2010 Issue no. 4

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

True Love ...The special bond we share with our four-legged friends.

A Long Road to Safety ... Bear cubs rescued in Russia.

A Publication of the International Fund for Animal Welfare

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CAMERA!

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CAMERA!

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A Wild Photo Contest!see back page for details.

Unconditional Love ...IFAW supporters bring care to companion animals.

page 3 – 5

Animal MattersIFAW news from around the world.

page 6 – 8

Haiti UpdateHelping animal victims of an earth-shattering quake.

page 9

A Long Road Ahead ...Returning orphan bear cubs to the wild.

page 10 – 11

A Big Fan of AnimalsUS television news star Chris Matthews takes animal welfare seriously.

page 12

And for many in the world’s most disadvantaged communities, a pet is all a person has. But just like individuals who live in such areas may suffer from poverty, cruelty and neglect, so too can their cats and dogs. That’s where we come in.

Bringing care where it’s needed mostIt’s essential that every pet has access to vet care. But in many impoverished neighborhoods and towns, there are no veterinarians at all. So who do people turn to when their beloved pet is sick or injured?

IFAW’s companion animal projects vaccinate, treat and heal thousands of dogs and cats each year in 11 different countries.

Whether it’s a mobile clinic traveling to a remote location in Northern Canada, or working with authorities to create a model shelter in Moscow – with sanitary pens, heat and running

page 2

Contents

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

Pets are always there for us when we need them, providing us with absolute love and trust.

Companion animals are our best friends. They give us their love unconditionally and ask little in return. When I look into the eyes of my own dog Zeke, I think of all the dogs and cats who depend on IFAW for care.

I hope our feature story will teach you more about how IFAW is helping the world’s suffering dogs and cats, and how you can keep your own pets safe. You make a big difference in the lives of animals every day. Thank you!

Fred O’Regan, President and Chief Executive Officer

© IFAW 2010 All Photographs © IFAW unless otherwise indicated InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 3Front cover photograph istockphoto

Unconditional

Love

A puppy waiting for treatment at IFAW’s clinic in

Northern Canada.

A Wild Photo Contest!

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Unconditional Love ... Unconditional Love ...

page 4

water, proper food and daily exercise – our projects can make the difference between a sick dog at death’s door or a happy, healthy animal.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, we fund the only animal clinic operating for a population of over one million people, where our life-saving staff and volunteers treated thousands of animals in 2009.

A ‘fix’ for homeless petsIt might not seem at first that something as simple as spaying or neutering could save countless lives, but when coupled with basic veterinary care and education, this is exactly what it does. In the span of six years, an unspayed dog and her offspring could produce as many as 67,000 puppies! For a cat, it’s 420,000 kittens in seven years! The long-term result: millions of animals end up being neglected, sheltered or euthanized.

Roaming dogs also lead to serious public health and safety concerns for communities, such as the Navajo Nation

in the United States. That’s why IFAW runs spay/neuter clinics on the Nation, runs a puppy foster care and adoption program and is helping to educate communities on responsible pet ownership.

IFAW supports a similar project on the Mexican island of Cozumel, where there are too many dogs and cats and too few homes. Sadly, dogs just two years old are often tossed aside for a new puppy and the animals roam or wind up at the dump, only to be rounded up and often euthanized. IFAW’s goal is to make Cozumel the first municipality in Mexico to have a successful, modern and humane companion animal population control program.

By reaching more pets with our spay and neuter clinics, vet care services and educational outreach, the number of suffering and homeless animals will drop. And healthy, loving dogs and cats will have better chances of finding homes.

Happy tails in ChinaIn China, there is no animal welfare law in place to protect cats and dogs — yet. Tragically, this means pets can be captured and sold in “cat meat” markets and dogs can be clubbed to death in mass “culls” over a fear of rabies.

Recently, hundreds of stolen pets were rescued from a cat meat dealer in the city of Tianjin. IFAW veterinarians trained local vets to examine, vaccinate and treat more than 300 of the rescued cats. IFAW’s partner shelter in Beijing is also providing foster care as the cats regain their trust before finding permanent homes.

Last year, IFAW was instrumental in stopping government ordered dog culls in

Heihe and Qinhuangdao cities in China. Even a single case of rabies can create panic and calls for a mass dog slaughter, which is why IFAW is urging the government to establish rabies prevention and pet population control measures.

IFAW also helped draft China’s first anti-cruelty legislation, which if passed would make the act of stealing, killing and eating pets illegal and punishable by law.

Around the world, the ways in which different cultures interact with their pets may be different, but one universal truth still holds no matter where you are: we share a very special bond with our four-legged friends. That’s why IFAW is dedicated to making sure companion animals get the care, comfort and respect they deserve, one pet at a time.

1. Adopt an animal from a shelter rather than buying from a pet shop or breeder.

2. Spay and neuter your pets, and encourage others to do the same.

3. Make sure each of your cats or dogs is wearing a collar with emergency tags that list your name, home address and phone, as well as your vet’s contact information.

4. Report incidents of animal cruelty immediately to animal control officers or the police.

5. Contact your elected representatives and urge them to sponsor stronger laws to protect animals from cruelty.

You Can Do to Help PetsFive Things

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 5

IFAW teaches children how to care for animals in Johannesburg.

Lucky indeed. Rescued in China, this cat has a loving family.

Brief news of IFAW’s recent activities and successes around the world

Animal matters

page 6 InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 7

The adorable clouded leopard cubs rescued in India in March 2009 now are at their release site adjusting to life in the wild, sleeping in a protected platform high above the Assam forest floor.

Their caretaker reports: “They come down headfirst on vertical tree trunks (the only cat species to do this), walk along the thinnest branches and hang upside down like monkeys. Since February they have been taken for night walks and no longer follow us so closely. This is a good sign.”

When they return to their temporary nest, the cubs still receive food and water while they slowly learn how to hunt in the wild.

A Walk on the Wild Side INDIA

More than 1,000 elephants in Bangalore, India, have their own migration corridor, thanks to a private land purchase made by IFAW and partner organization Wildlife Trust of India. The 25.4 acre Kollegal Elephant Corridor connects Kollegal forest division to Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary. The land was transferred to the state government late last year, providing a crucial corridor for endangered Asian elephants.

Make Way for Elephants INDIA

In the Netherlands flower parades are very popular events. A group of animal-lovers in the town of Zundert built a flower rhino out of letters, based on IFAW’s Will Only Words Remain campaign. They won the first prize with their rhino – built completely out of dahlia’s – and mentioned IFAW as their inspiration to raise awareness for this great, but threatened, animal.

Deciding their Fate QATAR

At the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar, in March, IFAW called on countries to increase protection for a number of key species: tigers (with less than 3,200 left in the wild), elephants threatened by new attempts to profit from ivory, and polar bears – the poster child of climate change – whose numbers are diminishing fast.

There were great victories for elephants when member countries voted to continue protection, rejecting trade proposals from Tanzania and Zambia. Parties also held the line against breeding tigers for trade of their parts. Stricter controls of illegal internet wildlife trade were endorsed as well. IFAW is a leader on highlighting this insidious trade through a series of investigative reports including: Killing with Keystrokes.

Sadly, polar bears lost the vote, as did bluefin tuna and sharks, signaling a disturbing trend toward short-term profits rather than long-term conservation.

We will continue to work to protect elephants and tigers, and to stop hunting of polar bears.

Flowers for Rhinos

As nations met in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference last December, IFAW released its startling report: Unnatural Disasters. The report called on the United Nations, governments and welfare agencies to collaborate on animal emergency preparedness and relief efforts to lessen the devastating effects of climate change that threaten animals. It’s an eye-opening look at the increasing numbers of catastrophes and their impact on animals and humans alike.

Unnatural Disasters DENMARK

HollAND

A heartbroken man in Attleboro, Massachusetts, was forced to give up his cats after a tragic series of events. Two years ago, he lost his job and then his wife died suddenly. Finally, he lost his home to foreclosure. Over this difficult time, his cats had kept breeding and in the end he had 55 cats that needed homes. The local shelter was already full to capacity with other abandoned animals so IFAW stepped in and offered our emergency trailer for temporary housing.

Kim Penque of the Friends of Attleboro Animal Shelter said, “We hate to think what the fate of these cats would have been if we had run out of space. Thanks to IFAW, all of these cats will now get the happy endings they deserve.” IFAW was happy to lend our resources and provide a vital solution to a desperate situation.

www.bloemencorsozundert.nl

Kitties Camp Out USA

IFAW applauds Senator Mac Harb for reintroducing his bill to end Canada’s commercial seal hunt. Last year, his historic bill languished until time ran out.

This has been the worst year on record for sea ice in Eastern Canada and, although the Canadian government insisted on calling for a quota of 330,000 harp seals to be hunted, many seal pups died due to the disastrous ice conditions. Markets for seal products are dying as well; as a result the hunt is not a practical source of income. IFAW is campaigning throughout Canada to get support for Senator Harb’s bill.

Senator Says: Stop Hunt cANADA

To the Rescue

Despite our unrivaled experience responding to animal emergencies, we realized that, this time, the effort would be much larger than we could handle on our own. So IFAW joined together with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to form the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH).

Together, IFAW and WSPA led 21 animal welfare groups in a massive relief effort caring for pets and livestock in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding countryside. Over a three month period, ARCH vets treated more than 11,000 dogs, cats, cows, goats, pigs, horses and other animals ... bandaging wounds, providing vitamins and medicine to fight infections, and vaccinating animals against disease.

In March, ARCH finalized a 1.1 million dollar agreement with the Haitian government – an ambitious program to restore vaccination campaigns, protect animals and people from disease outbreaks, and train 200 Haitian vets to enhance veterinary capacity as the country’s infrastructure is slowly rebuilt.

The ARCH mobile veterinary hospital is also providing on-the-spot basic examinations, first aid treatments, and vaccinations against rabies, anthrax and other deadly diseases. By pulling together resources for this unparalleled emergency, IFAW was able to achieve more lasting improvements in animal welfare on the island than we could have accomplished on our own.

IFAW’s dedicated rescuers respond to many disasters every year. Just as we finalized our plan to help Haiti’s animals, an even larger earthquake struck Chile. IFAW again responded with support to a local wildlife sanctuary and offered assistance for rescue operations.

Thousands of caring IFAW supporters, young and old, opened their hearts to Haiti’s animal survivors. Thank you!

Dear IFAW,

I have a cute dog named Fantasia;

she is here in the picture with me. I

also have a little guinea pig named

Buddy and two parakeets. I really love

helping animals. I am always sad when I

hear about the natural disasters that

injure or even ki ll animals.

When my mom said she was making a gift

to IFAW for Haiti , I wanted to help, too,

so I gave my Christmas money. I hope

this wi ll help convince many other kids

to donate to this great organization

and help protect animals.

Sincerely,

Nicholas age 1 1

California

The Quake that Shook the World

page 8

Animal matters

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 9

The earthquake in Haiti was a massive disaster with devastating results. As Haiti’s citizens reeled in the aftermath, IFAW prepared to send help.

Cuddles has been traveling around the world since 2007. The adventurous toy bear has climbed Mt. Humphreys, the highest peak in Arizona, USA; attended a scientific meeting in Switzerland; helped an IFAW scientist return gyrfalcons to the wild in the Russian Far East; and helped an IFAW researcher teach children about whales on the Caribbean island of Dominica. A number of destinations have been recorded in Cuddles’ log book and the bear’s back pack is full of souvenirs from around the world.

Cuddles belongs to a young girl named Hannah in California, and is returning home to report back to students at Hannah’s school.

A Cuddly World Traveler USA

Late-hatching penguin chicks are often abandoned at the end of the breeding season when their parents stop eating and start molting, and no longer feed their chicks.

Last season, 141 abandoned African penguin chicks were taken to IFAW partner organization SANCCOB (The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) in Cape Town, South Africa. Since IFAW and SANCCOB started a chick bolstering project in 2006, 1,424 orphaned penguins have been rescued and hand-reared, with a success rate of 86% returned to the wild. African penguin populations are plummeting largely due to depleted fish stocks from overfishing and changing ocean currents, so each life saved is precious.

Nefeli, a monk seal pup found orphaned on a beach on the Greek island Kefalonia, was released in the National Marine Park of Northern Sporades following four months of intensive rehabilitation treatment. She will be monitored for six months via satellite transmitter, which provides data on her movements and feeding patterns and ensures she is still swimming healthy and free.

IFAW has long supported the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal in Greece. In addition to our $250,000 contribution to help build a new monk seal rehab center, IFAW has funded both a research boat to study the impact of human activities on the highly endangered Mediterranean monk seal and a high-speed patrol boat to prevent illegal activities in the protected areas of the Park.

With fewer than 600 Mediterranean monk seals left in the world, each release is an achievement to be celebrated.

Nefeli Swims Free GREEcE

Rescuing Penguins SoUTH AfRIcA

At IFAW’s Bear Rescue Center, it’s been a busy season.

A Long Road Ahead Russian winters can be particularly harsh, and this year’s was no exception. With record snowfalls and temperatures well below zero, wildlife have had a difficult time surviving.

In the Kostroma region, a first-time mother bear had just been killed by hunters when they noticed she had two cubs. The orphans were taken to a local village, and IFAW’s recuers were called. Soon Vasily and Sergey Pazhetnoz were on the long road to Kostroma, a 1,000 km (622 mile) trip. Their old Land Rover was filled with the baby bottles, warmers and transport boxes needed to care for the bears and carry them back.

The Pazhetnovs found the bears being kept warm in a box on a firewood furnace – two tiny lumps of fur, a dark brown male they named Boris and a gray colored female they named Lena. They fed the cubs and then brought them out to their truck to begin the long journey home.

Sadly, the annual winter den hunt in Russia leaves many cubs without mothers. Hunters use barking dogs to rouse hibernating bears from their dens while they wait outside with rifles. As soon as a bear emerges, it is shot. Many of the bears killed are mother bears, and their orphan cubs are often left to starve or freeze. Lena and Boris were lucky to be saved.

A tiny cryA few days later, they were joined by another tiny cub found by loggers who must have scared away his mother. And a few weeks later, two female cubs whose mother had also been killed were brought to the center from a village in the Novgorod region.

The cubs are keeping each other in good company. After feeding they play together for a little while before being put in their little cradle boxes for naps. All of the bears are growing stronger every day.

In the past 12 years, the center has rescued and released 130 orphaned bear cubs into protected forests. These new cubs will spend the next few months there being taught to forage and fend for themselves. They have a long road ahead of them, but once they are able to survive on their own, they too will be released back into the forest.

page 10

Bears in Focus

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 11

Bears in Focus

Lucky orphaned bear cubs make it to IFAW’s Bear Rescue Center in the Tver region.

The cubs learn to forage and make dens before they are released to the wild.

Boris is very vocal and energetic, while Lena is fragile and timid.

Chris Matthews, host of “Hardball with Chris Matthews” on MSNBC and “The Chris Matthews Show” on NBC, is a strong supporter of animal welfare. An IFAW board member since 2002, Chris has had the opportunity to observe our work protecting the world’s greatest creatures.

From the pristine gray whale nurseries of Baja, Mexico – where IFAW halted the development of a massive salt plant – to Meru and Tsavo national parks in Kenya, Chris has taken a personal look at the dedicated IFAW campaigners, community partners and talented rangers working to save wildlife and habitat from increasing threats.

“IFAW takes on big jobs, not only by identifying critical problems, but also providing long-term, sustainable solutions,” Chris remarked. He added, “Our behind-the-scenes safari experience had a profound impact on me and my family, and I returned with a strengthened commitment to help IFAW and its important work. I don’t want to live on this planet when it’s just us.”

As more elephants fall to poachers, and as whales become ever more imperiled by whaling schemes, the world’s greatest creatures are under increasing threat. IFAW is proud to have great people like Chris Matthews on our side.

send in the best animal snapshot and

you will win this fabulous Casio exilim

shockproof, waterproof digital camera.

once again, unbiased animal-loving iFAW judges will pick

the best shot. And we’ll publish the winning photo in a

future issue of World of Animals!

GO WILD

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CAMERA!

GO WILD

WITH YOUR

CAMERA!

GO WILD

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CAMERA!

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A Great Fan of Animals

Our Pet Pix contest was so popular, we’ve decided to run another photo competition. This time you can send us a photo of any animal. But it has to be a photograph you or someone in your family has taken ... on safari, in the woods, at the beach, on a whale watch, even underwater ... wherever a beautiful animal has moved you to take a snapshot. Email your photo to: animalphoto@ifaw.org.

Send Us Your Best Shot!

US page 12See competition rules.

International Headquarters290 Summer StreetYarmouth Port, MA 02675

canada office40 Norwich Street EastGuelph oN N1H 2G6

founded in 1969, IfAW (the International fund for Animal Welfare) saves animals in crisis around the world. With offices in 15 countries, IfAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and their habitats.

Look for IFAW on:

INTERNATIoNAl fUND foR ANIMAl WElfARE

Win this CAsio!Win this CAsio!

Make theConnection

... to love, safety and hope.All around the world, from Northern Canada to the island of Bali, IFAW works to improve the lives of the animals closest to our hearts.

For cats and dogs suffering from pain, illness or abuse, an IFAW collar represents a circle of caring and a bond of trust. Every day we see dogs and cats in need of urgent care. Many are sick with worms, ticks and disease. Some are victims of disaster. Some wander homeless, and end up injured or cruelly treated. Others are simply neglected by owners who don’t know any better ... left outside with no shelter or protection, tied only with rope or wire. We heal their hurts and often place soft collars around their necks so our vets, and the community, will know these animals have received care.

A collar costs only a few dollars but it symbolizes a priceless gift of kindness.

from Disaster When Hurricane Katrina slammed Louisiana in the southern US, people were forced to abandon thousands of cats and dogs as they evacuated the flooding. IFAW rescued and cared for this feisty kitten and nearly 7,000 other pets left behind ... providing food, shelter and safety. Many were reunited with grateful owners; those whose families couldn’t be found were adopted into new, loving homes.

This was the largest pet rescue in US history.

for a Healthy Life Hank was one of 10 stray puppies collected by a kind woman in the James Bay Cree community in Northern Canada, where IFAW holds spay/neuter clinics and teaches compassion for community cats and dogs. She wanted these dogs to have a better chance of finding homes so she had them flown to Montreal. IFAW’s companion animal staff made the long drive to meet the pups. We had arranged for a local shelter to home them, but then, one by one, the pups came down with parvovirus.

IFAW rushed the pups to a local vet for parvo treatment, vaccinations and antibiotics.

Sadly, only Hank and one other puppy survived. But you can see his gratitude in the constant wag of his tail

Or see the next page for mailing instructions.

You can help us bring lifesaving care to more dogs and cats around the world.

A Second Chance for Snoopy was left outside tied to a tangled chain in an impoverished settlement in Johannesburg, South Africa. When IFAW staff found her, she had no food or water and eagerly gulped down three full bowls of water. The young boy who owned Snoopy gave her over to IFAW for better care. After being dewormed, vaccinated and spayed, she was adopted to a wonderful family.

Snoopy had never been inside a home before ... never felt grass under her paws or sniffed after a scent. Now two little girls dote on her and take her for walks in the park.

Now

IFAW works in 11 countries to vaccinate pets against rabies and disease, stitch up wounds, provide spay/neuter surgeries to prevent the overpopulation that leads to misery, and educate communities on humane care.

Then

US

Please help us provide for more animals in desperate need.

Your donation is a vital contribution to our efforts to save the world’s animals. It will help ease suffering and distress for thousands of cats and dogs, as well as elephants, seals, whales, bears and so many other animals.

Send your donation to: IFAW, PO Box 97105, Washington, DC 20090-7105

Make check payable to IFAW

To make a donation by mail

Your Support is Vitally Important.

Your support saves animals . . .Of every dollar spent around the world over the past fiscal year, over 79 cents went directly to animal welfare programs and institutional costs, so you know your contributions are helping to stop suffering! IFAW fights for animals through direct rescues, by funding protected habitats, by working closely with decision-makers who have the power to end animal cruelty, and through public education programs which are carried out in solicitations such as the one you are now reading. All gifts to IFAW are used to enable the organization to achieve its mission. Donations will be used where they are most needed.

$10 can buy 2 sturdy collars in the US.

$22 can vaccinate a kitten in China.

$26 helps treat a dog for mange in Mexico.

$50 provides fuel for 3 emergency rescue calls in South Africa.

$90 can spay a stray dog in Moscow waiting for adoption.

$500 helps train a veterinary student to treat animals at some of IFAW’s neediest locations.

$950 can treat a puppy stricken with the deadly parvovirus in Canada.

Make the Connection to Lifesaving Care

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