these guests run in their thousands with a mission to compete and destroy, not create. And when the invited guests (local and foreign tourists) drive into the Park and are met by the unflattering sight of cattle and goats, the habitat suffers further when revenues plunge.

IFAW Cozumel: There's Something about "Joyce" - The Diary of a Dog's New Family

We recently had the chance to visit a very special dog named Joyce after she was rescued from Cozumel and adopted to a loving family in New York City. We were so moved by the incredible progress Joyce has made, and the impact she was having on those around her, that we wanted to share some messages we've received from her new family. - Kate Atema - IFAW

Saturday, July 17

I can hardly wait until 5pm when I can scoop my Sweet Joyce up and begin on her Road to Recovery. The antibiotics report was indeed sobering. I've printed a copy out and I'm going to run it over to the vet now to see if I can get one of the doctors to take a look.

If my vet can't see her tonight, I might get her into the 24 hour emergency place. I want her on the best meds just as soon as possible. We are going to save this leg, dang it!

Monday, July 19

What. A. Dog.

Wow -- we are so in love with her already. I wanted you all to know that her first night was a huge success. Valentine and Chica, my other dogs, happily welcomed her, and everyone had chicken and treats and lots of snuggles. We simply can not believe our good fortune to have such a special gal join us. Clearly, she is smart, funny, sweet, mellow, fun...housebroken! Just amazing.

I can not thank you all enough for you efforts to save her. She is seeing a regular vet this afternoon to get the antibiotics she needs, and we are going to consult with the surgeon tomorrow. I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile -- for your viewing pleasure, a cute picture of Joyce on her first night is attached. She is staring at Chica, trying to figure out what to say first ;-).

IFAW Goes Long Way to Rescue 36 Dogs in Northern Canada

Twenty hours from Toronto, in a remote part of the province of Quebec, IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is providing veterinary services to the dogs of the Cree Nation. There is little or no access to vet care in this region. Without veterinary care, and few opportunities for re-homing, sick, injured or unwanted roaming dogs and puppies are often killed. Recently, IFAW stepped in to rescue 36 dogs and puppies that were to be shot. IFAW staff member, Meg Canty, spoke of her experience in Canada:

I flew to Montreal with another IFAW staff member, where we picked up 40 crates and two vans. After an eight-hour drive, we met up with four other rescue staff in a small town in northern Quebec. Another nine-hour drive awaited us in the morning before we reached the community where the dogs would be rescued. I was amazed by the isolation.

Often in these remote communities, puppies are adopted, but as they grow up, some are no longer wanted, and left to roam. IFAW continues to educate these communities about proper care and ownership of animals. We also provide spay/neuter programs, vaccinations, and veterinary visits--but it takes time for these programs to have an impact.

When IFAW was alerted that the dogs and puppies were going to be killed, we notified the community that we would be there to receive any unwanted dogs. Several were turned in the first evening we arrived; the final number rescued was 36.

My job was to drive one of the vans, and to feed and walk the dogs over the fourteen-hour ride back to the adoption shelter. I never expected these stray dogs to be so sweet and friendly--no aggression, no accidents, no barking--they were all so good. I also didn't realize how attached I'd become, especially to Bobby Jean who rode shotgun with me. Leaving was extremely emotional, but I’d go again in a minute. Dogs like Bobby Jean deserve safe and loving homes.

For more information on IFAW's work around the world, please visit www.ifaw.org

IFAW Cozumel: Final Post from the Team

Kate Atema, International Fund for Animal Welfare team member, recounting the final leg of the trip for the dogs rescued from the Cozumel, Mexico municipal dump and brought to their new homes, along the east coast of the U.S.

The whole experience was so much more emotional than we had anticipated. Watching the little plane land was amazing - every time. Standing on the tarmac with a group of nervous adopters wondering what their new animals would be like - the anticipation was almost sparkling with the static of excitement and nerves. Would they like them? Would they adjust? Would they be healthy?

I think, no matter how much we told them, everyone really kind of expected these dogs to get off the airplane mangy and snarling, pathetic, limp and standoffish. What we got was exactly the opposite! Energetic, smiling dogs hopped out of their crates and into our ams, full of goofy smiles, LOTS of out-of-control perky ears, and enough kisses to go around. They ate treats out of everyone's hands and each seemed perfectly content to walk away on a leash with their new person. It was like they understood what was going on all along, and we were the ones in for the big surprise!

I think everyone was a little misty-eyed when they realized what incredible souls these were. As we watched the dogs hop into their new owners' cars and drive away home, we realized just what we had done for some amazing animals who have so much to give, and would have had such little opportunity to give it to anyone in Cozumel.

For more information on IFAW's work around the world, please visit www.ifaw.org