WSPA News Fall | Winter 2011

World Society for the Protection of Animals

WSPA NEWS FALL | WINTER 2011

A BRIGHTER FUTURE for bears PROTECTING ANIMALS affected by disasters RED COLLARS ARE SAVING LIVES – join the global fight against rabies

Looking for a Really Wild holiday gift?

This holiday season, help save animals in need by making a special gift on behalf of friends and family. Then send a beautiful e-card with a personal message to tell them how much you care!

You can choose from a variety of different animals and customize your e-card with your favourite photo.

Save-a-Dog

20, $40, $80, or $100

Š BAWA

$

Brown and White were found by WSPA staff living in a hole near a temple in Bali. WSPA partner, the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) cared for them before finding them homes. This Really Wild Gift will help improve the lives of more dogs, providing them with vaccinations, sterilization and veterinary treatment.

Give a gift. Save a life.

www.ReallyWildGifts.ca

WSPA NEWS World Society for the Protection of Animals

CONTENTS IN EVERY ISSUE

4

FA L L

From the Regional Director

|

W I N T E R 2011

5 Headlines 8

Making a world of difference

7

Field notes from Colombo, Sri Lanka

10 Ending rabies in Bali 12 Triumph from tragedy at

Balkasar Sanctuary 13 A brighter future for bears

© WSPA/Ulet Ifansasti/Getty

FEATURES

10

14 Leave animals the gift of hope

Editor: Elizabeth Sharpe Contributors: Holly Hewitt, Josey Kitson, Kirsty McFadden, Michaela Miller, Elizabeth Sharpe, Silia Smith.

Special thanks to Sara Tanner for Josey Kitson’s photo.

Designed and produced by: Serina Morris Printed by: DT&P Inc. WSPA Canada 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 960 Toronto, ON M4P 2Y3 T: 416 369 0044 TF:1 800 363 9772 F: 416 369 0147 E: wspa@wspa.ca wspa.ca Unless otherwise stated, all images are the copyright of WSPA. Cover photo © BAWA. WSPA News is published twice yearly by the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

WSPA News is printed on 100% recycled paper from post-consumer waste.

WSPA is a registered Canadian charitable organization No. 12971 9076 RR0001 © WSPA 2011

13

EDITORIAL

FROM THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR

MAKING A GLOBAL IMPACT

The past three decades have seen WSPA grow into one of the foremost international animal protection charities. With offices in 15 countries and work being carried out in over 50 countries we are having a global impact for animals, delivering positive change that will endure for years to come.

With an aim to reach out to even more animals and build on our past success, we are now working on setting our priorities for the next five years and beyond. With this planning have come some changes and I have now taken on a new role as Regional Director for all of North America. With an aim to strengthen our work in this region and build support for animal welfare issues internationally, I’ll be leading the implementation of the global strategy in North

America, working with the Executive Directors of the Canadian and USA offices to maximize our impact.

I’m pleased to announce that Josey Kitson has been appointed as the Executive Director of WSPA Canada. Josey is no stranger to WSPA as she has been working in the Canadian office for five years and I’m confident that through her leadership the office will continue to grow and we will see some exciting gains for animals in Canada.

Silia Smith Regional Director, North America

In the last five years, I have seen WSPA take some incredible steps forward for animals. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of this amazing progress through my work as Project Manager in the field with dogs and First Nations communities and now as the Executive Director of WSPA Canada. I am excited to start working more closely with WSPA’s 50,000 supporters across Canada. None of these achievements would have been possible without your valued support. You have responded time and again, with crucial donations and letter writing campaigns, providing hope for animals in every corner of the world.

Just this year, you made the efforts of our disaster teams working in the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan possible (page 6).

You have helped WSPA stop the cruel culling of dogs in Bali (page 10) and made the many other successes we have had for animals a reality. As WSPA embarks on a new five year strategy I am confident that with your support we will improve the lives of billions of animals by working with governments, communities and individuals to end cruelty and educate people on how to live in harmony with animals.

4

WSPA NEWS

© Sara Tanner

MOVING FORWARD FOR ANIMALS

I hope you enjoy this issue of WSPA News and thank you for your support.

Josey Kitson Executive Director, WSPA Canada

HEADLINES

JOIN THE Conversation We want to connect with you, share, and talk about why animals matter. Join us on:

Become a fan of WSPA or add us as one of your causes. Go to wspa.ca/facebook

Follow our updates on Twitter and share it with your friends. Visit wspa.ca/twitter

So many of the incredible moments that WSPA captures can be seen on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/WSPAcanada

WSPA NEWS

Read WSPA News online and sign up to receive our enewsletter at wspa.ca/wspanews

MAKING THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE for hens in Canada Since August, more than 20,000 people have taken action to help McDonald’s® Canada become a good egg. As part of WSPA’s Million Egg Challenge, Canadians are asking McDonald’s to commit to serving at least one million cage-free eggs this year. Thanks to your support, WSPA is now in conversation with McDonald’s about cage-free alternatives. Encourage the world’s biggest fast food chain to make the biggest difference for animal welfare. Write a letter to McDonald’s at www.millioneggchallenge.ca

BUILDING A CHAIN for change Sparked by horrific footage of Australian cattle being tortured in Indonesian slaughterhouses, WSPA supporters took action by joining our Humane Chain and calling on the Australian Government to end live animal exports for good. Since WSPA launched the Humane Chain campaign, over 170,000 supporters have participated internationally. A temporary ban on live cattle exports was announced, along with official inquiries into the live export of both sheep and cattle. For news and updates on the Humane Chain visit www.humanechain.org.au

THANK YOU From rescuing bears from a lifetime of cruelty to saving animals struggling in the aftermath of natural disasters, our amazing and compassionate donors have truly made a difference in the lives of thousands of animals. You have made each and every success possible. And on behalf of all animals, we give you our heartfelt thanks.

HEADLINES

SPOTLIGHT ON DISASTER RELIEF WSPA is the leading international animal welfare organization working in disaster response and the only organization in the world with full-time staff trained to respond to animal victims of major emergencies. With your support, in the last five years we have assisted over 500,000 animals in 72 disasters. Most recently, our Disaster Management teams have been:

PROTECTING FARM ANIMALS and communities in Argentina Following WSPA’s assessment of the fallout from the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue volcano in June, our relief operations have begun in neighbouring ash-covered Argentina. Because of your support, 150,000 livestock animals will be provided with food they so desperately need, as the grounds they use for grazing are covered in thick ash. WSPA will also train farmers on how to address the needs of animals affected by ash and how to construct feeders using local materials.

RESCUING companion animals in Japan The destruction caused by the Tohoko earthquake and tsunami in March shocked the world and displaced over 500,000 people.

WSPA worked with the Japanese Animal Disaster Response Team and identified 30,000 companion animals in need of immediate shelter and care. Thanks to your support, WSPA built shelters next to the human evacuation centres and provided food, water and veterinary care. We are now working to establish long-term facilities to care for the worst affected animals in the Fukushima Prefecture.

TRAINING FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS in Vietnam When Tropical Storm Haima arrived unexpectedly at the end of June, villagers were able to respond immediately due to a WSPA seminar on Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS), held only two months prior to the floods. “The flood waters came extremely fast,” recalls villager Vee Tee Jian. “We moved animals…both the people and animals survived.

We are grateful to WSPA for their assistance and their donation of animal feed”.

6

WSPA NEWS

REPORT

Field Notes from

Colombo, Sri Lanka LIFE IS TOUGH ON THE STREETS IN THE SRI LANKAN CAPITAL OF COLOMBO. FOR STRAY DOGS, EVERYDAY IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE FOR FOOD, WATER AND SHELTER IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. STAFF REPORT: Holly Hewitt, WSPA Canada

S

tray dogs are a source of major fear – the incidence of humans contracting rabies through dog bites in Colombo was very high, and the municipal authorities often resorted to inhumane methods of culling the dogs such as poisoning, carbonmonoxide gas, shooting or clubbing. Every year thousands of dogs would die.

sterilization as humane methods of dog population management. WSPA is also creating a similar model for governments in Asian countries that face similar problems with stray and roaming dog populations.

WSPA has provided the solution. With your generous support we are creating healthy and sustainable dog populations in Colombo through humane methods of dog population management. WSPA and our local partner, the Blue Paw Trust (BPT), have successfully ended the inhumane culling of thousands of dogs each year. Together, WSPA and BPT have been working with local government officials and have successfully gained their endorsement of rabies vaccination and

• Give over 14,400 rabies vaccinations to roaming, stray and owned dogs

Thanks to your support, WSPA and the BPT have been able to: • Reduce rabies cases in dogs by 50% in the project’s first year

• Sterilize over 5,300 dogs • Establish two mobile operating clinics to provide veterinary care for roaming dogs • Reach 30,000 school children and educate them on responsible pet ownership and bite prevention • Encourage community members to register their dogs, resulting in 14,108 registrations to date

SAVING DOGS AND CHANGING MINDS When three young men found a dog in the street suffering from a severe machete wound they knew there was only one place they could take her for care and treatment. They picked up the injured young dog and immediately headed to the WSPA-funded BPT mobile clinic visiting their area. Ironically, the young men – part of a street gang – had been previously hostile to the work of the clinic. Things, however, were about to change: the young men agreed to take responsibility for the dog after her wound was stitched and promised to give her the care she needed.

Today she is a valued member of their family.

WSPA NEWS

7

REPORT CANADA WSPA has been working with university and college students encouraging them to demand humanely-produced food in their cafeterias and dining halls. Our on-campus displays; face-to-face campaigning and petitions have already led to Ontario’s York University and Humber College switching to cage-free eggs.

This means that an incredible 200,000 eggs per year will now come from hens with the freedom to move, nest and stretch their wings.

Making a world of difference –

through education

Education is a key part of our work in protecting the world’s animals from cruelty and suffering. Here are just a few examples of how your amazing support is helping us get crucial animal welfare messages where they are needed most…

8

WSPA NEWS

Working animals in Gambia can suffer terribly from poor care and treatment caused by a lack of animal welfare education and limited resources. Your generosity has helped 25 people from ten Gambian organizations attend a four-day workshop run by our member society the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust. Participants learned how whole communities are involved in maintaining the best animal welfare practices.

GAMBIA

Fifteen young people aged 13-15 in Llanos de Santa Lucia, an impoverished area in Costa Rica, have been inspired by their teacher Ana Maria Castro to form The Youth Alliance for Animals – a group dedicated to helping animals in their community. Ana Maria developed her students’ interest after her own training in animal welfare education, made possible through our agreement with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Education. We have trained 1,209 teachers in Costa Rica since 2004.

COSTA RICA

NEPAL

UNITED KINGDOM Your donations have helped us update our popular educational resource Bears of the World aimed at primary and secondary school students. This lively and interactive pack includes information about threats to bear species, facts about bear behaviour, and an interactive CD-ROM featuring a world map highlighting the distribution of bear species across the world. Copies can be ordered from WSPA at education@wspa-international.org

THAILAND

© Marcos Pinto

Thousands of young people in Bangkok are receiving animal welfare education thanks to a pilot project that your support has made possible. The year-long project, organized

by WSPA and the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority’s education division, is targeting primary school teachers from 84 schools.

To become certified animal welfare educators, teachers will be expected to attend workshops, complete coursework, run animal welfare lessons and set up animal welfare clubs at their schools.

GHANA

AUSTRALIA

Thanks to your support, we highlighted the importance of animal welfare at a workshop at the 5th Pan Commonwealth Veterinary Conference in Ghana. Your generosity allowed more than 50 distinguished veterinarians to share their knowledge and experience about how best to develop policies and standards to protect animals of all kinds.

Educating and assisting governments to integrate animals into natural disaster planning is now a major part of our work. In May, we facilitated a two-day workshop, Plans for Animals in Natural Disasters. The 41 delegates included representatives from Australia’s federal and state governments, members of leading animal welfare organizations and delegates from New Zealand’s National Animal Welfare Emergency Management Committee. This workshop will help us save millions of animals from perishing in natural disasters.

WSPA NEWS

9

REPORT

To mark our work with the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT), WSPA’s education team members worked alongside well-known local artist Prakaash Chandwadkar and school children to help create a colourful mural. The mural, with its message ‘Help stray dogs to be healthy and happy’, was painted on a school wall in a community where we have supported KAT in its humane dog population management program. Prior to the program, 10,000 dogs a year were cruelly poisoned by the local authority in an attempt to stop rabies.

FEATURE

A WORLD WITHOUT RABIES

© WSPA/Ulet Ifansasti/Getty

DOESN’T MEAN A WORLD WITHOUT DOGS In May WSPA celebrated the completion of phase one of a groundbreaking anti-rabies vaccination drive on the Indonesian island of Bali. We’re now pleased to report that the Balinese government has launched phase two ahead of schedule.

W

SPA funded the first island-wide vaccination program in Bali in late 2010 as an alternative to ineffective methods of rabies control such as the cruel culling of dogs with poison, beating and gas.

Bali has an estimated dog population of 300,000; that’s one dog for every thirteen humans.

scenes of cruelty as over 130,000 dogs were poisoned with massive doses of strychnine, suffering tortuous convulsions and internal bleeding before dying. And rabies cases continued to steadily rise.

During the first round of the program, more than 210,000 dogs (70%) were vaccinated against rabies. In less than six months human and dog rabies cases were down by almost 50%.

In December 2009, WSPA and the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) launched an emergency vaccination drive. The project proved to the government that mass vaccination can protect entire communities from rabies and, as a result, an island-wide project was launched in October 2010.

The second round has already begun. Like the first phase, vaccination teams will work across the island to vaccinate at least 70% of the dogs – the critical threshold for establishing immunity and successfully controlling rabies.

The second round of vaccinations is vital to maintain immunity. The government’s commitment to vaccination is so important, as a return to mass dog killing would have destroyed the immunity built up by the campaign so far.

As Ray Mitchell, WSPA International Campaigns Director, points out, the government has a “unique opportunity to achieve its goal of a rabies-free Bali by 2012, while setting an example for other countries as a leader in humane rabies control.”

Tackling rabies in Bali Following a rabies outbreak on Bali in November 2008, government authorities ordered a cull of all “outside”, or free-roaming, dogs in a desperate and ineffective attempt to control the spread of the epidemic. This led to horrific

10

BAWA staff vaccinating a dog against rabies — protecting him and his community.

WSPA NEWS

FEATURE © WSPA/Ulet Ifansasti/Getty

Over 400 Balinese people helped to vaccinate over 210,000 dogs.

at least two rounds of vaccination. The government’s decision to launch round two without WSPA support is therefore a cause for great celebration!

WSPA’s goal was to convince the Balinese authorities to take responsibility for the project by demonstrating its effectiveness – but effective rabies control requires

This is an incredible showcase for our sustainable model of humane rabies control. Our success in the field has convinced authorities to abandon a mass cull that threatened hundreds of thousands of dogs in favour of a humane and locally-resourced vaccination project.

© WSPA/Ulet Ifansasti/Getty

“This is a great success only made possible because of the generosity of our supporters,” says WSPA’s Ray Mitchell. “The Balinese government is showing the world that there is a humane way to control rabies.”

While we have made great strides for animals in Bali, we know that in many countries, stray dogs are still being brutally killed in a futile attempt to stop the spread of rabies.

That is why WSPA has launched Collars Not Cruelty – a global initiative to establish dog vaccination programs in countries where dogs are killed because of fear of rabies. WSPA protects vulnerable dogs by vaccinating and identifying them with red collars, so the community knows which dogs are rabies-free. Support this important campaign at www.wspa.ca/redcollar and help us convince the world to replace cruelty with red collars – a symbol of vaccination, of safety and of hope.

WSPA NEWS

11

FEATURE

at Balkasar Sanctuary

© BRC

© BRC

TRIUMPH FROM TRAGEDY

In June, WSPA’s local partners in Pakistan, the Bioresource Research Centre (BRC), persuaded two more owners to give up the three bears they used in the brutal blood sport of bear baiting in exchange for new humane livelihoods as store owners.

W

SPA worked for many months in the Sindh and Punjab provinces, meeting with local landlords and Kalandars, to try and persuade them to hand over the bears they use in bear baiting. Despite threats and objections from the very powerful landlords in the area, they were finally successful – freeing Sawan, Nita and Azad and transferring them to the WSPA-funded sanctuary at Balkasar.

Sawan was scarred very badly and the Bioresource Research Centre (BRC) team believes he had been used in many baiting events. After a 14 hour drive to the safety of Balkasar, Sawan was sedated and given a full medical check.

After cutting out the nose ring and leash around his neck he was transferred to a recovery cage.

said Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach, WSPA Wildlife Veterinary Programs Manager.

Staff from the BRC are devastated by the loss of these bears and have buried them in the grounds of the sanctuary.

Thankfully Nita, the other bear rescued with Azad, is doing well and sanctuary staff hope to introduce her to the other eight bears in the next few weeks.

Azad, meaning ‘free’, had repeatedly been used in bear baiting events over the past year. When he arrived at Balkasar the team sedated him for a full health check. There were fresh wounds on his muzzle and one ear was badly torn. He was also very underweight.

Nita had been used in baiting for the past two years and had injuries to one eye and, sadly, was blind in the other. The team was pleased to see that despite her eye injuries, Nita was relatively healthy, and recovered quickly from the anaesthetic.

12

WSPA NEWS

© BRC

Even with the best possible treatment and care, sadly many bears rescued from a life of baiting do not reach old age, as they are prone to weak immune systems and underlying medical conditions sustained from their previous lives. Unfortunately, that was the case for Sawan and Azad. While BRC staff kept a close eye on the bears, providing treatment as well as special nutrients to help build their immunity, Azad and Sawan started to show signs of preexisting conditions. Their health deteriorated quickly and they passed away.

“Sanctuary staff had been working around the clock to give the bears the best possible care but sadly even their expertise wasn’t enough to save them,”

© BRC

FEATURE

A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR BEARS Highlights and work in 2011

Bear rescues are only one part of the work we do to end bear baiting in Pakistan. WSPA also funds vital awareness-raising and monitoring activities aimed at reducing the demand for bear baiting and making these events more difficult to organize.

Bear Baiting Event Monitoring In the first six months of 2011, BRC’s bear baiting event-monitoring teams visited 229 locations – including fairs, private grounds or home-villages of local landlords known to host bear baiting events.

16 planned bear baiting events were detected and due to take place during public fairs. Thankfully, the BRC team managed to stop 11 of these cruel events from occurring. This is a very positive development which takes us closer to the end of bear baiting in Pakistan.

© BRC

Balkasar Sanctuary Visits This year, four bear baiting landlords have accepted invitations to visit the Balkasar bear sanctuary after Ramadan. These invitations have proven very useful in showing landlords how bears should be living – and how cruel bear baiting is in contrast. In previous years, landlords who have visited our sanctuary have been so impressed that they’ve pledged not to participate in bear baiting in the future.

Visits to Mosques The BRC team has visited 1,284 mosques in the first half of 2011 to ask religious leaders to include our animal welfare and bear protection message in their Friday prayers. Now all the visited mosques are actively incorporating this into their services and teaching thousands of local people that bear baiting is cruel.

© BRC

YOU CAN HELP! There are still many bears fighting for their lives in bear baiting events in Pakistan. Visit www.wspa.ca/bearbaiting to support our campaign to free all remaining bears.

WSPA NEWS

13

GIVE

Leave animals a gift of hope As one of our dedicated donors, you know that making a lasting difference to animal welfare is not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes years of dedication and hard work to truly achieve success for animals.

Your legacy gift to WSPA will ensure that long term funding for our work is available, wherever and whenever it’s needed most. Past legacy gifts to WSPA have provided funds for disaster relief efforts for animals struggling to survive in Haiti and Japan.

Other legacy gifts have allowed us to bring practices such as bear-dancing in India to a virtual end.

We invite you to make your legacy gift to WSPA today – and give animals hope for tomorrow.

For more information on legacy giving, please contact Holly Hewitt at 1 800 363 9772 ext. 119 or at hewitt@wspa.ca.

Workplace giving You can be a Workplace Giving Campaign Coordinator for WSPA. As an advocate for animal welfare you can work with your coworkers and WSPA to create awareness, raise funds and recruit new supporters.

Here are some ideas for getting workplace giving started: • Spread the word that you can give to WSPA through your work’s United Way program • Meet with your CEO or Human Resources department to request permission to launch a WSPA campaign, and get your CEO to write a letter (or email) to all staff to launch the campaign • Hold a special staff meeting or lunch’n’learn session to share information about WSPA. You could show WSPA’s most recent accomplishments through video and other materials. Consider encouraging your co-workers to participate in a WSPA action, like signing a petition or writing a letter to their MP

14

WSPA NEWS

© WSPA/Carlos Quesada

– spread the word in the lunchroom

• Approach your company’s charity committee for a corporate gift on behalf of WSPA Canada • Hold a fun fundraising event (or ask your social committee to organize an event) at your workplace or offsite, like a “wear jeans day”, bake sale, or bowl-a-thon. Visit www.reallywildevents.ca for a simple way to organize your event right now Or work with WSPA staff to develop a campaign or a special event that is just right for your company and coworkers!

Support WSPA The work described in this magazine would not be possible without the financial support of individuals who, like you, are passionate about animals. Strengthen your support for WSPA today and help stop the needless suffering of animals around the world.

Donate to WSPA today. Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more.

Visit

www.wspa.ca/donate

Text RESCUE Call 1

to make an online donation

to 30333 to donate $5 from your mobile phone

800 363 9772 to donate by phone

Connect with WSPA WSPA Canada 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 960 • Toronto, ON M4P 2Y3 • Telephone 416 369 0044 or Toll-free 1 800 363 9772 wspa@wspa.ca • www.wspa.ca Canadian charitable registration #12971 9076 RR0001

Dr Jalloh’s morning Thanks to you WSPA has given thousands of stray and owned dogs in Freetown, Sierra Leone better lives through our work with the Sierra Leone Animal Welfare Society (SLAWS). Dedicated founder and veterinary surgeon Dr Abdul Gudush Jalloh shares his busy morning at the SLAWS Freetown clinic with WSPA News.

6:00 am The clinic is truly part of my life and I am very proud of it. I have no fixed working hours and am ready to help animals in need at any time of the day and night. Already there are six people lining up outside in the hot morning sunshine with their animals.

8:30 am © SLAWS

My first visit of the day is Joan. She is very worried about her two puppies – Pippa and Lucky. She tells me she thinks both are dying. I take blood samples to send to a laboratory.

I also put the puppies on a drip and give Joan some anti-parasite medication for them.

9:45 am Next a young male dog is brought in by a concerned owner. I see that this poor animal is suffering with a large and painful venereal tumour. I explain that neutering and spaying dogs is the best way to prevent this from happening. I surgically remove the tumour and neuter the dog. We have been working on a humane dog population control program with WSPA since 2005 and thanks to supporters we have sterilized 15,000 dogs and cats.

12:00 pm My next patient is the first farm animal of the day – a sheep suffering from acute bloat. I ask the sheep owner what he has been feeding his animal; I am not surprised when he tells me he has fed his sheep rice and corn grains instead of grass. This bloat is easily treated.

12:45 pm

Brussaard

I receive a report that some puppies have been abandoned by their mother. I arrange for members of the SLAWS team − to collect the puppies. They bring 15 puppies back to the clinic, we treat them for fleas and worms.

© WSPA/Dennis

I know that the support of WSPA has helped us dramatically change the situation for so many animals. I receive up to 20 calls a day simply because people are more aware of animal welfare. I think we are on our way to a brighter future for animals in Sierra Leone.

To see more of what your support is doing in Sierra Leone, visit www.wspa.ca/drjalloh

Watch the video

4625439