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2013 Issue no. 16 of Animals World IFAW’s A Publication of the International Fund for Animal Welfare Rescue Stories, Thanks to You! Caring for Survivors of Australia’s Bushfires

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Page 1: Rescue Stories,some chicken coops. The cubs were weak and one was crying piteously when they were rescued. They were given immediate supportive care. Soon, the 8-month-old cubs were

2013 Issue no. 16

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

A Publication of the International Fund for Animal Welfare

Rescue Stories,Thanks to You!

Caring for Survivorsof Australia’s Bushfires

English Promoting Sustainable Forestry.Please recycle.

French Promoting Sustainable Forestry.Please recycle.

German Promoting Sustainable Forestry.Please recycle.

Dutch Geschikt voor hergebruik

Geschikt voor hergebruik

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Animals RescuedThanks to you! page 3 – 6

Welcome HomeIFAW people and their pets. page 7

Animal MattersIFAW news from around the world. page 8 – 10

In Profile …Honouring a special friend. page 11

Supporters in ActionMaking a difference for animals. page 12 – 13

Wildlife in Danger …Australia’s Angry Summer. page 14 – 15

Programme UpdateProgress for Pets in Playa del Carmen. page 16 – 17

Your LegacyThe Gift of Life. page 18 – 19

Amber VallettaShares her passion for animals. page 20

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 3

Thanks to You!

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

I hope you enjoy these touching accounts of animals you’ve helped rescue – from orphan bears to rare tigers, a newborn gibbon to some lucky cats and dogs. This month we also report back on IFAW’s efforts to aid survivors of Australia’s scorching bushfires and how your support is improving lives for animals in Mexico.

Please also take a look at our update on how your actions have made a positive difference for animals, and see how you can help many cats and dogs by honouring your own special pet.

Your support makes all our work possible.

Thank you so much,

Azzedine Downes CEO

Contents

page 2 © IFAW 2013 All Photographs © IFAW unless otherwise indicated Cover inset photograph © IFAW-Chris Ord

You help us rescue animals every day. When a bear or tiger cub is orphaned by hunters, a cat or dog requires loving care, or a stranded gibbon family has lost its forest home, your support makes it possible for IFAW to answer their needs.

Heartwarming Rescue Stories

New Orphan Bear Cubs The first four bear cubs to arrive at IFAW’s Bear Rescue Centre in Russia this year were abandoned by their mother when loggers scared her from their den. Fearing the cubs would freeze, the loggers took them to the Kirov Region Hunting Department who called IFAW’s rescuers. The two females and two males were only eight weeks old.

Then another brother and sister were brought in from Smolensk, where someone had left them on a village porch in a box. At first we were concerned for their health when they refused milk, but after round-the-clock care they’re eating and gaining strength.

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InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 5

Thanks to You!

page 4

May. She was fitted with a satellite collar and its first signals showed her moving across the forest. Only a handful of rehabilitated tigers have been released to the wild in the past. We’re hopeful that data provided by Cinderella’s satellite collar will become historic proof of a fully successful reintegration to the wild.

Despite their low numbers in the wild worldwide, captive tigers in the US number in the thousands. Recently, IFAW rescued 16 tigers from a run-down facility with an owner in failing health and helped move them to a professional sanctuary where they will live out their lives in comfort. As more states pass laws banning private ownership of lions, tigers and other wild cats, we expect to be called upon more and more to help find qualified sanctuaries for them. So we’re using our expertise to form a network of wildlife sanctuaries with high standards across the country.

Giving Rare Tigers a Chance

When a tiny tiger cub was found wandering alone in a forest in the Russian Far East, her chances of survival were slim. Weak, malnourished and suffering from frostbite, rangers feared she wouldn’t last through the night. But she was the perfect age for rehabilitation and, since there are fewer than 400 Amur tigers left in the wild, she was brought to an IFAW-funded rehabilitation centre for urgent care.

Because of you, IFAW was able to feed, shelter and monitor her rehabilitation and provide a vet to check her progress. Slowly the cub, named Cinderella, made progress in the remote sanctuary and began exhibiting her natural instincts … learning to hunt for food and hiding when humans approached.

After a year of care, we released Cinderella back to the wilderness in

A Birth Brings Hope in India

IFAW has moved five Hoolock gibbon families from an area where trees were being cut down for agriculture to the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. One of the gibbons has given birth.

A new baby is good news – it’s a clear indication the move was successful and proves the families are settling in nicely.

This spring found us rehabilitating 22 animals at our Wildlife Rescue Centre in Kaziranga. Among them are six Indian rhinos, five Asian elephants, three leopards, wild buffalo, barking deer, a stork and another gibbon.

Most recently we picked up a two-month-old elephant calf who was swept away in a river and stranded on a sandbank. We provided veterinary care and continue to prepare him for release back to the wild.

Dev Makes Progress

When we first brought Dev to the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Centre in 2011, the newborn elephant calf was close to death. His plunge into a rocky ravine left him immobile and covered in wounds and bruises. We nursed him on bottled milk every two hours, and provided warm salt baths to heal his cuts and bruises.

Now he’s nearly two years old and is growing up to be the most playful calf in a herd of five. He is still fed with concentrates and milk six times a day. Recently we treated him for a toe infection and he’s healing nicely.

Safe in her new sanctuary. The infant was named Ouiji, which means hope.

Dev when rescued,

and today.

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Thanks to You! Welcome Home

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 7page 6

IFAW staff conducting dog health and education clinics in Northern Canadian communities brought him back to Toronto for foster care. And he finally found his way to Meg Walsh, an accountant at IFAW international headquarters in Massachusetts. “No one can resist Buddy’s good nature and playful smile,” she said. Although shy at first, now Buddy is a constant companion to Meg’s sons and their older Lab cross Maddie.

“Buddy loves the snow, I mean, REALLY loves the snow,” Meg said. “He’s certainly put a spring in Maddie’s step.”

The first time IFAW’s vet Erika Flores saw the little white stray, the dog was in the middle of an avenue in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, trying to avoid cars. Fortunately several cars missed her and when she ran to an unpaved road, Erika began chasing her. After running about 6 miles, Erika was able to put a leash on the frightened, exhausted dog.

When Barbara Fried from the Department of Philanthropy saw a photo of the puppy, she knew she’d be a perfect friend for her terrier Bobo. Her 13-year-old German Shepherd-cross Mischa had just passed away and Barbara wanted to honour him by adopting another dog. She asked IFAW staff returning from Playa del Carmen to bring the puppy back with them.

On Halloween Eve, the shy little bundle of fur arrived in Massachusetts and Barbara named her Evie. She and her husband Fred and, of course, Bobo immediately fell in love with Evie. It took patience to teach her that she doesn’t have to bolt her food, that there will always be food when she wants it. But every day, Evie becomes more comfortable with her new life.

IFAW People and Their PetsBuddy, a lab-corgi cross, came from Waskaganish, Canada. As a puppy, he was kept in a basement by people who loved him but didn’t understand his need to interact with other dogs and enjoy the outdoors.

Buddy always knows when the school bus

pulls up and his favourite people will be getting off.

Evie taught the Fried family that love comes in the tiniest packages – all 14 pounds of her.

An Unlikely Foster Dad for Kittens There’s never a lack of kittens needing care at our companion animal project in Johannesburg, South Africa. This winter, a litter of seven kittens were dropped off at the centre without their mother. IFAW’s Cora Bailey took them home for foster care and her dogs all lent a hand with grooming.

Remarkably, the most loving dogs were the older rescues like Pratley, who survived horrific circumstances. Pratley was rescued from a settlement that was being evacuated and it took several days to trap him. When we finally captured him he was thin, bewildered and terrified. Now he’s an expert ‘uncle’ to kittens in need.

Fortunately, we finally traced the mother cat and she was more than delighted to be reunited with her family.

All of these animals received lifesaving care, thanks to you.

A lucky dog

You may remember Warrior. She nearly died as a puppy when school janitors in Cape Town, South Africa, buried her alive. Thankfully, she was rescued by staff at IFAW’s Mdzananda Clinic. Today she’s been adopted and is living a perfect dog’s life – with two home-cooked meals every day, daily hikes and lots of hugs and kisses.

During Warrior’s recovery, many kind supporters signed fabric squares we then sewed into comfort blankets to warm Warrior and other traumatised animals. Thank you for sending your messages of caring to the animals.

In March, the trial of the two men accused of burying her neared its end. They were charged under the animal cruelty act for one of the worst ever reported cases of animal abuse in Cape Town.

Warrior, now named Lily, with her brother Joey.

Pratley kept putting the kittens to bed.

3,000 Miles to a New Home

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Good News for Seals

Tracking Elephants

Thanks to you, early this year the Canadian Environment Minister announced the creation of Sable Island National Park, and said talk of a grey seal cull on the Island was ‘off the table.’ This is fantastic news for the 277,000 grey seals who use Sable Island for their birthing grounds. We’ll continue to push for their long-term protection.

Then sealers in Cape Breton decided to call off their annual grey seal hunt due to a lack of markets for pelts. This is the second year the hunt has been cancelled.

More than 64,000 supporters signed our Sable petition … proof that your actions make a difference for animals.

IFAW, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya’s School of Field Studies fitted six elephants with GPS satellite collars in March. Researchers will track the elephants’ migrations across the vast (8,797 square kilometres) Amboseli landscape for 20 months. The elephants were chosen from different families and will be monitored to help map critical corridors and habitat use as seasons change.

Knowing the elephants’ whereabouts will also help rangers enhance security operations and develop measures to intervene when elephants come into conflict with communities.

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 9

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

Animal matters

page 8

KenYA

CAnAdA ThAilAnd

PhiliPPines

UniTed sTATes

Grizzly Cubs Saved A Better Future for Endangered Wildlife

Typhoon Food Drive

People of the Year

IFAW partner Northern Lights Wildlife Centre rescued two male grizzly cubs last October from the Kootenay Rockies region of British Columbia. The cubs were found after their mother was shot and killed by local residents when she raided some chicken coops.

The cubs were weak and one was crying piteously when they were rescued. They were given immediate supportive care. Soon, the 8-month-old cubs were faring better and feasting on apples and other “bear-appropriate” food. The grizzly bear project is a co-operative effort between IFAW, the Centre and the British Columbia Ministries of Environment and Forest, Lands and National Resource Operations.

This spring, a new cub was found wandering without its mother and rescued. He is slowly gaining strength at the centre too.

At the 16th Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), held in Bangkok, we gained more protection for endangered sharks and other animals.

IFAW’s interactive online report and iPad app Unveiling the Ivory Trade spread the message that the illegal ivory trade is killing elephants by the thousands, and helped win a commitment to combat wildlife crime, particularly poaching. We also helped secure an increase in efforts to control wildlife trade on the internet. Unfortunately, we lost a chance to reduce the pressure on polar bears hunted for international markets. We will continue to champion this increasingly threatened species in the year ahead.

Following Typhoon Pablo – the strongest typhoon ever to hit the agricultural region Mindanao – IFAW rescuers rushed to the scene with the Philippines Animal Welfare Society, our partner in the country. With many people and animals killed and crops destroyed, we urgently set up a feed distribution plan.

We worked alongside vets and volunteers giving out 6.2 tons of pet food and 1,600 kilos of pig feed. Villagers were very grateful to receive food for their animals so they did not have to give a portion of their own relief food to them. Your support helped us feed 2,175 dogs, 848 cats and 726 pigs.

IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research team were recognised as “People of the Year” by Cape Cod Magazine in a six-page article. Katie Moore and her crew were praised for their amazing success amid unprecedented 2012 dolphin strandings. Their efforts paid off with a record 74% release rate for live animals bringing a happy ending to a long season of trudging through mud and sand to rescue and protect dolphins. Katie made sure to thank the 200+ volunteers and animal rescuers along the East Coast that rolled up their sleeves to help IFAW’s team of six during their busiest season on record.

CAnAdA

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InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 11page 10

Animal mattersHonouring a Special Friend

In Profile

Through my Personal Pet Fund, I’m able to commemorate SuzyBear, her unconditional love, and the many life lessons she taught us. At the same time, I’m helping suffering animals, from dogs and cats in impoverished communities to wild animals around the world – such as tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos, bears and seals – who require our help.”

Emily Stuparyk, an IFAW donor in Canada for 12 years, established her personal SuzyBear Pet Fund in 2012 to celebrate the life of a special rabbit.

Helping animals gives great meaning to my life. – Emily Stuparyk

Emily has shared her home with many rabbits and cares deeply about all animals.

She describes her feelings about animals and why she supports IFAW:

“Many people think of pet rabbits as small docile creatures sitting idly in cages. This is not true. They have dynamic, expressive personalities, require much space and exhibit love. I can’t imagine life without one.

I feel animals are sentient beings who experience pain and suffering. It’s important to me to know that I’m making a difference for them. IFAW gives me the opportunity to do something about the suffering inflicted onto animals by the greed, cruelty and ignorance of man.

As Emily so aptly states, helping animals adds meaning to our own lives. Establishing an IFAW Pet Fund to honour a special companion animal is a very personal way to enrich the lives of cats and dogs all around the world. IFAW’s Personal Pet Fund Programme helps improve pet care in many disadvantaged communities. Whether it’s a dog or cat … rabbit or bird … or other precious companion animals that have brought you joy, I hope you will consider starting your own Pet Fund. To learn more about this unique way to support IFAW, call our Supporter Relations office at 020 7587 6700.

A very personal way to help animals

A Web for Wildlife Traffickers

INTERPOL has released an IFAW supported study revealing hundreds of ivory items worth at least €1,450,000 for sale during a two-week period on Internet auction sites in nine European countries.

As a result of the surveillance, six national and three international investigations were launched in cases where ivory was described as new or where ivory was being traded from abroad.

The survey of Internet sites was conducted by a range of enforcement agencies including those responsible for wildlife crime enforcement in participating countries. The collaboration shows the need for coordinated efforts across Europe to shut down the devastating illegal ivory trade.

eUroPe

CYPrUsA Bailout for PetsWhen a financial crisis closed all the banks in Cyprus, animal shelters across the island quickly ran out of food. IFAW stepped in to provide desperate shelters with an immediate emergency grant.

Working with our local partner Cyprus Voice for Animals, we distributed over 650 bags of dog and cat food to 8 shelters, saving the lives of more than 1,500 animals. One shelter manager gratefully commented, “Your food came just in time. We were down to 2 bags for over 200 dogs and we would not have made it one more day.”

UniTed sTATes

An Award for Animal Rescuers

Congratulations to IFAW’s VP of Programmes Ian Robinson and Wildlife Rescue Manager Gail A’Brunzo who received the US Department of Agriculture Honour Award for Excellence for their roles in the care and placement of over 300 animals from a bankrupt animal orphanage. Also included in the task force award are IFAW contractors Dawn Smith and Anand Ramanathan. This is the most prestigious award presented by the Secretary of Agriculture.

When the Wild Animal Orphanage in Texas was forced to close due to financial crisis, IFAW provided staff and resources to help move the animals – including tigers, lions, bears and chimps – to other sanctuaries.

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InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 13page 12

Saving Animals through the Endangered Species ActFor nearly 40 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the United States has been helping to protect animals in the US and all around the world. And IFAW supporters have acted numerous times to make sure species like African lions, caribou and polar bears are protected under the ESA. We look forward to using the ESA’s authority to continue to protect animals for years to come.

Many of IFAW’s campaigns are often won by supporters taking action on behalf of the animals. Whether it’s writing to or phoning a politician, signing a petition, or attending a rally, IFAW’s dedicated supporters always come through. Here are some examples of IFAW supporters taking action to make a difference for animals:

Helping the UK Fight Wildlife CrimeSince its inception in 2006, the UK’s National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) has had great success in helping prosecute wildlife crimes. So when its funding was due to run out at the end of March, 2013, IFAW’s UK office turned to its supporters to help keep the vital unit alive.

Nearly 5,000 supporters contacted their Members of Parliament to urge them to keep the NWCU funded. Thanks to this swift response, the unit’s funding was renewed and the NWCU will be able to continue their important work.

Positive Changes in Playa

IFAW’s staff members in Mexico have been working very hard to improve conditions for animals at the Animal Control Centre in Playa del Carmen, but they felt some resistance from the local municipality government. So they turned to IFAW supporters for help, and soon hundreds of letters were on their way to the municipality. The letters worked, and helped sway the municipality to make some positive changes that will improve conditions for so many dogs and cats in Playa.

Taking Lion Meat off the MenuWhen a restaurant in Wichita, Kansas, put African lion meat on their “exotic meats” menu, they couldn’t have imagined the backlash that would soon follow. IFAW supporters contacted the restaurant in force to politely protest the menu item and to educate the restaurant about the peril that the regal lion faces as lion populations crash across Africa. The chef soon removed lion from the menu, making his the latest in a growing list of restaurants that IFAW supporters and other compassionate consumers have helped convince to remove lion meat from their menus.

Whales Saved by People PowerAt last year’s International Whaling Commission meeting, South Korea floated the idea that it may begin killing whales in the name of scientific research. Over 100,000 people from around the world, including many IFAW supporters, joined together to protest their plans. People power prevailed, and South Korea has since announced that it would only conduct non-lethal whale research.

Seal Pups Saved from SlaughterLast spring, two harp seals were captured from the wild as newborn pups by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The pups, named Zak and Mika, were turned over to the Aquarium des Îles in Quebec for tourism display under the condition that they be killed when tourist season was over. IFAW’s Seal Team sprang into action and soon nearly 140,000 IFAW supporters and others had joined forces to protest the planned killing.

Our voices were heard, and soon Zak and Mika were released. IFAW’s Seal Team continues to work with the Canadian government to improve its policy on the capture of wild marine mammals for display purposes.

On the WebVisit the “Get Involved” page on our website for more actions that you can take for animals.

IFAW supporters are making a difference for animals

on a global scale, and right in their own home towns.

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page 14

Australia Update

InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 15

As you can imagine, both human and animal resilience was tested! In the case of bushfire blazes, temperatures were so intense that most wildlife didn’t stand a chance of survival. Those animals that did escape suffered an assortment of injuries. Luckily, Australia has an incredible network of dedicated voluntary wildlife caregivers – all unsung heroes.

Rescuers were inundated with injured wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, seabirds, flying foxes, wombats, possums and echidnas. IFAW was able to help by providing emergency carer grants to assist with the aftermath of this natural disaster. Koalas were especially affected by fire because Eucalyptus trees are very flammable due to their high water and gum content.

Surviving kangaroos and other wildlife will have lost their source of food and shelter for months. It could be years before many of the affected areas recover from this devastation.

If the bushfires that raged in New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania and Victoria weren’t enough to contend with, other parts of New South Wales and Queensland were later struck by storms and severe flooding in the wake of tropical Cyclone Oswald. IFAW again provided grants to local rescuers who were called on to look after an influx of animals and birds including baby pelicans, a huge array of seabirds, kangaroos, possums and wallabies.

And, the angry summer didn’t end there. With searing heat waves affecting humans and animals alike,

some of the hottest temperatures were recorded. Flying foxes (bats) are particularly vulnerable to excessive heat – these animals start to die if the temperature exceeds 42OC, but the extreme temperatures recorded in January topped 45OC.

Despite the odds, many local bat rescue groups did manage to save some of these vulnerable animals. Looking after them was a full-time job though and not cheap – flying foxes consume kilos of fresh fruit! IFAW helped many of these caregivers by providing medical supplies and food. We also provided a canoe to Wildlife Rescue South Coast which was vital in gaining access to the Bomaderry Creek bat colony in New South Wales to rescue animals.

Without your generous donations IFAW wouldn’t be able to assist these animals in distress.

Australia’s summer was one of unprecedented extremes; large parts of the country suffered record-breaking heat waves and severe bushfires, other areas had to deal with extreme tropical rainfall and devastating flooding.

Wildlife Faced an Angry Summer An Animal Rescuer is Never Off-duty

IFAW Animal Rescue Vet Valeria Ruoppolo was enjoying a Tasmanian holiday in January when the island’s biggest bushfires struck.

She and her partner, ecologist Eric Woehler, immediately sprang into action, contacting local agencies, rescuers and vets to assist in response efforts. They witnessed firsthand the tragic destruction to the landscape, human settlements and wildlife. The usual lush blue-grey Eucalyptus landscape had turned brown, with dead gum trees in all directions.

Sadly the fires were so intense that little wildlife survived. Victims of the fire included brush-tailed possums, pademelons, bettongs and Bennett’s wallabies. They encountered a lone echidna on the side of the road, ambling along looking for ants. It appeared unharmed, with just some of its quills burnt. Finding food in the charred landscape will be a major challenge for all echidnas and other survivors for months to come.

Those wild animals that did survive were taken to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and then transferred to local carers for long-term care. IFAW assisted local vets with vital medical supplies to treat wildlife and domestic animals.

© E

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Just how this ground-dwelling echidna survived the fire is a mystery, but we’re glad he did.

IFAW’s Josey Sharrad meeting a koala at Friends of the Koala clinic.

Valeria Ruoppolo with

a wombat.

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InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 17page 16

Program Update: Mexico

Progress for Pets in Playa del Carmen

A Growing NeedLocal authorities estimate there could be as many as 24,000 dogs roaming the neighbourhoods surrounding the popular tourist areas. Many cats wander the streets as well.

Since 2012, IFAW has partnered with a local organisation, Coco’s Cat Rescue, to alleviate suffering for the region’s cats and dogs. Through this alliance we are also developing local

and taken to the Centre receive basic necessities – food, water and adequate space. Previously three or more dogs would share one small cramped crate. And after dogs and cats have been in the Centre for 72 hours, animal rescue groups are allowed in to care for, sterilize and vaccinate animals. We then either reunite animals with their owners, place them for adoption, or re-release them if they’re healthy and have a caretaker.

By caring for animals and engaging community members, we’re working for the long-term humane management of the dog and cat populations, as well as cultivating a community that is willing and able to care for its animals properly.

The outpouring of generosity from our donors has been amazing. On behalf of our staff in Mexico and all the cats and dogs you’re saving from hunger, illness and neglect, please accept our heartfelt gratitude!

Thanks to our donors, animals in Playa del Carmen are benefitting from the new mobile unit in many ways. We can:

• Visit schools and public events to promote adequate guardianship of dogs and cats and distribute educational materials.

• Reunite dogs captured by the Animal Control Centre with their owners in remote areas who have no means of transportation.

• Provide basic veterinary care to neighbouring communities as well as isolated Mayan communities.

• Transport animals from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to Coco’s Spay and Neuter Clinic to be sterilized.

• Provide emergency assistance to roaming animals injured in the streets.

With the new mobile veterinary unit we can help more animals than ever.

Rescued from hoarders … and adopted! Inca was born at the Animal Control Centre. Thanks to improvements you helped bring, she’ll have a happy life!

IFAW CEO Azzedine Downes saw firsthand the success we’ve had in Cozumel, and met our new partners in Playa del Carmen in June. He said, “To see the teams at the Cozumel Humane Society and Coco’s Cat Rescue working with the IFAW team is truly inspiring. It is clear that our approach of involving the communities is working. Our wonderful donors make all this possible.”

IFAW’s Mobile Unit Answers Community Needs

For many, the Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen is a paradise. It’s also one of the fastest growing cities in Latin America and as the population grows, so does the number of roaming dogs and cats suffering from a lack of basic veterinary care.

solutions for animal welfare problems by supporting other animal protection groups in neighbouring communities like Tulum, Cancun, Akumal, Puerto Aventuras and Puerto Morelos.

A World-Class ResponseThanks to the outstanding generosity of IFAW supporters around the world, we were able to provide and outfit a mobile veterinary unit to enable Coco’s to serve the community more effectively. IFAW supporters helped fill the mobile unit with everything from large and small pet carriers … to catch poles … to diagnostic equipment … to antibiotics and medicines to cure mange, ringworm and other life-threatening diseases.

We’ve also convinced the local government to improve conditions at the state-run Animal Control Centre. Now dogs that have been rounded up

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InternatIonal Fund For anImal WelFare page 19page 18

The Gift of Life

Legacy gifts to IFAW help 1 in 6 of the animals we save

Providing treatment for abandoned and abused cats

and dogs

Protecting wildlife from poachers and exploitation

Supporting urgent rescues after disasters and

emergencies

Campaigning for an end to Canada’s cruel commercial

seal hunt

The Easiest Gift of All

Every year IFAW rescues and protects tens of thousands of animals around the world. What you may not know is that one in every six of these animals will be saved by gifts in our supporters’ Wills. For those animals it’s a legacy of life.

There’s a common theme running through the messages we receive from supporters who tell us they have included IFAW in their Will. They feel it’s an easy way to do more to help than they are able to today. And that’s part of the magic of a legacy gift, it doesn’t affect your income or assets now, yet it can be the best gift you could ever make to care for animals in need.

Gifts in Wills give IFAW the long-term security to continue so much of our lifesaving work. They help us make the world a better, safer place for animals. IFAW supporter and lifelong animal welfare advocate, US attorney G. Kenneth Bernhard is very clear why he has named IFAW in his Will, “I want

to ensure IFAW can keep up its important work protecting animals after I‘m gone.”

One thing we know from the legacy gifts we receive: it’s not wealth that enables our supporters to include IFAW in their Will … it’s the same deep commitment to helping animals that they have in common. All the gifts we receive – large and small – help us in our crucial mission to save and protect animals.

As long as animals cry out in need, IFAW will be there … to protect them, to rescue them, to comfort them. Through your own Will you can make their care and protection part of your legacy.

Legacy gifts save livesA legacy gift to IFAW in your Will is one of the most effective ways to protect animals long into the future. It’s also easier than you may think, as a gift in your Will doesn’t have an impact on the way you live your life now – it’s a gift for the future.

If you would like to learn how you can help animals by including IFAW in your Will, please contact Marco Ruggeri on 020 7587 6700 or by email at [email protected] and we’ll send you a no obligation information pack. Thank you.

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Supermodel, actress and IFAW Honorary Board member Amber Valletta has been helping IFAW promote our campaigns since 2003.

Last autumn, she filmed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) publicising a freephone telephone number to report entangled whales along the California coast. She joined IFAW in showcasing the PSA at the Blue Ocean Film Festival in Monterey.

“I love animals – especially whales – and care deeply about safeguarding their future and protecting the environment. Partnering with IFAW on marine mammal conservation was a natural fit,” she said.

Amber has graced the covers of Vogue magazine for 20 years and she recently became the face of Marks and Spencers. She’s even designed vegan shoes for Milk and Honey Shoes to help benefit IFAW.

Passionate for Animal Welfare

UK

inTernATionAl FUnd For AnimAl WelFAre

Registered charity number 1024806

87-90 Albert Embankment London SE1 7UD

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.

www.ifaw.org

youtube.com/ifawvideo facebook.com/ifaw twitter.com/ifawuk