IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW AnimalRescueblog.org to Become AnimalWire.org

2010-10-29T17:33:32-04:00

Dear AnimalRescueBlog.org reader –

Since 2006, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has used the AnimalRescueBlog.org site to update supporters, staff and concerned friends of animals with the latest field reports on IFAW animal rescue efforts around the world.

Your collective comments, re-posting, well wishes, and support through donations over these past few years have been greatly appreciated.

In an effort to bring you all into the wider conversation about the animal welfare movement while still bringing the latest news on rescues and field work IFAW is launching a new consolidated blog called AnimalWire.

AnimalWire.org will launch shortly, and be better integrated into the www.ifaw.org website. This will afford our program and campaign teams a better opportunity to bring you the latest animal news.

For those who are looking for a pure blog experience and toolset, you’ll find it on AnimalWire. The blog will feature category specific feeds (seals, whales, emergency relief and so on) in addition to the single master feed for all news. So if you just want updates on our efforts on behalf of whales we have you covered. We are also working to better integrate social sharing functions to allow you to help spread the word about IFAW’s work around the world.

Again, we here at IFAW truly appreciate your support and readership, and hope you will continue along in reading the new materials shortly to be available on AnimalWire.org.

Sincerely,

Fred O’Regan, President.

Johannesburg Diary - CLAW Project Works to Contain Rabies Outbreak

2010-10-28T15:22:14-04:00

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)‘s Kate Nattrass Atema, Companion Animal team leader on a rabies outbreak near Johannesburg, South Africa, which has already taken the life of a young child. Images and stories were submitted from IFAW supported Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW) team lead, Cora Bailey, CLAW vet/nurse, Jennifer Gerner, vet/nurse Gabriel Jaravasa and vet/nurseKatie Suddard.

OCTOBER 21, 2010

Right now we are in full swing, organizing all of our clinic staff and a few additional volunteers into teams that are tirelessly working to vaccinate as many animals as possible in the Soutwestern region of greater Johannesburg.

Rabies is, luckily, very preventable, but only if you vaccinate before the disease hits. In a place like South Africa, where there are areas with widespread rabies, and not much in the way of border controls, a largely unvaccinated pet population is like a ticking time bomb. Now that we know rabies is in the area, we have to be quick to stop it from spreading out of control and killing more animals and people.

The problem is that peoples’ homes (mostly home-made shacks of scrap metal and wood) are densely packed and many people aren’t educated about things like rabies and how to prevent it. This means the disease can spread quickly, creating deadly consequences in an area before anyone on the outside ever hears about it. We have discovered a few cases ourselves, through word of mouth and talking with people in the communities. The government doesn’t really get involved at this level, so they miss a lot of critical areas.

Our vaccination efforts are creating a protective ring around the regions our clinic serves. Three teams comprised of of vets and outreach staff are going into the townships we think are most at risk, working to provide a vaccination “barrier” against the spread of the disease and keeping the communities safe.

When our teams go into an area, they go door to door, providing information on rabies and vaccinating every cat and dog we can find. We have to be careful not to spread alarm or panic that could lead to people abandoning or killing dogs,. Rumors and misinformation spread faster than any disease here, so we have to protect animals against both the disease and any backlash that comes from peoples’ fear. We are also visiting schools and encouraging children to bring their dogs to get vaccinated.

OCTOBER 24, 2010

The teams visited two very large schools in the Braamfischer area, with two teams alone, administering over 400 vaccinations in just one day. The teams will be going back to Braamfischer tomorrow to set up mobiles at another two schools for those owners who were not able to attend Friday’s mobile clinics.

Even though our team is fully mobilized, we’ve temporarily brought two additional vet nurses on board to help us reach as many animals as possible, as quickly as possible. With their help, we’ve already been able to vaccinate over 2,000 dogs and cats. It makes for long, hot days, but it’s so rewarding to leave an area and really feel you’ve kept it safe from something terrible.

OCTOBER 27, 2010

Three vaccination teams continue working full out on the rabies vaccination campaign. A large supply of vaccines are being donated from vet clinics on the outskirts of the townships, where most animals are already vaccinated and clinics don’t require as much vaccine as they’ve received. Some vaccines are coming from the Department of Agriculture (DoA), but not enough. We are hoping to receive an additional supply within the next day or two.

To date, 3,096 rabies vaccinations have been administered to dogs & cats in an area south of Johannesburg. We are hoping we’re fast enough to stop any new cases from developing. None so far have come to light, thank goodness.

For more information on the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s work around the world, visit http://ifaw.org.

Two orphaned Grizzly bears rescued in Canada

2010-10-15T16:30:14-04:00

A week ago, we received notice from our partners at the Northern Light Wildlife Shelter (NLWS) in Canada that two orphan grizzly bear cubs were being held at a park station in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Hours before, a local Conservation Officer had discovered that a mother bear had been shot and her two offspring were now aimlessly wandering around - helpless and orphaned with no shot at survival.

Since 2007, IFAW has partnered with NLWS and the B.C. government to conduct a first-of-its-kind rehabilitation project aimed at released rescued grizzly bears back to the wild. In the summer of 2008, we released our first two grizzly bears back to the wild and the following year, another two bears were able to taste freedom once again.

Rescuing these new two bears and getting them to the rehabilitation center proved much harder than previous times. Landslides had blocked roads and access to the cubs was only possible by air. At the time the weather was miserable and flying was impossible. The team anxiously waited for a break in the weather. The cubs were still doing OK but with no available food and limited staff to care for them, they would have to get to them quick!

Angelika Langen NLWS Director described her harrowing plane flight on the 7^th of October:

"WE GOT THEM! Boy, what a ride that was, I was as green as a person can be. We got to Bella Coola and found SOLID cloud cover; the pilot said no way he could land. I tell you after the ordeal to get there, I was pretty defeated. So we circled a bit and all of a sudden he took

a nosedive for a small opening, my stomach went right past my ears, but I couldn't have cared less as long as we got the cubs. Elli the lady that facilitated the rescue and the Conservation Officer met us at the airport, we then went to the compound, tranquilized the bears (both boys) and up we went back to Smithers. The cubs released well into their enclosure and had a good night!"

Both bears are now undergoing rehabilitation at the IFAW-supported Grizzly enclosures at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society animal shelter. They appear to be in good body condition. The two bear cubs were named Drew and Jason after the people in Bella Coola after the Conservation Officers in Bella Coola that helped with their rescue. At the point of rescue Drew weighed in at 100lb and Jason at 82lb.

For more information visit www.ifaw.org today.

Haiti update: IFAW Team Continues Work for Animals

2010-09-17T10:43:04-04:00

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Emergency Relief team member Michael Booth reporting from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

After an emotionally-charged visit to Haiti 8 months ago I left the country not knowing for sure when or if I would be back. IFAW had teamed up with other groups to established a coalition named ARCH (Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti), our mobile vet clinic had started treating hundreds of animals a day (watch the video) and an ambitious project was just then taking shape to address some of the most important animal needs in the island nation.

We left back in February on a small fixed-wing bound for Santo Domingo, DR - the airport in Port-au-Prince was still closed to all commercial flights and although we had a great sense of accomplishment one could not help think that our work was only just beginning and there was so much to be done, so many shattered lives to rebuild.

It was an equally emotional day this past Monday, as once again, the IFAW team landed on the Toussaint L'Ouverture airport strip. Although it had been several months since my last visit, ARCH's presence in Haiti never took a break. As we exited the airport's doors, we met with our Project Manager Dr. Kevin Brown and Assistant Project Manager Dr. Jean Francois Thomas. But of course they weren't alone. We were also welcomed with a thousand 'bon jour's and insistent porters offering a hand with luggage. Here we are in a warm and humid Haiti, between some of the most open and joyous people you will ever meet that continue to show their amazing resiliency - it feels good to be back!

Our itinerary here is quite a busy one. Since the earthquake ARCH has treated over 30,000 animals! (watch video) But that is just 1 of 6 priorities that have us hard at work every day. Together with the Ministry of Agriculture, ARCH has set forth a number of campaigns including: Public Awareness Campaign, Education Campaign, Veterinary National Lab reconstruction, Cold-Chain Restoration campaign and our first-of-its kind Dog and Cat Survey. This last one was the first on our calendar for this trip.

On Tuesday, the team had their all-day training where 18 Haitian surveyors (mainly young vet techs and assistants) learned the intricacies to conduct a first-of-its-kind scientific survey aimed to determine dog and cat population numbers in Port-au-Prince, attitude towards animals, disease awareness and more. The survey process is using the latest in geo-spatial information requiring trainings on GPS units and following special maps designed for this effort. We are very excited to have Dr. Melanie Gall and Dr. Warren Eller both experts and invaluable team members helping us gather the information. Once completed we will have a much better understanding of how many companion animals live in the city, how people interact with them and what parameters need to be considered when conducting effective vaccination or sterilization campaigns in Haiti. Without this information, many efforts are, simply put, scientifically-useless.

The trainings were held at the site of the National Veterinary Laboratory. This is really the only Animal Lab in the country and the buildings here suffered extensive damage. One of ARCH's first objectives was to assist the Ministry of Agriculture in the re-construction of 2 new labs, a re-model of a damaged one, constructing a new perimeter wall and helping re-stock the lab with some of the latest equipment. All of these efforts will effectively help Haiti's vets and animal authorities to better address animal diseases and animal husbandry in the country and have long-lasting impacts on the welfare of countless sheep, goats, cattle, horses, donkeys, and other animals.

After an entire day of training the surveyor were dying to go to work! Donning their good-looking ARCH t-shirts, the team combed the city on Wednesday gathering some great data and leaving quite an impression on the local population. This effort will continue at least during the next 10 days completing in that time thousands of surveys!

Today, after a meeting with the Director Generals of the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, we checked-up on one of our newly installed cold-chain units in Kesskof in the outskirts of PaP. The cold-chain refers to process of keeping vaccinations at optimal (cool) temperatures so that these don't become useless. During the earthquake the city lost power. Without the electricity to power-up coolers and refrigerators keeping vaccinations at optimal temperatures under the hot Caribbean weather was a near-impossible endeavor. To solve this issue, ARCH invested in 12 cold-chain units, these units use solar panels to power refrigerators spread out in different locations.

After hearing about these and the incredible efforts to import them, it was great to see one installed and working beautifully. It was packed with rabies and anthrax vaccinations, ready to help inoculate animals, another great way to keep them healthy and strong!

We will stay in Haiti for another 2 days before returning home. This time, I will leave Haiti with a completely different feeling. Maybe it's closure, I'd like to say that it's 'finishing a chapter' and that our work in Haiti is done, but the truth is that we will still be active here for many months and in many ways our work here lives on. But after seeing Haiti 8 months after the quake I see many encouraging signs. Not only our work with ARCH but all around the city, some things are better while (truth be told, some things remain exactly the same), what we can be sure about is that ARCH's efforts falls under the first category - tens of thousands of animals helped directly, many million more through our ongoing work at different levels. As always this wouldn't be possible without the generous contributions of our supporters all over the world. You made this happen, thank you!

For more information visit www.ifaw.org.

IFAW Canada: "Charlie" is Looking for That Porch and Ball to Call his Own.

2010-09-15T10:45:42-04:00

The following report is coming from Jan Hannah, Project Manager of the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Northern Dogs Project, which centers its work on dogs living in remote communities of northern Canada.

Even though the Canada dog rescue occurred in July, the work is just now coming to a close. Most importantly, there are still some dogs looking for their forever homes. I love to hear the happy endings and I especially love hearing about the adult dog happy endings – those who have spent time tied up or have experience living on the street. Imagine going through a harsh winter outside and then making a very scary drive to an unknown place only to find food and love and inside comforts at the end of your journey -- that is the doggie jackpot! These are the dogs who touch me most. Even the shelter managers and care givers fall for the dogs… take Ebony for instance. This is what the kennel manager had to say about his potential adoption – “Hi Jan, I have wonderful news...a lady was in today and it was 'love at first sight' when she met Ebony. She took the application home and will return tomorrow. He is still my favourite, and if I approve this adoption, I am going to miss him like crazy!” And then she passed on the following from his happy new owner… “The first night he was terrified of the TV and mirror [new things to Northern dogs!] - and barked at both! He tried to sleep in my bed but then he settled into the bed I bought for him! He likes to lie directly in front of my fan because it’s so hot. He is THE PERFECT dog for me and I'm so glad I found him!”

So now we need to find that perfect happy ending for Charlie. He is currently up for adoption through IFAW...

Charlie is the elder statesmen of the group who came south. His heritage is mixed so I have been calling him a lab/husky and he doesn’t seem to mind. Sixty pounds and perhaps 8 or 9 years old, Charlie is that loving dog who has experienced a harsh life and is now looking for that someone who will appreciate and care for him. Charlie loves to go for walks where he can find the perfect rock to carry around in his mouth. He has learned a wonderful heel so none of that pulling stuff. His three favourite things are attention, chasing a ball, and food -- although I’m not sure of the order. Charlie would like nothing more than to find someone who appreciates the finer things an older fellow like him brings. And of course, he would appreciate someone who likes to throw a ball : ). Charlie is currently living with three home dogs and an ever changing number of visiting dogs (he is living at a home boarding situation) and he is fine with everyone as long as they understand that he deserves respect (as the most experienced dog in the group!) and they don’t intrude on his food or crate space.

Charlie has grabbed the hearts of many but has yet to be found by The One. If you have been looking for that settled someone who is finished with the puppy shenanigans and is comfortable in himself, contact me at info-ca@ifaw.org. Charlie is waiting.

Feeding flood-stricken Animals Helps Restore Life in Pakistan

2010-09-09T14:08:07-04:00

This post was submitted by Ashfaq Fateh - Field Manager for the collaborative International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Ravi Foundation (RF) Emergency Relief response in Pakistan.

A 58 year-old woman named Jinda Mai from Kotla Hajji Shah had only one buffalo. She had no money to pay to the motor boat people to rescue her and her buffalo. She begged to no avail. She refused to leave her place and decided to remain stranded in the water. She stayed there for two days, she and her buffalo, without any food or water. Eventually she was rescued by Pakistani troops who pulled her and her buffalo out of the flood waters.

We asked her why she risked losing her life by refusing to be rescued without her buffalo. Jinda Mai simply replied: “My buffalo is not a simple animal, she is my whole world. She is my friend and I couldn’t bear leaving her in flood water”

The devastating floods across Pakistan hit vast areas surrounding the Indus River in the past few months. People, animals, infrastructure and standing crops were swept away. Thousands of the villages removed from the face of the earth. Millions of people and their livestock were left stranded in water and recue teams saved just a small number of animals. The fortunate few who received flood warnings beforehand were able to move some of their animals but were immediately confronted with the harsh reality of not knowing where or how to live and care for them.

According to the UN, the disaster has now hit over 30 million people. The Government of Punjab estimated over 100 million livestock, horses and donkeys were affected in four districts of Southern Punjab, namely, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzzafargrah and Layyah.

The Ravi Foundation (RF), an organization named after the River Ravi, closely monitored the disastrous situation. The team observed the initial relief efforts carried out for the human victims of the flood. It also observed that each flood affected family has, on average, six to seven animals to care for as they evacuate from their homes. Two weeks after the start of the disaster no animal relief work or preventive vaccination campaigns had been launched, absolutely no one was helping the animals.

At that point RF decided to focus its efforts on livestock and companion animals (horses and donkeys); however there were no funds available. All along the team had been communicating with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. IFAW immediately accepted an appeal to conduct an assessment and the team made several initial visits to the District of Layyah.

We visited different clusters of the animals and found hundreds of thousands of wandering animals in search of food. We saw animals walking aimlessly on main roads of the city causing traffic jams, lost and distraught by the sound of cars, buses and pressure horns coming from every direction.

When we talked to local farmers and animal keepers, we learned that the livelihood and survival of the river bed areas were based on animals. Some of them declared the animals “their asset” some said, their “survival is conditioned by their animals” and “animals need love and care”.

IFAW’s emergency relief efforts in Pakistan have provided life-saving feed for close to 8,000 animals in the five union councils in Southern Punjab. We registered the animals in different clusters and issued them tokens to collect the feed from distribution point. Half-way through the first two stages of operation, we have conducted large feed distributions on August 28 and September 4, 2010.

The feed program was highly appreciated by people of various sections of life. We have received all sorts of positive comments. People have stated that IFAW and RF are the only ones thinking of animals during this disaster that the feed program ‘highlights the importance of animals in our daily life’. The fact is that the mind set of the people in Southern Punjab is shifting to one of increased love and respect for nature.

Despite our efforts to feed four thousand animals per week, there are thousands more left hungry. Even so, our program has a great impact as it increases awareness among the public at large and encourages the government to address the issues of animals too. It has helped to influence policy makers to add animal considerations in their long-term plans for the flood hit areas. It impacted media, civil society and public representatives to help the affected animals.

The waters are starting to recede in some areas and farmers have started to clear their fields to cultivate crops and fodder. However, fodder crop will not be ready until November. The alternative feeds we are providing to animals is the only thing that is keeping them alive at the moment. Many of the flood-affected families make ends meet through milk production. It has been reported that milk yield has drastically gone down in flood affected areas; animals simply don’t have enough food.

IFAW is feeding four thousand livestock and companion animals a week in Southern Punjab. There are thousands more awaiting feed and struggling for survival. I urge everyone to come forward and contribute to ensure the survival of animals and human beings.

To help, visit www.ifaw.org today.

VIDEO: IFAW China: Kung Fu Elephant

2010-08-23T12:00:55-04:00

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.

This is definitely a great support to our training and hope what we delivered in the training can help those teachers with more ideas of education activities and development of their local school environmental education textbook, which help raise the conservation awareness among the children and, in turn, change their parents attitude towards the homeland they share with elephants and other animals.

The short video in the link below is made on the footage provided by our project partner, Pu’er Forestry Bureau (they have the copyright of the footage). An elephant calf’s working diligently to break a bamboo branch. I named the video as “Kung Fu Elephant” and the words in subtitles go as follows. Hope you enjoy it.

http://v.ku6.com/u/9417715

I used to live in the jungle with variety of foods

I don’t mean to hurt you

Please don’t spoil me with corns

Don’t be lured for my ivory

Don’t prison me in the fragmented home (or in the breeding facility)

Give my land back to me

I’ll show you my magic Kung Fu

For more information on IFAW's work in China, visit www.ifaw.org

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

2010-08-20T14:21:02-04:00

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.

Since starting at BRRC, Dr. Loeffler and I regularly correspond via email about clinical cases and all aspects of medicine, surgery and husbandry issues related to raptor rehabilitation.

I was delighted to be able to spend time at the center and teach the staff about a wide variety of topics – everything from creance flight training (using a long rope attached to jesses around the bird’s lower legs, for assessment of flight capabilities as well as to exercise them prior to release to the wild), review of radiology interpretation, hematology, feather “imping” (a system to replace broken/damaged flight feathers with replacement feathers --- perfect feather quality at the time of release is just as important as strength and stamina), and many different medical and surgical treatment techniques. I kept everyone (myself included) running for several days!

I was very impressed with the level of skill and professionalism displayed by the staff at BRRC. Everyone on the “team” has special skills to add to the rehabilitation effort, and a high level of enthusiasm, energy, and dedication to develop new skills and expand their knowledge.

For example, Steele’s ability to use behavior training and positive reinforcement to weigh the Cinereous vultures on a platform scale without any physical restraint or stress to the birds; Gavin’s creation of creance systems for flight training everything from a 150 g common kestrel to a 3000+ g Eurasian eagle owl; Crane’s creative sewing talents to make re-usable wing wraps and weighing restraint devices and hand puppets for feeding pre-fledgling birds to prevent human imprinting; and Linda’s developing talents for incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques (such as acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine) to augment the rehabilitation efforts at BRRC.

These are but a small sample of the skills demonstrated by this staff! In addition to this very creative group of staff members, Dr. Loeffler should also be acknowledged for what she has brought to the center. Kati is an accomplished veterinarian with nearly unlimited energy and desire to improve the quality of animal care. The standard operating procedures and physical renovations at the center have greatly improved the level of care possible for the birds, to standards that meet or exceed those found at well-established centers in the U.S. In the two year time span since my first visit to BRRC, the changes and improvements have been remarkable, in large part, due to Kati’s efforts, the dedication of the staff to continually improve their skills, and the support and commitment from IFAW. I envision BRRC becoming an internationally recognized center of excellence for raptor medicine, surgery, and rehabilitation.

Kati and I have discussed opportunities to take BRRC to the next level of excellence, including collaborating on peer-reviewed manuscripts and scientific abstracts presented at international conferences. In summary, I commend the quality of medical care provided by the extraordinary staff at BRRC, and the ongoing support from IFAW.

Sincerely,

Laurie Degernes

For more information on IFAW's work in Asia, visit www.ifaw.org.

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

2010-08-18T11:24:12-04:00

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

IFAW Africa: Driving Livestock Away to Protect Elephants in Tsavo

2010-08-16T14:21:12-04:00

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.

Livestock incursions in Tsavo are rife. In the first half of 2010, 45 herdsmen were arraigned in court for illegally grazing their livestock in Tsavo. Over 6,000 heads of cattle were driven out of the Park by rangers. Some of the herdsmen are livestock traders who travel with lorry loads of their stock to the Tsavo area for fattening before selling them off. Others are pastoralists in neighbouring communities. In their view, the grass on the Tsavo side is greener - literally.

At times, the herdsmen and park rangers try to outwit each other. In the case of herdsmen, they sometimes drive their livestock into the Park and walk out of the area, leaving the animals unattended. That way they slyly evade arrest. However, when the rangers come across the livestock, they keep them captive until the owners come to claim them -- and they are then arrested and arraigned in court. Under the laws of Kenya, upon conviction, suspects are fined up to US$95.00 and/or imprisoned for three months.

During drought seasons, such as the last one which spanned two years, illegal grazing becomes a major threat to wildlife, possibly and arguably surpassing armed poaching. Over 100,000 cattle and goats were driven out of Tsavo Park in 2009 alone.

Illegal grazing of livestock in Tsavo poses a threat to both wildlife and those who protect wildlife. Tsavo faces enormous degradation due to livestock incursions. Such grazers reduce vegetation cover leaving the land bare, and increasing pressure on the land due to competition for pasture and water with wildlife.

The myth that wildlife and domestic animals can live together is just that – a myth. Livestock drives away wild animals and also leads to the decrease or displacement of plant species, if left unchecked. Livestock can also spread disease to wildlife with devastating effect.

Yet it is not only domestic animals that have negative impact on the Park. Herdsmen may also be a threat to wildlife when some may have ulterior motives to poach. Some herdsmen are sometimes armed, posing a security risk to both wildlife and people in the Park. Raging fires have also been ignited by herdsmen, spreading tens of kilometres and burning everything in their wake.

The cost of livestock drives from Tsavo is no pocket change. It translates to the mobilisation of aircrafts, vehicles and man-hours, to name a few. Livestock drives may seem like treating a symptom instead of the cause. But such drives are short-term solutions and if left unchecked, livestock incursions can overrun a park.

Tsavo has over 11,600 elephants roaming the vast wilderness. It is home to over 60 mammals, 400 birds and 1,000 plant species. For more than five years, IFAW has been supporting the Kenya Wildlife Service through the provision of much-needed vehicles, fuel and radio equipment to protect Tsavo’s habitat and its elephants.

For more information about IFAW's work around the world please visit: http://www.ifaw.org/kenya

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

2010-08-05T13:54:35-04:00

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 ;-).

Tuesday, July 20

OKAY, we met with the surgeon today. She wanted the pin removed because she feels it is the root cause of pain and infection. Now, regarding the leg’s prognosis: she sees nerve damage that has caused a complete loss of feeling in the paw and lower leg; hence, the dragging of the foot. Sadly, she does not believe the paw/lower leg sensation will return. (For the record, I’m not convinced of that! We are giving her all the optimism and good energy we can summon!) Only time will tell. BUT, we are going to order wheels for Joyce ASAP so she has them. The surgeon said that this case shows how difficult it must be to treat cases like this in Cozumel. Of course, you all already know this. I know everyone has really gone to bat for this awesome little dog, and it shows in her sweet loving disposition!

BTW -- she is having fun chewing/playing with a rope toy while lying down and taking it easy on her donut bed. She loves her food and treats and chicken... We are crazy about her!

Friday, July 24

There seems to be "Something About Joyce"; she is already gaining a fan club here as well. We were discussing it last night. I think that people attach to her because the opportunity to alleviate her suffering, or that of any of the dogs down there, is so accessible whereas so much of the pain and suffering in this world feels beyond our reach. To see this sweet, perfect little dog overcoming her tragedy simply because people all along the way seized the opportunity to help her, is really inspiring on so many levels. It's as if she's a vehicle for some great collective compassion that needed an outlet that people could really believe in...

In Joyce Milagro's story, Life wins! For so many others, that will not be the case, so she and I will gladly do our part to tell anyone who wants to know: YES, you can make a difference!

For more information about IFAW's work on behalf of animals in crisis around the world, please visit www.ifaw.org

IFAW Goes Long Way to Rescue 36 Dogs in Northern Canada

2010-07-27T13:02:00-04:00

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

2010-07-23T15:59:09-04:00

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

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs - Back on the Trail with June Clinic Work - PT II

2010-07-17T07:41:00-04:00

Day 4:

What a drive yesterday. It’s about 7 hours from door to door but as we traveled south, you could see huge billowing clouds of smoke up ahead. Even though you could see them, it was difficult to judge if what looked to be a massive forest fire was close to the road or not. As we got closer, you could smell it as well as see it. Sure enough, when we finally reached the fire, it was at the road and the road was smoke covered for about a kilometer. We drove through (with permission!) and the second van stopped in the smoke… they said you could feel the heat of the fire on their legs inside the van! The flames were licking up the trees at the side of the road. Wowza. Not many people get to see the mite of a full on forest fire, let alone drive through one! We turned off the paved highway and headed the two hours down the dirt road to our second community. So today, we are open for business. I’ve never seen so many dogs roaming in this community but as per usual, they all seem like nice dogs. We bumped into two sisters from a litter that we spayed last year when they were just puppies and they look really good. They have grown into beautiful, even tempered dogs. Bruno was in with some porcupine quills. We neutered him last year and he doesn’t seem to like the clinic any better the second time around! The young owner we met on the playground last night brought in her very young pup. The puppy was skinny and when she arrived, she started having seizures. She was wobbly and lethargic. She stayed in the back with the vets all day so they could keep an eye on her. She was owned by another child before the current one and she may have suffered head trauma. At the end of the day, she went home with strict instructions for care. I have my fingers crossed. Puppies are fragile, especially when taken from their mothers at such a young age. End of day count… 21 surgeries, 31 vaccinations (most of whom had already been spayed or neutered already).

Day 5:

First thing this morning I went out to find the dog I had been emailed about prior to heading north. I was told the dog was old and had a hard mass on his belly, most likely a tumour. I took the van expecting to bring the dog back to the clinic for MJ or Martine to look at. I didn’t find him at the address I was given but I did see an older dog across the street with a white muzzle and assumed it was him. Just as I reached him, his owner came out. It turns out ‘he’ is a ‘she’ and she obviously has a mammary tumour. She is 13 years old -- which is a miracle in itself – and has already had one tumour from the same area removed. We struggled to get her loaded into the van and I took her to see MJ. MJ palpated the mass and said that it goes all the way up her belly so removing it would be a huge surgery – especially for such an old dog -- with no guarantee of results and most likely lots of blood and lots of healing. She said that as long as the dog is eating and is happy, she’s happy. I delivered her back to her house where she can live out her time on her own turf, comfortable and content. Back at the clinic, Laura was wrestling with another shihtzu shave (with help from both Ann and Val) and Martine had another old dog on the surgery table, removing a sizeable growth from her side. With the clinic running smoothly as usual, I went to find the owners of two huskies that were young girls but no longer wanted. I found the house and two year old black and buff littermates ran up to greet me, both friendly and with tails wagging. Sure enough, these are the two who are proving to be difficult and are no longer wanted. Because we have another community to host a clinic in, I decided that we would come back at the end when the team flew out and pick up the dogs then. But that wasn’t all. The owner said that one of the dogs (I named her Husky Mama and her sister Hyena Mama) had one puppy who was living under the shed in the back. She went into the house, brought out a carton of milk and headed back to entice the pup out from under the shed. Sometimes you just don’t expect what you get and this wee thing was not like her mother or aunt at all! Could we also take the pup to be rehomed? I think so!

Day 6:

The clinic started off with a bang this morning. There were people lined up for vaccinations and surgery before we had even set up. This is our last community and a local group has formed to change the way dogs are managed. Because of the ongoing work of the group, I expect that we will have more surgeries than in the past. Beauty, Marley, Tiny, Blackie, Molly, Buddy, Patch, Lucky, another two Buddys, Spencer, and about 15 more came in for vaccinations only. Crazy, Hunter, Doris, Blackie, Smartie, Miss Jones, Lady, Polar Bear were brought in for surgery along with a whole bunch more! Ann and Val were busy recovering dogs over there by the fire gear and Hanna, Laura and myself were busy on intake doing our IFAW paperwork but also doing registration for the dogs. I figure this is very important because if the dogs are picked up, they are supposed to be identified by their registration tag and their owners called for pick up. If the paperwork is part of helping dogs stay alive and get home, I’m all for it. Buddy, a young black and tan puppy came in for surgery along with a chocolate lab pup. He was skinny and seemed lethargic. Just before surgery, he vomited and when Laura tested him for Parvo, he was positive. She put him in the back in a crate hooked up to IV fluids and we crossed our fingers for his recovery. Not long after, Chester, a year old black long haired male, was brought in by his owner who said he had been hit by a car. When he arrived, Martine couldn’t tell if his front leg was dislocated or fractured. The owner signed the dog over to IFAW for further care if need be with the objective of providing follow up down south and rehoming him. When he was on the table, MJ showed me the extent of his injuries. His front leg was badly broken and would most likely need to be amputated. His teeth had been sheered off at the gum line at some point in the past and must have been incredibly painful. The area under his tongue wasn’t normal and had lots of green, infected tissue. MJ went over his injuries but only when she advised me of all the work and recovery he would need did we make the decision to euthanize him. A sad, happy and busy day, we were late at the clinic recovering dogs, and had to pop back in near 10 pm to check on Buddy and continue with his meds before dropping into bed.

Day 7:

Now this is something I have never seen before. A very large great dane came into the clinic today for a neuter. I thought that I should make myself scarce when it came time to lift him onto the surgery table. The next thing I know, MJ is pulling the air mattress off the table and putting it on the floor and the big dog is being lowered onto it by the rest of the team. Roles of paper towel were positioned to keep him on his back and MJ did the surgery while on her knees on the floor by the door! I didn’t see who the lucky ones were who got to carry him out to recovery or out to the car when it was time to go home. Next was a black lab who had been picked up off the street by an elder. The daughter told me that her father had bad luck with dogs and that this latest one had recently been hit by a car and his tail broken. This meant that his tail hung down and he kept pooping on it. Martine came out and spoke with the owner and said that she would amputate the tail… I called this the rock star surgery. We went in to watch as she worked what looks like magic to those of us who are not vets. All this time I was aware that Laura and I had to go back and check on Angel, an older spay from the day before who had had a blood vessel bleed. We had visited her the night before after the owner called and wrapped her around her middle. When we returned in the morning to unwind her bandages, she wouldn’t let us near her. She was guarding her property and her belly and we weren’t getting anywhere near her. We hopped into the van and when we did manage to check back on her, the kids told us that their mother had unwrapped her and she was doing just fine. Back at the clinic, Buddy, the Parvo puppy, is doing really well and we’ve called his owner to come pick him up. Fingers crossed that he keeps recovering. Still up for surgery, Chiquita, Austin. Layla, Rosie, Lucky, Bear, Chubby, Coco...

The final day often feels long and hurried because it includes another take down and final inventory. But the objective is to see as many animals as possible because the nearest vet is far away. Our vet team left the fire hall at 7 pm to try and get some food while the rest of us stayed to recover dogs and take down. I’m talking to Kate on the phone about a possible dog transport from the community and the next thing I know, the vet team is back (with food), hoisting animals into the vans and rubbing the remaining dogs to wake them up. Luckily the weather is still warm and sunny so even if the dogs do not get to go inside (many are not used to it), they won’t have to suffer any rain. And then everything was quiet, an unusual sound for the fire hall that we got used to over the past two days. You always want to make a big enough difference… in the long term, that is. You made a difference now and to those animals you helped or stopped from having puppies. And of course, helped those puppies too who would have been born and had puppies themselves by the time we returned… that is a lot of puppies! But at some point, people have to learn that if they want to stop the cycle of too many unwanted animals, they have to keep theirs. Commit for life. Spay or neuter for behaviour, health and population control reasons and keep the dog or cat. Enough said… we still have one or two more dogs to see tomorrow.

Day 8:

Up, breakfast and a quick drive to drop the vet team at the airport. They will be home in about two and a half hours and we will most likely not have even left the community yet! Beaver, one of the priest’s dogs who we neutered last year, and one of his ‘wives’ has had a run in with a porcupine. We set out to his house and thankfully, he’s home so he can help. The dogs that he takes care of are most comfortable with him, except for Beaver who is somewhat easy to catch… IF you get him on the first try! We used a loop to catch him and then sedated him. As you can see in the photo, there is just enough sedation to keep him quiet but we didn’t want to knock him out so it does actually take two or three people to hold a dog down to pull out quills. Imagine what it’s like when you have no sedation… impossible. Hanna, who has good dog handling skills, wandered quietly over to the female and quietly slipped the noose over her head. When Beaver was done, we were able to give her a jab as well. She didn’t have as many quills as Beaver did but infection can still occur and these two dogs have lived long and healthy lives and can continue to do so. The priest was very thankful and I am always happy to help his dogs as they are starting to show their age… and Beaver is actually the father of one of my dogs who I brought south two years ago. Family bonds run deep, including dog family! So our intention was to head back north where one van would head to pick up Scruffy, a four year old we had spayed at a previous clinic, while the other went back to Nemaska to pick up the two husky crosses and pup. Believe it or not, the same fire we had passed through on our way south had closed the road and after months of planning for the Scruffy pick up, I feared her new owner wouldn’t get to see her still! All this way to be stopped by a fire. Bingo, the road was open and we sailed through, able to look out over the smoking, burnt landscape. It’s hard to imagine the good that fire does but we all know it regenerates the forest so you just have to look out and know that in two years, it will be green again. We made it to the Scruffy pick up point and man handled Scruffy safely in the van. The wind has kicked up the fire and we are held up along the highway heading back south and to our hotel. With no cell phone coverage, there is no way to let the other van know we are going to be late and to check in on their passengers. An hour and a half later we are on the move again. No van at the meeting spot, a few calls from the roadside emergency phone to confirm they are alive and at the hotel, and we are headed four hours to our beds. Must get home and begin the planning for the dog transport that will help a community change the way they are dealing with excess dogs. Good for them!

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

IFAW rescued dogs arrive to Longmont, Colorado

2010-07-15T20:46:22-04:00

This post was filed by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Michael Booth reporting from Longmont, Colorado.

Glancing over towards the main building as we taxied to a stop we saw 3 TV cameras, a few radio reporters, a more than a dozen other people with big smiles, all waiting for us. It should be said, the crowd that gathered at the Longmont Municipal Airport were not there for us humans, rather our four-legged companions making their first trip to the US.

As the engines died off and the door opened we heard a big round of applause and a woman that shouted 'you made it'!

One by one, the Cozumel dogs disembarked on to a very warm Colorado day, a weather not too different from the island they had left now more than 1700 miles away.

'They look so happy!' another woman exclaimed. Yes, in fact the dogs were not in the least concerned or fearful, they exited their kennels with tails wagging and jumping up and down.

One of the dogs, Alvina, was greeted by her new family. Mr. and Mrs. Carey were just a few yards away from the airplane anxiously waiting to meet her. 'She is so pretty, look at her big ears!' said Dana Carey to her husband. After a few minutes for photos, Alvina left to her new home. 'We going to give her plenty of food and water and let her rest for as long as she needs, she's come a long way so we'll do our best to take it real easy'. 'She's a survivor, I'm sure she'll do just fine' added Peter Carey.

The other 8 dogs quickly left for the air-conditioned quarters at the Longmont Humane Society shelter. 'They will likely find forever homes very soon', commented the volunteers and staff, 'they are adorable and so loving'.

The IFAW team headed to Boulder for dinner and a good night's rest. We will start our journey back to Cozumel tomorrow to bring another plane-load of rescued animals, all looking for a fresh new start.

Our busy itinerary includes visits to Fort Meyers, FL on Saturday and Washington DC, and NYC on Sunday.

For more information on IFAW's Cozumel Dog and Cat Rescue and other projects around the world, visit www.ifaw.org today.

Cozumel dogs take off!

2010-07-14T02:59:23-04:00

This report filed by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Companion Animal Director - Kate Atema, who was with the team in Cozumel and has now headed to Longmont, Colorado, to meet the plane on its arrival at the final destination.

Today was one of those days when everything comes together, and you realize that all our hard work - the planning, and planning and planning, which all seemed so theoretical a week ago - finally met the real animals whose lives we were changing forever.

The day started early for everyone. The IFAW team split up - half of us went to the shelter to start getting the dogs prepared for their big international flight, and the rest went with the pilot to help him negotiate the various permits and fees imposed by the airport (again!).

When we arrived at the shelter, the dogs were beside themselves. They knew something was up, and they were full of impish glee at the change in routine and all the special attention. Several volunteers were already there, ready to tackle the challenge of this mischievious bunch with a strategy of their own: a long tiring walk in the early morning heat of Cozumel.

By the time everyone returned, we had 9 dogs that were full of kisses but mostly willing to stand still long enough for us to put temporary emergency-contact collars on them, just in case anyone escaped anywhere between the Cozumel shelter and Colorado.

Then it was time to load the animals into cars, trucks and vans for the short trip to the municipal airport. One minor hurdle: the staff had to say good bye. Some of these dogs have been at the shelter in Cozumel for over a year, so they have grown pretty attached. The most touching moment was when Mario, the shelter manager, traded his I ♥ Cozumel t-shirt for a new one so that he could sent his shirt, and his scent, along with a special little pup called Nano.

At the airport, there was a lot more waiting while the airport staff tried to figure out what to make of us! A private plane with 3 humans and 9 dogs! Nobody could quite figure out what procedure to follow, so they pretty much followed all of them. After much discussion, the truck with the dogs was allowed to drive out to the plane, but the rest of us had to go through security to meet them on the other side. The plane was checked, all the permissions obtained, and the loading process began.

Have you ever seen someone load a van's worth of gear into a Honda Civic? That's what watching our pilot load up that plane was like. At first, you couldn't believe more than two dogs would fit in there, but like Mary Poppins, he just kept pulling out crates, one after another, until we had 8 of them lined up on the tarmac. Two dogs (best friends) got to ride together in the biggest, then Nano, complete with his I ♥ Cozumel shirt, then another, and another…until we had 9 dogs comfortably sitting aboard the plane, ready to start their adventure.

When the plane door closed and the prop started up, it hit me: we did it. Those amazing dogs, all of whom I had grown attached to in the past 24 hours, were getting a second chance. I think we all had tears in our eyes as we watched the little plane turn around, taxi, and then lift up into the late morning sky. They were on their way.

****

I'm told that everyone made it to New Orleans tonight after a long but safe flight. The dogs are sleeping soundly (we hope!) in kennels generously offered by a vet clinic there. Tomorrow we enter phase II of this grand adventure: arrival in Longmont, Colorado! As I looked around the wide flat spaces and up at the towering peaks here this evening, I couldn't help but think that if I were a dog, I'd want to be sent here too.

For more information visit: www.ifaw.org. Stay tuned for news on tomorrow's big arrival to Longmont, Colorado!

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs - Back on the Trail with June Clinic Work

2010-07-12T10:33:28-04:00

Day 1:

Here we are again! Same fantastic, proficient vets and vet techs doing their thing in the back (or in the trailer, as the case may be). Surgery, surgery, surgery, diagnosis, surgery, out-front consult, back to surgery. Laura is out in front with us again working her health check, vaccine and surgery knock down magic, and Ann has volunteered on this trip to be my intake companion. Ann is a nurse and runs a project in Cat Lake, northern Ontario that is similar to IFAW’s and I’m happy to have her and her experience. There are two students from Tuft’s University coming up so we have an extra van – two vans fit eight people, their gear and all the clinic gear. Any more and we have to rent another van.

First things first. We set up the clinic as best as we can for the vet team and then we headed to the Bay to dip our feet in the icy spring water. Then we went to meet Cloud Nine Rescue Flights who had once again flown in the team from Montreal. The flight was longer than in May and Martine was quite air sick when she arrived. Straight to bed… we’ll worry about set up in the morning.

Day 2:

Today we have Ted, owner/operator/pilot of Cloud Nine Rescue Flights helping with intake while his girlfriend Laurie is in the kitchen warming puppies and taking care of surgery patients. Small puppies have a hard time getting warm after surgery and the last I saw her she was hugging a ball of blankets that held a pup who was definitely on the cold side. There are now more small dogs in the communities than when we first started and shihtzus are particularly popular. These dogs need ongoing grooming and if they are not brushed, or they live outside AND are not brushed, their fur mats into uncomfortable knots tight against their body. Meet Gizmo. Gizmo came in one matted mess. Shaving dogs is time consuming and really wears out the clippers that are meant to be used to prep animals for surgery. Regardless, Laura committed herself to transforming Gizmo and making him more comfortable. It took over two hours – interspersed with health checks, vaccinations and rests for both Giz and the clippers thrown in -- but with Ann to help hold him, Gizmo’s was released from his pelt! His owners didn’t even recognize him when he was done but I bet he feels heeps better. Day one down… 10 spays, 10 neuters, 26 vaccinations and one shave!

Day 3:

The vet team works in a trailer when we are in this community. It’s cold in the trailer when it’s cold outside, it’s hot in when it’s hot out and it’s not ideal. But every year they know it’s coming and they never complain about their less than ideal work space. Today is no different. I zipped into the trailer to watch Martine work on an interesting surgery that involved an infected salivary gland. She went into the infected pouch from inside the mouth and released all the puss that had accumulated there. Then she stitched it but actually stitched it open so that it could drain. Back out at intake we were visited by Emma, Lucky, Jobshie, Lucas and others who we have seen in past years and some who we have seen since the beginning of the project – a testament to increasing responsible dog ownership of community members. After 11 surgeries and 18 vaccinations, we took down the equipment and packed everything into 6 plastic containers. We’ll eat and sleep and it will be time to hit the road soon enough. Tomorrow is a full driving day to reach our next destination.

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

IFAW East Africa: Tsavo West National Park Snake Rescue

2010-07-08T12:12:20-04:00

This post was filed by Nana Grosse-Woodley from the International Fund for Animal Welfare office in East Africa.

Snake rescue In Tsavo West National Park it is not only the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard) that are being given special attention, but also the more commonly disliked creatures like snakes. With the rainy season, snakes of all sorts and sizes start to move around, not all of them harmless. The local hospital in Mtito Andei on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway just outside Tsavo West’s main entrance gate, has reported six snake bite cases in just 2 days and the snake season normally carries on until June or even July.

This time of year sees a lot of complaints from neighbouring communities in regards to snakes taking up residency in villages or even houses. Large rock pythons, puff adders, spitting cobras and the deadly black mamba are always on the top of the complaint lists. Pythons become a nuisance as they take to killing goats and sheep, whilst the other snakes pose a threat to the people due to their poison.

Instead of allowing the villagers to go ahead and dispose of the snakes, KWS Tsavo West makes a big effort to go and rescue these reported snakes and take them back into safe environs inside the park.

IFAW donated a brand new Land Cruiser, which is of great assistance during these operations, supporting KWS and Tsavo West in particular to be able to attend to and solve these human/wildlife issues.

For more information on IFAW's work for wildlife in Africa, please visit www.ifaw.org/Kenya

IFAW Africa: Problem Animal Control Work

2010-07-03T13:42:00-04:00

This post was filed by Nana Grosse-Woodley from the International Fund for Animal Welfare office in East Africa.

Due to very heavy rain on the Taita Ranches, elephant habitat, normally Grewia and Acacia, is in leaf on the foot of Taita Hill. Elephants – due to sufficient water and in search of prime habitat and fodder – have left Tsavo West National Park and their dry season feeding areas migrating to the Taita area, which happens to be half ranch and half farmland. This put the elephants into close proximity with crops, which they will take advantage of and also in close proximity with the people who reside on scattered farms in the same area.

Several injuries and two deaths later, both on the human side, Kenya Wildlife Service Tsavo West embarked on a large elephant drive. One hundred rangers on the ground and a helicopter in the air drove over 600 elephants back into the park, leaving only a few persisting herds which continue to feed in the same area and which are deterred from the crops by a small mobile unit of rangers.

Half of the community are in support of the planned Maktau/Manyani fence line and half are opposing it for political reasons revolving around a district boundary dispute. The ones opposing the plan live in towns, whilst the ones for it live on farms and suffer the most.

Rangers involved in this line of work are selected from the first batch of rangers who underwent training and were chosen from outposts and stations strewn all over the country. The training was held at Kenya Wildlife Service Manyani Field Training School and Maktau area and lasted for three months. The training includes para-military refresher, skill at arms, law and policy, community engagement and conflict resolution, methods of deterrent, animal behaviour and ecology, wildlife anatomy and vital shots, trapping and release amongst others.

This was the first of many groups that will undergo this type of training. Eventually it will fit into the Service’s policy and every uniformed ranger and officer will have to undergo refresher/upgrading training courses every three years throughout their career.

For more information about IFAW's work in East Africa, please visit www.ifaw.org/kenya

Photo credit: c. D. Woodley

IFAW Africa: Tsavo West in Blossom

2010-06-30T12:41:02-04:00

This post was filed by Nana Grosse-Woodley from the International Fund for Animal Welfare office in East Africa.

There appears to be a ten to fifteen year cycle of above-average rainfall during the El Nino weather system within the Tsavo region and indeed throughout the country. Preceding the El Nino rains is three years of low rainfall accumulating in a draught situation where large die-offs of wildlife are recorded. The El Nino rains normally span between the short rains beginning in October all the way through to the long rains in May without a gap. Rainfall or precipitation, temperatures, humidity, moon cycle and soil dampness will bring out a variety of plants and insects which only appear when the conditions are right, in this case every El Nino.

One of the most overwhelming transformations that Tsavo goes through during this weather change is a change from grey red dusty plains to green and thick lush bushland/woodland. The next step is from lush into flower bloom, which produces carpets and fields of different coloured flowers and millions of butterflies. The most prominent of these flowers is the Ipomoea species which can grow as a creeper or as a single stem flower – and in some cases look snow fields.

For more information about IFAW's work in Africa, please visit www.ifaw.org.

Photo credit: c. Nana Grosse-Woodley

IFAW Africa: Security Operations Intensified as Elephants Poached in Tsavo

2010-06-29T14:22:00-04:00

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

In a span of four months, five elephants have been poached in ranches within the Tsavo ecosystem. Two elephants succumbed to gunshot wounds while three died from poisoned arrows. Tusks from three of the five elephants were missing by the time the carcasses were discovered by the law enforcement unit of Tsavo East National Park.

The contributory factors to these incidents have been the heavy presence of elephants outside the protected area of Tsavo due to abundance of water and pasture as well as illegal activities such as livestock incursions, charcoal burning and mining activities by communities around the Park.

“The proximity of these Taita ranches to Tanzania makes it easy for poachers to ferry their illegal consignments across the border,” said Oswald Sangawe, in-charge of security operations in the Park.

“We are putting all poachers on notice. We are taking all measures necessary to prevent further poaching through intelligence information collection, aerial patrols and extended ground anti-poaching patrols,” added Sangawe.

Tsavo’s personnel are also driving elephant herds from the ranches and deep into the Park as a management intervention.

Just recently, 41,000 litres of fuel was donated by IFAW to Tsavo for security purposes as well as the elephant drives.

“As we speak, most of the vehicles donated by IFAW are currently being used in those two operations to ensure that elephants and other wildlife are protected from poachers,” said Sangawe.

Tsavo is home to the single largest elephant population in Kenya, and its sheer size and proximity to Tanzania and Somalia makes the elephants vulnerable to poaching incidents. IFAW has been supporting Tsavo through anti-poaching patrols by providing vehicles, fuel, tyres and radio equipment to protect elephants from armed poachers.

For more information about how you can support IFAW's efforts in Kenya, visit: www.ifaw.org/Kenya

UPDATE: Good News, Cozumel Dogs Available for Adoption

2010-06-28T10:07:18-04:00

The following is an update from Eduardo Santurtun, an International Fund for Animal Welfare veterinary team member working on the ground in Cozumel with our partner there, the Humane Society of Cozumel.

It is always a pleasure to update our IFAW blog with good news. And this update definitely contains good news!

Recently, we wrote about the dogs and cats evicted from one of Cozumel’s dumps. They received daily care and attention from a gentleman named “Gabacho,” who had lived at the dump for 20 years. IFAW and the Humane Society of Cozumel (HSC) teamed up to provide the animals with medical care and sterilization; because of this collaboration, the condition of the “dump dogs” and “dump cats” improved tremendously. With Gabacho and Zacatecas, the dogs’ gentle nine-year-old matriarch, there was a true pack.

Unfortunately, these dogs and cats, along with Gabacho, were evicted from the dump this spring. Thanks to the generosity of IFAW supporters, we were able to bring the dogs to HSC. But this placement was only temporary; the Humane Society simply does not have the capacity to care for these additional animals long-term alongside all the other dogs and cats they rescue and rehabilitate from cruelty, starvation, and injury each and every day.

Cloud Nine Animal Rescue Flights offered to fly dogs and cats – those from the dump as well as those that have been at HSC for a while and are still awaiting their forever home – to the United States. We are working with reputable rescue organizations to take some of the Cozumel critters. The first flight will be to Longmont, Colorado on July 14, with more taking place later in the month.

In addition, in recognition of the extenuating circumstances, we are inviting animal lovers to apply directly to IFAW to adopt a dog or cat. We welcome you to click on this link for photos and descriptions of animals available for adoption. (Please note that we are working to match these animals, some of whom have special needs, with the best home for them. The number of animals able to be transported is limited; therefore, if you are not approved to adopt an animal at this time, we will keep your application for possible future transports. We also strongly encourage you to look for your next canine or feline companion at your local animal shelter or rescue organization.)

The hours and hours of work that have gone into this project thus far have been well worth it. As of today, June 25, seven dogs have been adopted, and one is “adoption pending”! In the meantime, all of the dogs and cats are getting top-quality care, socialization, attention, and love from IFAW and HSC staff and volunteers. The transition for some is going without a hitch; for others, getting used to life outside the dump and without the constant companionship of Gabacho is proving more challenging. Even for dogs in the latter category, however, we’re seeing progress each day.

We’re looking forward to seeing some of these dogs travel north to their forever home; stay tuned for updates and photos of the trips!

For more information on this project, you can visit IFAW's Cozumel dog adoption page here.

IFAW US: A Dog “PAW-TY” in Navajo Nation

2010-06-23T16:30:34-04:00

This post comes in from the Project Manager of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Dog and Cat Rescue Project in Navajo Nation, Gail A’Brunzo. The Navajo Nation is a sovereign Native American reservation in the south-western United States where IFAW has been working with Navajo authorities for over 12 years to help control pet overpopulation and provide vital veterinary services to low-income residents.

Anybody who knows anything about the “Rez” dogs on the Navajo Nation knows that these dogs are woefully disadvantaged. Distemper and parvovirus run rampant through the Nation because owners don’t have money or access to the two veterinarians serving the Nation, which is about the size of West Virginia. Dogs are also allowed to run at large, forming packs that attack livestock or bite people who are out for a walk. This often leads to “dog roundups” wherein dogs are regularly euthanized. They’re also often without shelter when the desert sun beats down or the harsh winter snowstorms hit in the winter. It’s hard to imagine that such a life exists for dogs that live in the United States and that is why the educational activities we had planned were so vital.

IFAW’s Companion Animal Program has been working with the Navajo Nation Veterinary and Livestock Program for about 12 years now and we wanted to find a fun way to continue spreading the word about important practices such as pet vaccinations, keepings pets from roaming and proper pet identification. We determined that would be dog “paw-ties” on the reservation! Two communities were chosen, Fort Defiance and Chinle, and the idea was to celebrate the important role that dogs play in the communities and impress upon dog owners the importance of responsible guardianship.

We had a terrific turnout – over 200 people - at both locations! At first the people were confused, “You’re having a party for the dogs?” But they quickly got into the spirit of things. There were ten booths at both locations that handed out educational materials, free collars, leashes and ID tags, free Frontline flea and tick preventative solution, free rabies shots, half-price dog licenses and lots of other dog-related goodies. There were raffles and free food and even the fire truck was there to give tours to the kids.

In the end, we were able to hand out over 400 collars and IDs and apply Frontline to 23 dogs which is only the beginning!

These parties were a good kick-off for an intense education outreach effort that will be ongoing, particularly in these two areas of the reservation. Awareness and education is a big step for a better life for the pets on the Navajo Nation.

For more information please visit www.ifaw.org

IFAW S. Africa: Prince Albert Sterilisation Project - A Job Well Done

2010-06-21T14:12:31-04:00

The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Christina Pretorius writes this concluding blog having returned from Prince Albert, back to her home near Cape Town, South Africa over the weekend.

Eish! Wow! Amazing! These are all my feelings as I think back over the past week – an incredible 428 dogs and cats were sterilised by IFAW’s team. In all 240 dogs and 188 cats – how’s that for teamwork, hard work and an absolute commitment by every member of the team to get the job done.

In truth, had we been able to work all of Saturday and Sunday, as planned we probably would have sterilised 600 – 650 pets but Friday afternoon payday and a partiality by the much of the poor community for the demon drink conspired against us.

Way back in South African history (actually, come to think about it, not so way back) many of the farmers in the Western Cape Province paid their workers partially with the dop (tot) system. So people would be paid their wages in alcohol and money.

While this system is gone now, old habits die hard and hitting the bottle from Friday afternoon is pretty common in the province’s poor communities.

So by late Friday afternoon the party had already started, but by Saturday midday it was in full swing and our animal welfare assistants were suffering serious harassment as they went about their work in North End – Prince Albert’s township.

So, after consulting with the team, we decided to stay safe and call it a day.

We did so with a great sense of pride and achievement – 428 dogs and cats safely sterilised and returned to their owners, and most importantly without a single fatality.

Saturday evening concluded with the last team supper and much talk of what worked and what didn’t (very little it seemed) and where we would like to take the project next.

We have a log and an address for each and every dog and cat treated and will be following up on each of them.

When the team pulled out on Sunday, some of us to Johannesburg, some to Cape Town, our wonderful friend Dr Brett Bard to his farm outside Prince Albert and Dr Garth Ryder who drove nearly 200 kms (124 miles) a day back and forth from his home to be able to help, we felt an amazing sense of achievement.

It was so incredible to drive around the North End township and see dogs and cats that WE had sterilised still with their surgery information collars on, and heartwarming to meet their colourful, if often troubled, owners.

We have left vaccines and parasite control medication for Cobus Ferreira of the Department of Agriculture for the ongoing treatment of pets and are confident that the health of pets in North End will be buoyed by our work.

And lastly I’d like to pay tribute to the people of Prince Albert whose generosity and hospitality was without match.

We loved our time in your village and we loved being able to help make the change you all so wanted.

Thank you for having us.

And to the IFAW supporters who make it possible to do this vital and important work – we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. This was IFAW in action just the way you want it to be.

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

IFAW S. Africa: Prince Albert Sterilisation Project - "A Well Oiled Machine"

2010-06-18T17:03:12-04:00

This post is provided by Christina Pretorius of the International Fund for Animal Welfare who will spend the next few days in the tiny village of Prince Albert, high in the snow- covered Swartberg Mountains of South Africa, to document this important sterilisation project.

The system’s running, as the old cliché goes, like a well-oiled machine. The idea to use the loud hailer to ask North Enders to bring their pets to our clinic early yesterday morning was a bit of a waste of time – only seven people showed up with their dogs. And this despite Jane Levinson and volunteer Marion Walker braving the winter morning dark and freezing chill to hit the township at 06h30 to give people a reminder wake-up call, so to speak.

No matter, by 7h30 the AWA’s were out on the streets collecting pooches and pussies, while the vets got prepped and ready back at surgery. By 08h30 the first patients of the day were registered, weighed and pre-medded and from then on and throughout the day we began a steady processing of shuttling back and forth collecting pets for surgery, and returning those who had recovered and woken up.

We’ve encountered something interesting in the past two days – a number of people saying their dogs don’t need sterilising because they have already had an “inspuiting” (injection in the local Afrikaans dialect). We were wondering about this when I suddenly remembered that at one time women in South Africa were given contraceptives by injection – it seems that this notion of family planning by “inspuiting” still prevails.

Then of course there are plenty of men – particularly the owners of fighting breeds like pit bulls – who aren’t keen on sterilisation of their dogs at all. Cobus Ferreira, from the local Department of Agriculture, said that while Prince Albert doesn’t have a culture of dog fighting – the village is just too small for people to get away with it – people here do breed their dogs and then sell on the puppies in larger towns.

Yesterday our incredible team of vets, vet nurses and assistants sterilised an incredible 100 dogs without a single loss. So last night was cause for celebration and we were invited to go on the Art After Dark tour at the Villa Kruger by curator Hennie Boshoff. It was an utterly surreal experience to view giant, and very provocative sculptures by artists from around the world, by spotlight and under the magnificent Karoo night sky with shooting stars to boot. If ever you are in this part of the world make sure you do this tour – check it out at www.azazel.com/villakruger

Today Jane Levinson and I took on cat collection duty, and have spent the day bouncing around North End collecting and dropping sterilised cats. It was incredible because on literally every street we were spotting dogs still sporting their labeled operation collars – it was an amazing feeling of achievement.

It’s just after dark now and as I write this Jane Levinson is still out their delivering the last cats home – I salute her for her amazing commitment to this project. She’s an absolute gem.

Back at clinic today, the novelty value of having the Prince Albert Sterilisation Project in the village has worn off. For the past three days we’ve had crowds of curious villagers popping onto the surgery premises to peer through the windows and find out what we have been up to. Today it was utterly quiet, and a relief to the vets and the rest of us who needed to take some R ‘n R in the sun from time to time.

And, having just done a tally of today’s figures, I’m immensely proud to say that today our team sterilised 122 dogs and cats. I can’t wait to tell the team when we meet for dinner shortly. Go team!

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

IFAW S. Africa: Prince Albert Sterilisation Project: Progress to report!

2010-06-17T13:43:35-04:00

16 June 2010

We arrived to join the team in Prince Albert this afternoon after driving through the exquisite Hex River Valley, where the valley floor was a patchwork of red and orange vineyard, and snow shone on the high mountains that rear up on each side of this narrow valley.

Despite this amazing natural beauty there’s still plenty of the reality of the life of thousands of ordinary South Africans, who live in a shanty town that ribbons alongside the road. These people are mostly farm workers who eke out an existence between the seasons – and probably weren’t quite as enamoured of the snow (and hence icy winds) funneling down the valley.

And there were plenty of dogs to be spotted as well. Perhaps this might be an area we could look at for a future sterilisation project.

From the Hex we scooted through the mouth of the valley and straight into the Great Karoo – in little more than five kilometres one drives from the fecundity of the vineyards and straight into the arid Karoo, with its tumbleweed and scrub and strange rocky hills.

The turn-off for Prince Albert comes as a surprise, a sharp turn to the right off the N1 in the middle of absolutely nowhere – the last town is 100 kilometres (62 miles) behind and the next 100 kilometres (62 miles) ahead. Then you head straight for the Swartberg Mountains driving past signs for farms, with farmsteads so far down dusty tracks they can’t be seen from the road.

It was ominously grey when we rolled into town, but no rain thank goodness. We immediately spotted our surgery site – it would have been difficult not to with the brightly decorated mobile clinics parked outside.

It was four pm and Saskia Karrias was just finishing up her last cat sterilisation of the day – her 44th in total today! The woman is a machine. But then again so are the two vet nurses who were assisting Jenn and Giselle. We haven’t seen each other in some months as they are based at our project in Johannesburg and we’re down in Cape Town.

The house we are using for our project has been amazingly organised. One room has been allocated exclusively for cat sterilisation with its own wake-up room on the side. The much bigger sitting room has three stations and vets Brett Bard, Daryl Hunt and Grey Ryder are tackling dog sterilisations in here. They have two rooms allocated for the dogs to wake up in.

By the time we arrived, the animal welfare assistants were loading dogs into the trailers for delivery back to their homes. And, in preparation for tomorrow, one of the volunteers hit North End with a loudhailer alerting residents to have their pets at surgery by 07h30 tomorrow as the vets intend starting work at 08h00 sharp.

Now, it’s time to sign off. Bafana Bafana are playing Uruguay in the Football World Cup tonight and kick-off is just half an hour off. We’re all meeting at the Bush Pub for a cold one and with plenty of gees (local term for spirit) to cheer our team on.

So, good-night from Prince Albert.

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

IFAW India: Two Asiatic Black Bears Radio Collared and Returned to the Wild

2010-06-16T16:50:08-04:00

This post was filed by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Sashanka Barbaruah, reporting from the field in Northeast India.

A strong urge to explore the Pakke Tiger Reserve was lingering since the last couple of years. The opportunity to walk through the forest of Pakke materialized when I heard that IFAW, local partners in India - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Forest Department of Arunachal Pradesh were collaborating to place radio collars and release two more bears to the wild.

The two orphan cubs rehabilitated at the IFAW Bear Rescue Center in Arunachal Pradesh were radio-collared on the 9th of June. During their rehabilitation, the bears were accompanied by trained animal keepers and taken for daily walks in the wilderness to help them develop survival skills.

Our journey to the Doigurung release site was an arduous one which had begun with a walk through a forest road. A team of nine people comprising of IFAW and Forest Department staff walked through an undulating route littered with long grass and shrubs.

We went into the forest, spotting birds, insects, and various kinds of trees. The motif of the forest is vibrant and gorgeous. The tiny multi-hued insects on the forest floor, the wild mushrooms celebrating their existence in the world and the trees soaring up into the sky. I noticed every little detail of the forest which made the walk interesting, even though it was tiresome.

I did not realize that we had walked for almost 5 hours and we reached Khari (the first forest stopover). We decided to halt at Khari for the day as we were very tired from walking a total of 12 kms. The down pouring of rain made walking difficult (the roads were slippery). Leaches also make life even more difficult in Pakke. I found a hand full of them crawling up my leg upon reaching the forest camp.

The next day we started early in the morning and headed for Doigurung, (21 kms away from the Khari camp) our final destination where we were supposed to collar the bears. This journey was even tougher as the roads were too steep and slippery.

We walked through the forest for 6 hours. On the way we waited at three forest camps where we stopped to rest for a while and had some tea. We reached Doigurung that afternoon.

It’s a picturesque green terrain. The Doigurung camp is located near a river. Upon reaching the camp we quickly unloaded our luggage and headed for the bear enclosure which is located around 2 kms upstream.

IFAW vet Dr. Bhaskar and Soumya Dasgupta, a biologist, had a thorough inspection of the place and made the plan of the collaring. As it was raining and there was hardly any sunlight, it was decided that we would do it the next day so we returned to the Doigurung camp to rest.

Anticipating the next day would be good, I remained quiet and watched the sky as the minutes ticked away. Although the day was rainy, the sky gradually changed its colours at night and I had enjoyed the most abundant and beautiful stars I'd seen in years. I was so happy to see the stars and hoped that the next day would be a clear sunny day. With this hope we went off to sleep.

Collaring morning, my alarm was set for 4 am, but I woke up suddenly at around 3.40am, too full of the adrenaline of anticipation of a good day of photo-documentation of the collaring and release.

Upon getting up, I’d discovered that it was raining and the sky was dark. We got ready with a heavy heart.

After having tea, we straightway headed to the bear enclosure. As we approached the enclosure, our presence had frightened the bears as they suddenly smelled the unfamiliar scent of lots of humans. They started roaring and shaking the enclosure.

One of the keepers climbed the platform. The bears developed some confidence after seeing him and they became quiet. That was the right time to tranquilize.

Dr. Bhaskar assisted by Somya quickly set up their equipments. Dr. Bhaskar took the shots with the blow dart to tranquilize the cubs. The keepers carried the cubs out of the enclosure that stands atop a 12 feet high platform.

The vets quickly fitted the collar mounted with a radio transmitter to the cubs one by one. The two bears are about one year old and they seemed quite healthy. All other necessary health checkups were done within a short time and the cubs were now ready to be released! Within no time the cubs recovered from sedation. They looked quite active after some time and generally unaware of the device now hanging from their necks. All involved were very happy to successfully accomplish this critical mission.

The bears are now being monitored with the use of radio telemetry. Even though the bears were released, they are still coming back to the forest camp, ever now and again, slowly acclimatizing and gaining full independence but hesitant, as it’s normal. The bears will gradually reduce their visit to the forest camp and in due time become once again wild.

Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) are listed in Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and classified as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Poaching for body parts predominantly bile, and habitat degradation are among the major threats to these bears. The IFAW Bear Rescue Center was established in 2002 to provide Asiatic black bear cubs – displaced due to poaching or otherwise – an opportunity to return them to the wild.

To learn more about this and other projects around the world, visit www.ifaw.org today.

IFAW S. Africa: Prince Albert Sterilisation Project Swings into Gear

2010-06-15T17:51:46-04:00

UPDATE: 15 June 2010, update for the day

“Thrilled” doesn’t describe the good news that 68 dogs and cats were sterilised by IFAW’s team in Prince Albert today.

In addition, a woman arrived with a wild duiker (a very small antelope) which had been attacked by dogs on her farm. The team were able to treat the buck and it was sent home with the woman to recuperate on her farm.

It’s seven pm here in SA and the team are ready for a well earned break with a home cooked dinner courtesy of one of Prince Albert’s super generous residents.

Three cheers for the team!

JUNE 14: What a weekend! Years of anticipation erupted into a flurry of wild excitement in South Africa on Friday, when the Football World Cup 2010 finally opened in Johannesburg. And better still, minnows Bafana Bafana (the national side down here) held the fancied Mexican side to a one-all draw.

There was even more excitement as we put the final touches in place for members of IFAW Southern Africa’s dog and cat rescue team to trek 1,100 kilometres (687 miles) from Johannesburg and 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Cape Town to the tiny hamlet of Prince Albert in the Great Karoo district yesterday.

Our mission is to attempt to sterilise the entire dog and cat population of the desperately poor North End “township” community of Prince Albert.

Two weeks back, to make sure that the pets were in shape for the surgery, Jane Levinson, Honest Bheya and Lazola Sotyingwa of our dog and cat project in Cape Town visited Prince Albert to carry out an intensive drive to vaccinate, de-worm and apply anti-parasite medicine to the dogs and cats, helped by the local Department of Agriculture.

I keep being asked, “Why Prince Albert? Why not any number of the countless villages and townships around South Africa without access to veterinary health care, or where the communities are simply too poor to afford treatment for their pets?”.

The truth is that the very proactive Dr Brett Bard (who is the village’s only vet and who has been doing his best to help, but the need and financial outlay required is just too overwhelming) made an appeal to IFAW to help. In addition, Prince Albert is a very isolated community – the nearest sizeable town is 70 kilometres (43 miles) away – so we can reasonably expect to sterilise every dog and cat thus controlling the pet population and ensure their ongoing health long into the future. It’s a real and measurable task, not a drop in the bucket.

The North End community is comprised of mostly seasonal farm labourers with nearly all of them dependent on social grants for an income, so the help we are taking is desperately needed.

For more information about IFAW's work around the world, please visit IFAW.org.

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs Vet Efforts Offer Spring Clinics

2010-06-09T16:21:12-04:00

These posts were filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Sue Wallace who got out from behind her desk and travelled through northern Canada helping to document these efforts. Yay Sue!

DAY 1: It doesn’t look like much, does it? Just a non-descript grey van “out on the open road headed nowhere”, as they say. But after 10 mind-numbing hours trailing this van in one of my own it suddenly strikes me just how special our little convoy is. We are transporting the makings of a mobile surgical vet clinic 18 hours north from the IFAW Guelph office to the James Bay Region of Quebec. Jan, the head of IFAW’s Northern Dogs Project, is driving the lead van (with one of the 3 vet techs navigating) and I’m following in the second van. We’re both stuffed to the gills with vet equipment & supplies: anesthetic machines and spay/neuter surgical instruments, the autoclave, sterilized water, vaccines, blankets, food, collars and leashes, pamphlets on how to take care of cats and dogs, crayons and colouring sheets for the children, you name it!

Each spring for the past 5 years I’ve watched Jan hop into the van and head off on IFAW’s mission to bring much needed veterinary services to northern communities. This time, I’m going with her. What can I say? I’m thrilled! After almost 2 decades (that’s 20 years!) working for IFAW from behind a desk, I’m actually going “into the field”. Goodbye computer mouse, hello… well, I’m not sure exactly sure, but I’ll get back to you on that.

DAY 2: Today we drove another 8 hours north into the wilderness. Jan had country in the CD player and I was dialed into a classic vinyl rock station to pass the time. But I’ll say this. The scenery is stunning and needs no accompaniment. It is a truly vast and peaceful landscape - slim black spruce trees blanket rolling hills as far as the eye can see and amazing rock and water vistas surprise you at every other bend in the road. We didn’t have time to stop and sightsee but we did slow down to watch a stately moose standing by the roadside with a stillness that only wildlife can truly master. And late in the day, as dusk was descending and the van grew quiet, a bushy red fox darted across the road with a fresh rabbit kill, heading home to the family den with dinner. Take out, canid style! There is something profound and satisfying about witnessing wildlife in the wild, as they we're meant to be, going about their day.

DAY 3: We’ve now arrived at our first clinic location and our attention has turned solely to witnessing dogs going about their day. We see them everywhere; trotting down the road, wading in the lake, tied to doghouses, cooling off under porches, hanging out at the store, following people out walking, riding in trucks and on ATVs, playing with their families in their yards and at the local playground… We are conducting a “dog survey” here to get a sense of the composition and condition of the dog population. We also stopped in at the other 2 communities we are servicing on this trip to do surveys there too, as well as to drop off flyers, check in with the public health and safety officers (re rabies and dog bite statistics for the past year – good news, not an issue) and talk to the schools about returning in the fall for classroom visits.

Having listened to Jan describe the project and the challenges of the early years, I was quite surprised to see clinic posters up everywhere we went, people greeting Jan like old friends, so many yards with dog houses or other forms of shelter and many dogs actually wearing collars (which helps signal to the community that they are “owned”). These are very visible and significant changes and I don’t have to tell you that change can be painfully slow. It brought a smile to my face thinking of what IFAW’s patience has meant for animal welfare here. I can’t wait to witness it first hand in the morning when the clinic doors open at 8am.

DAY 4: I now know what people mean when they say, “It went by in a blur” - and, well, that about sums up my first day at a Northern Dog clinic. It started early and we hit the ground running; it wasn’t even 8 am yet and “man and beast” were already lined up outside the high school where we had set up the clinic! It was a good thing that the rest of the team, including the 2 vets and remaining 2 vet techs, had flown in the night before and put the finishing touches on the surgery room we had set up in the teacher’s lounge. There wasn’t even time to finish our coffee and bagels. There were dogs and cats to spay/neuter and vaccines to administer. This was the reason we were here and the sense of purpose and urgency was palpable from both the team and from the community.

What I remember amidst the blur of greeting people and their pets, listening to their animal stories, filling out intake form after intake form, weighing animals, tagging animals, cleaning up copious amounts of vomit and some pee and poop too (the pre-surgery drugs clean out the animals which is safer for surgery), was a sense that I was a small cog in an extremely well oiled machine that was accomplishing something truly special – not only helping people help their individual pets but also helping to improve the relationship between the community and all their dogs.

Day 5: Well wouldn’t you know it. Today, when my guard was down, I fell for her. We’d been going non-stop all day, again, processing intake forms like mad in an almost “assembly-line” fashion because the waiting room kept filling up. During a lull mid-afternoon I was returning from the operating room with paperwork on animals finished surgery and decided to pop into the recovery room to see if the volunteers needed anything when BAM – with one look into her beautiful brown eyes and one small sad cry, I was a goner. We’d connected, just like that.

Next thing I knew I’d passed off the paperwork and was on the floor attending to her as she recovered from her surgery – keeping her warm and calm, making sure she could see and touch her pup who was also recovering at the same time, protecting her from her pup when he recovered first and felt it was well past time to play “jump on mom”, gently feeding her before she left. And boy, when it was time for her to go home to her family, it was all I could do not to weep uncontrollably like a starlet in a bad movie and proclaim, “We’ll always have Mistissini!”. It is truly amazing how fast we can connect to animals, if we stop for just a moment to let them in.

DAY 6: Speaking of connections, we moved on to the second community today and I had an interesting series of exchanges with a man about his dog(s) as the day progressed. As in many places, ownership or guardianship of pets comes in varying degrees and can take many forms and be expressed in many ways. As I was finishing this man’s intake form for his dog, with which he clearly had a strong connection, he mentioned that he had another dog – but not his dog, he stressed several times - and should he bring her in? I inquired about whose dog was she then and he said nobody’s, not his, not anyone’s, but that she hangs out with him. I said, “Of course, bring her in; she needs to be taken care of too. At the very least the vet can check her out. We’ll work out the details later.” So off he went to collect “nobody’s dog”, so that she could receive the same care as his own. As we were filling out her intake form he talked a bit more about her, with fondness I might add, and explained that this dog stays close to his family and is afraid of everyone else. Interestingly, he was quite willing to sign her consent form for surgery. After he left, we checked the sex of the dog as we do with all dogs going in for surgery. It turns out that she was actually a he! Later in the day, the owner came back to sit and wait for his dog(s) to recover, and he spoke more about him and how he will only approach them and no one else. At this point I gently remarked that perhaps while he didn’t consider the dog to be his, the dog considered him his person. I said it looks like a case of him been adopted by the dog! He was quiet for a moment, and then said with a growing smile, “Well, maybe, I guess, she is our dog now.”

DAY 7: Had another “Aha” moment today. I’ve had dogs since I was a kid and going to the vet was just what you did, and simply a matter of hopping into the car and driving a few blocks down the road. These communities have historically had no access to veterinary care and it is a relatively new concept to even take an animal for medical attention. There has been something in the voices of many of the people that have come to these clinics that I hadn’t quite put my finger on until today. And I’m not talking about appreciation, although there’s lots of that, or suspicion, and there’s some of that too. What I’m talking about is pride. These people are proud that they are caring for their animals and they are especially proud to return to the clinic and boast about being here last year and already having spayed/neutered their animal and that they are doing well. Now how cool is that. Another example of how things are slowly shifting.

DAY 8: It’s the last clinic day and the vets and techs will be flying out tonight while we wrap things up here. The team is still going strong and I am amazed at their skill and dedication to the project. The vets and techs can work anywhere – just this trip they’ve set up operating areas in a teacher’s lounge, a one room recreation centre and the kitchen of a fire hall! They’ve had curious onlookers in all venues, and patiently answered questions all the while performing surgery after surgery after surgery. They’ve tended to cats and dogs, a ferret, a rabbit and even a turtle. They are always professional and ever so flexible, and they don’t like to sit around because every second not spent spaying/neutering means another unwanted litter of young ones down the road.

The rest of the team is equally amazing, working non stop to process all the animals and to speak for a while with each family about their pets, patiently explaining about the benefits of spay/neuter and dispelling the myths (at times with quiet despair when unsuccessful), all the while taking care of the myriad of details to make a mobile clinic run smoothly.

The communities are a big part of the team too, bringing us food (both home cooked and from the local restaurants), helping us to set up and take down, attending to recovering animals, recruiting, spreading the word, doing laundry, shuttling neighbours to and from the clinic, and sharing their animal stories and a bit about their lives with us.

At the end of the day we took a group photo and said our goodbyes. As we began to retrace our long route south and I reflected on all I had seen and all the people and animals I had connected with, I was reminded of the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. I think up here, as everywhere, it also takes a village to care for its dogs.

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

IFAW Africa: Zimbabwe Elephants - An addition to the herd!

2010-06-08T09:51:18-04:00

Report filed by Roger Parry from Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust a local group who conducts wildlife research projects designed to protect wildlife such as elephants. Roger spotted the herd of elephants released last year in a coordinated effort between the Zimbabwe National Society for the Protection of Cruelty against Animals (ZNSPCA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

A recent visit to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe to check on the released elephants revealed an additional (small) member to their herd – a baby (not sure on the sex yet!!) born to Mary about 2-3 weeks ago. Mother, baby and the rest of the herd looking fantastic. Long grass prevented us from sexing the new baby and the numerous photo’s taken showed a “blob” in the long grass!!

It was a very emotional and very special 35 minutes spent with the herd yesterday morning. The day started early when we met with the Warden – Scientific Services at Hwange Main Camp and departed in the company of a Ranger and one University student to try to find the herd. On arriving within their home range area (not far from their release site), we tried to get a download of their position. This was not possible so we drove through the area using the VHF directional antenna in the hope of finding them close to the road. 15 minutes of driving and we picked up A signal not far off the road!! After walking for 2 km (making sure we approached downwind) we came across the herd on the edge of an open area, feeding in some thick mopane woodland.

Visiting and spending time with this group of elephant (I have had 7 sightings in total) is always very special and rewarding, but this time it was extra special!! The first elephant seen was Mary – the calf was not noticed until a little later when she moved out of the thicker bush.

Three of the others (John, Baby Girl and Macnube). The others were in the thick bush. These four then moved out into the opening and it was then we saw movement in the grass at Mary’s feet and then the back of a newborn baby – small trunk frantically waving around as it kept up with its mother.

We were all ecstatic!! We unfortunately did not get a good look at the new born as the others started moving out into the open and we had to back-off. All the others were seen and most photographed as they came out. We got a good look at Nomalanga, Emily and Baby Girl. There was also another older (25yr old) elephant who was not part of the original group who seems to have joined the herd. (We have seen it before). After 10 min or so, Emily saw us and showed some aggression but did not move far. After another 10 min or so, the wind changed and they ran a short distance before moving off with purpose under the leadership of Mary and her new baby. We kept up with them for a short distance and then backed off – not wanting to disturb them further. They moved off into the distance, disappearing into the Mopane woodland looking and acting so much like normal wild elephant. They were looking great!!

A great experience, a special “milestone” for the release of these animals and of course, a huge achievement to all those who took part in making this happen!!

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

IFAW India: Rescued bear cub named 'Cachar' - "A Good Day".

2010-06-07T11:06:44-04:00

The following post was submitted by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Sashanka Barbaruah reporting from the Indian Northeast state of Assam.

What a week it has been. One of these days, I am going to sit down and write something about my experience of the radio collaring of a bear, but I'm afraid it won't be today. And, really, it's so easy to say "one of these days..." I usually write blog posts in my head, while I'm, taking a bath in the morning or about to sleep at night, and earnestly, those moments are always full of interesting ideas. But when I actually sit to write them down, I seem to end up toying with the idea and mess it up with other tasks I have at hand. Anyway, a lot has happened this week, and some of it is really worth sharing with you.

The orphaned two-month old Asiatic black bear cub which was rushed to the IFAW Wildlife Rescue Centre near Kaziranga National Park for hand-raising and eventual release back in the wild, has been named “Cachar”.

“The name Cachar seemed to strike the right balance of being a quiet male, aggressive, not so friendly, easy to remember and easy to pronounce. Moreover the cub was brought to the center from North Cachar Hills, after which the cub has been named”, said Dr Phulmoni Gogoi, an IFAW vet at the center.

When I was visiting last week, she asked me not to go too close to the cub as he is very aggressive and might attack. He really is unlike many other bear cubs that I’ve seen before. Cachar seems to be very shy, quiet and really doesn’t like the presence of human beings. He is so unpredictable that at times he has even attempted to attack his keeper!

Bhini, is the ‘human surrogate mother’ presently taking care of Cachar. He patiently feeds him five times a day. The food consists of milk, honey and fruits. Since Cachar arrived to the center, Bhini has gradually started to make him eat out of a bowl, and although he is sometimes bottle-fed, he is starting to eat nicely on his own. The day I was there I was able to take some pictures while the cub was drinking milk. It was a good day.

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

After the Drought: Wildlife in Tsavo West National Park

2010-05-25T14:24:14-04:00

These stories were submitted by our team on the ground in Africa, working closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service, our partner in Tsavo West National Park.

Tsavo has a long history of experiencing severe drought in a 10 to 15 year cycle. The year 2009 -- three failed rainy seasons in a row – was the latest.

During droughts, the seasonal dispersal of wildlife does not take place. This leaves the density of wildlife around permanent water sources high and leads to depletion of food reserves.

In times of extreme scarcity there are huge die-offs among wildlife populations. Natural selection then takes over and only the fittest survive. The overall number of animals decreases sharply, which results in much smaller, but much stronger and tougher, individuals. Tsavo West lost an estimated 40% of its grazing animals in this latest drought. But hippos took an even bigger hit.

The first substantial rains began falling at the beginning of 2010 – and since then the wildlife populations have steadily regained strength. Mangy and dull-furred gazelles now show soft, shiny fur and display spring-fever behaviours Even buffalos have transformed from weak bags of skin and bones to their usual appearance as black shiny brutes.

It will take more time for the Park’s animals and habitat to recover completely from the extreme dry spell but the loss of so many grazers will aid the recovery process.

All species are on the increase again, apart from hippos. Before the drought, there were about 30 resident hippos at Mzima Springs -- now there are only four.

Even taking into consideration that some of the survivors might have wandered off, as hippos do, to settle in other water pools created by the rains, this is an alarmingly low number.

We think the overall Tsavo region sustained a loss of 500 individual hippos out of a total population of about 1,500.

As sad as this loss is, it is part of a long-term natural cycle.

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

Photos c. N. Grosse-Woodley

IFAW-rescued dolphin sighted in the wild!

2010-05-18T09:37:00-04:00

This post was submitted by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Misty Niemeyer - Marine Mammal Rescue and Research staff.

Yesterday we received an exciting report! An Atlantic White-sided dolphin that stranded in Wellfleet and was released last month was sighted with a huge group of 300-500 dolphins on Sunday May 16, 2010, by Lisa Barrett from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) while aboard a Hyannis Whale Watcher vessel. Lisa recognized the orange tag on the animal’s dorsal fin and began snapping photos.

After reviewing the photos we realized it was tag #65, which was identified to be IFAW10-113La, an adult female that stranded on Friday March 26, 2010 in Duck Creek in Wellfleet, MA just behind the pier. It was part of a group of 7 Atlantic White-sided dolphins that stranded mid-day. Unfortunately one calf was found dead as staff arrived, however the remaining six adults appeared to be in good health. They were extracted from the mud (like many of our dolphin strandings this year) and then released that evening at Herring Cove in Provincetown, MA.

All six animals were released with orange tags attached to their dorsal fin for future identification. Unfortunately, the following day one of the animals was found dead on a beach in Truro, we are still awaiting test results to try to figure out what may have caused this animal to re-strand.

Getting the news of this sighting was very exciting for us; as this is actually the second sighting of this animal in the wild. On April 20, 2010 the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) was out on one of their typical whale research cruises when they came across this animal swimming in a small group. With this second report, we have solid confirmation that this animal is doing well! Interestingly, both times this animal has been sighted, there has been no sign of the other animals that originally stranded and were released on the same day, giving us insight in the group dynamics of these animals which still remains a mystery!

Reports of released animals are incredibly valuable, it validates that we have made good decisions in the field and that we are doing the right thing. When you release an animal after a hard day working to save them, it is an incredibly rewarding moment; however as stranding responders, we know there is always a chance that they may not survive due to enduring too much stress during the stranding event or a potentially pre-existing health condition. In the past 10 years of stranding response here on Cape Cod, we have come a long way, we have greatly improved our response and care of stranded dolphins, however it is still a relatively new field. While we have access to amazing resources and equipment that assist us in conducting very thorough health examinations, such as blood analysis machines, there is still a lot we do not know about these animals, such as how to interpret some of the blood values for these particular species. These sightings will inevitably play an important role in improving our knowledge of these animals and significantly aiding in the rescue of stranded dolphins in the future!

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs Project Team Heads Out to Treat Dogs

2010-05-11T13:01:56-04:00

It’s time to mobilize the veterinary component of the Northern Dogs Project again. How quickly a year goes! Getting dates that work for the vets and vet techs AND the communities always takes time and patience. Spring is heart worm season in the south and that also happens to be one of the busiest times of the year for the vets. Spring is also goose hunting season for the Cree so their communities basically shut down for the two week Goose Break.

After eight years, we have a bit of a routine going and while it took some logistical creativity, we are booked to travel to three communities starting next week with the rest in mid-June. My office is full of veterinary equipment and supplies which will be transferred to the vans early next week, the communities have posted posters announcing our arrival and the plane has been booked.

This year I’m excited to use the services of Cloud Nine Rescue Flights, a charity that provides flights to transport children and adults for medical purposes and animals for rescue purposes. Using Ted and Cloud Nine has given us flexibility that we don’t have with the commercial provider and Ted is going to stick around and volunteer for a couple of days in June.

Last year the team saw just over 200 animals in the first three communities so we’ll keep you posted on how things go this year. Spays/neuters, vaccinations, removal of porcupine quills and cysts… bring it on. This time I have in my pocket an amazing donation from my 11-year-old neighbour who made scarves and sold them. It’s motivated and caring people like Emily who can make such a difference and the money is already earmarked for the return south of a young golden-retriever mix and a very sweet tabby cat that was rescued from a bunch of ill-intentioned dogs. Stay tuned for updates on our adventure!

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

Driving Elephants Back into Tsavo National Park – Reducing Human-Elephant Conflicts in Taita

2010-05-10T14:50:27-04:00

The post was filed by Liz Wamba from the International fund for Animal Welfare's office in East Africa.

Thunder clap. Bright flash. Elephant shrieks rent the air. Thickets ruffle and sway vigorously. A thick cloud of smoke and dust rises. More thunder blasts and bright flashes. More smoke, followed by elephant shrieks and clouds of blinding dust.

Up in the sky, a chopper roars, diving momentarily here and there. The diving signifies to the team of men and women on the ground the location and direction of big herds of elephants. Rangers speak rapidly into their hand-held radios and follow in hot pursuit, blasting thunder flashes to scare away elephants from community land. IFAW-donated vehicles are on standby in case the rangers need to move faster than their legs can carry them.

Elephants had in the recent weeks invaded people’s homes and farms at Kishushe, Latika, Maktau and Msorongo in the Taita region, leaving, in their wake, havoc and destruction. The Problem Animal Management Unit (PAMU) of the Kenya Wildlife Service embarked on an operation to drive 400 stray elephants back into Tsavo National Park and the neighbouring community wildlife conservancies. They have successfully driven them three kilometres into the Park and will be monitoring them closely to ensure they do not find their way back to the community areas.

“Up to 100 officers from PAMU were deployed in a ten-day operation in the area,” says Yussuf Adan, Tsavo East Park senior warden. “This was a first ever operation of this magnitude in the Tsavo. We wanted to keep our word that we stand to protect human life and property against wildlife raids.”

The PAMU officers came from all over the country. More personnel were drawn from sanctuary scouts in the neighbouring Lumo Conservancy.

Area residents are now hopeful that the operation will help reduce incidences of human-elephant conflict, which are now reported to be rising. The Area District Warden who is also heading the operation, Samuel Rukaria, concurs that this operation will herald a lessened human-wildlife conflict season once the elephant herds are safely driven back into Tsavo.

However, the human-elephant conflict problem has been exacerbated by the annual elephant migration from as far as Tsavo East and West towards the Lake Jipe area and Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania, both in the southern areas of the largest park in Kenya. Tsavo is home to the single largest elephant population in Kenya, with more than 11,600 elephants. The Park abuts Taita, a farming community. For almost five years, IFAW has been supporting Tsavo through the provision of the vehicles and radio equipment rangers need to protect elephants.

For more information on IFAW's work in Tsavo national park, please visit www.ifaw.org/kenya.

Photo c. N. Grosse-Woodley

IFAW India: Clouded leopards collared and set free

2010-05-07T10:45:10-04:00

This post was submitted by International Fund for Animal Welfare's Sashanka Barbaruah based out of Guwahati, India.

Last Sunday, I set-off on a mission to document the collaring of two rescued clouded leopards. The two orphans were rescued last year and spent 8 months undergoing rehabilitation provided by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and local partners the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and the Bodo Territorial Council. The radio-collars will help rehabilitators track the movement of the cubs as they become completely independent of human care and begin exploring on their own.

Since this was the first known instance of clouded leopards being rehabilitated and radio-collared in India, the collaring event was quite important. For me it was even more important as I had to post my first blog. I was a bit apprehensive as I hardly observe wildlife while I’m filming. Most of the wildlife I have seen has been through the viewfinder of my camera. When taking pictures, I don’t observe wildlife. My entire observation of the subject is from a photographic perspective – I am looking at the camera angle, the light, framing the subject, the elements to include in the frame. With all this running through my mind, I actually forget to observe the splendor of a flamboyant bird or the tantrums of a cub.

This was no exception. As my assignment was to take pictures of the collaring event of the clouded leopards, I thought I’ll divide my attention and observe, so that I can write about my experience.

I woke up to a cool and beautiful morning and started wrapping up my camera and equipments anticipating a good travel inside the forest. A cold wind hitting against me hinted the advent of rain. I was so disappointed to see the colour of the sky which was turning black as the wind grew fast. It was followed by a heavy rain for nearly half an hour. Anticipating the worse we started our journey equipped with all sorts of water proof sheets. We were hoping for the rain to stop by the time we reach the rehab site which was about 56 kms from Kokrajhar. There was only feeble sunlight occasionally trying to break through the clouds. I was happy to see the change of colour of the sky as we passed through a green meadow with the Bhutan hills in the backdrop. It was quite scenic with patches of clouds in the blue sky. Eventually the weather cleared up.

The journey into the forest was challenging as the forest track is not well maintained and is passable only with the use of 4 x 4s during the monsoon. The area being prone to insurgency, security was provided by the SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal, one of India's paramilitary forces) all along the forest track.

On reaching the site we went inside the forest. The forest was echoed by the sound of crickets and other bugs. Ripu Reserve Forest is itself quite pleasant, with tall shady trees. Its diversity is perhaps one of the richest in the north eastern states. It has a very good prey base for clouded leopards as golden langurs, macaque, jungle fowl, barking deer, squirrels are found here. Where else can we find such a safe heaven for the cubs?

As we approached the enclosures, we saw the clouded leopards for the first time. They were enjoying themselves. As they felt our presence, they started head-butting on the walls of the enclosure, as if they were welcoming the last phase of rehabilitation – radio collaring.

IFAW-WTI veterinarians Dr. Bhaskar and Dr. Panjit quickly set up their equipments. Dr. Panjit took the first shot with the blow dart to tranquilize the first cub. Startled by the dart, he quickly fell numb. Nath, the “surrogate mother” of the cubs, carried the cub out of the enclosure that stands atop a 12 feet high platform enclosure. The vets quickly fitted the collar to the cub and mounted with radio transmitter. All other necessary health checkups were done within a short time and the cub was ready to be released!

The cubs recovered gradually from sedation after being radio collared. They were crawling in the floor of the enclosure, shaky and slow. A keeper offered them water. The cubs seemed restless to see lots of people and we thought it might not be too pleasant for us to stay there any longer. But I believe that all of us felt the same and were quite satisfied with having spent a few quiet moments with these clouded leopards.

To learn how you can help these leopards and other wildlife rescues around the world, please visit: www.ifaw.org.

Poacher Killed, Tusks Recovered in Tsavo Park

2010-05-06T14:28:32-04:00

The post was filed by Liz Wamba from the International fund for Animal Welfare's office in East Africa.

One elephant poacher was killed a week ago while another was injured by rangers in the Rhodesia Rhino Valley area of Tsavo West National Park.

The injured poacher escaped and the rangers are still looking for him. The area is also the Intensive Rhino Zone in Tsavo for the endangered black rhino. The two poachers are suspected to have been on a rhino hunting mission when they were spotted by the rangers.

Two elephant tusks were seized from the poachers. Also recovered were seven poisoned arrows, two axes and two machetes. The poachers were also carrying food and utensils for subsistence purposes while on their hunt.

This incident comes barely a month after another security operation that saw three poachers from Tanzania killed in the same Park.

Tsavo is home to the single largest elephant population in Kenya, and the Park’s sheer size and proximity to Somalia and Tanzania make the elephants vulnerable to poaching. For almost five years, IFAW has been supporting Tsavo’s anti-poaching patrols by providing rangers with much-need vehicles, fuel, tyres and radio equipment, all used to protect elephants from armed poachers.

Photo c. N. Grosse-Woodley

Rescue Underway in Cozumel, Mexico for evicted dogs and cats

2010-05-04T13:33:55-04:00

Eduardo arrived at the dump with “Gabacho”, the man who has lived at the dump for 20 years and taken care of many dogs and cats over those years. The dump has been taken over by a new company, and Gabacho and the animals were just evicted. Here’s what they found when they arrived:

“As soon as we arrived to the dump, the situation was extremely difficult because the last days Gabacho was visiting a friend in the city and when we arrived to the dump, he realized that the bulldozer destroyed his house and nothing was left. Days ago he took some of his belongings and the rest was taken by the police. Hence he was really sad.”

Eduardo sent over some photos, and we are awaiting an update on the plan to move the dogs from the dump area to the Humane Society of Cozumel shelter. Our goal is to find homes for all of the dogs and cats, and we’ve asked local officials to assist Gabacho. One of the team members had a video camera, so we hope to be able to put some footage of this unfortunate scene together to help better tell the story.

For more information on IFAW’s work to save animals in crisis and distress around the world, please visit: www.ifaw.org

Cozumel Dump Dogs and Cats Facing Eviction and Homelessness

2010-04-28T16:37:39-04:00

The following report was filed from Eduardo Santurtun, veterinarian and Project Manager of the International Fund for Animal Welfare's companion animal work in Cozumel.

Since 2009, myself and staff from the Humane Society of Cozumel have been visiting Cozumel`s municipal dump to rescue puppies and kittens and also to provide medical attention to each of the dogs and cats that have been being cared for by the two men that live on the premises. This care has included vaccinating, sterilizing and also providing any other emergency medical care deemed necessary.

We have just received word that a new company will be taking over the dump and they will be evicting all of the animals – 13 dogs and six cats. For some of these animals, the dump is all they have ever known and they have lived there since birth - for as long as nine years. They are being forced to separate from both their human and animal families. And, sadly, there is no place for these animals to go. The local humane society shelter is completely full and already overwhelmed with animals, and if abandoned, they will face an almost certain death.

Right now, we are putting together a plan to rescue these animals. It is likely that these animals have to be out of the dump in the coming weeks or even days and we are furiously working to find temporary foster homes for them. Once the animals are out of immediate danger, we will need to carefully assess the health and condition of each and every one of them before exploring options for rehoming.

It is a long road ahead for these animals but we are determined to find a way to keep them alive and give them the second chance at life they deserve.

Please check back to the blog regularly for continuous updates on this developing story.

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

IFAW Africa: Rescuing Shaka, the Lion Cub

2010-04-27T12:36:05-04:00

The post was filed by Liz Wamba from the International fund for Animal Welfare's office in East Africa.

Earlier this month, a tourist on a game drive in Tsavo East National Park noticed an emaciated lion cub hiding in the lush bush. Finding it odd that a cub was all alone, he informed the Park’s staff who took note but decided not to intervene immediately as its mother could have been in the vicinity.

April 6th - Two days after being spotted, the cub, by then named Shaka, was still within the general vicinity but had moved locations. Without a trace of the mother, Elphas Bitok, the Park’s resident research scientist, and a small team of rangers decided to try and capture him with, uh, a blanket and bare hands. After all, Shaka was just a cub. Wrong assumption! The team was treated to some loud and ferocious roars, making their hairs stand on end. With that, the first rescue attempt was postponed.

April 7th - Bitok calls their headquarters in Nairobi for veterinary assistance. The vet promptly arrived on scene as the swelling Tsavo temperatures were starting to cool off. And the vet and Tsavo team embarked on the preparing the tools of trade – a darting gun and some drugs. The rest of the team combed the area, looking for Shaka. As the sun was setting and the cub’s position located, the vet aimed his gun.

Minutes later, Shaka lay sedated and the team now had the courage to examine him. A big, festering but non-life threatening wound was discovered on his left upper limb and drugs were promptly administered. Once done, Shaka was evacuated by an IFAW-donated vehicle and driven to the Park’s headquarters in Voi, some 10 kilometres away where he was revived and given some water and meat.

April 8th – Shaka was moved from Tsavo East Headquarters to the Nairobi Orphanage for further observation and treatment if need arises.

April 22nd – Shaka’s wound is healing well and he is regaining his strength.

Rangers in Tsavo East Park are hoping that Shaka will return home once his wounds are healed.

For more information on how you can help support IFAW's efforts around the world, please visit www.ifaw.org.

IFAW’s Earth Day Rally for Whales a Great Success

2010-04-26T18:28:36-04:00

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Kerry Branon who was helping to produce video of the event. For more information and to take action, please visit www.ifaw.org/stopthesellout

We had a great turnout yesterday for our Earth Day rally for the whales on the National Mall in Washington DC. Thanks to everyone who was there in person – and in spirit – to help us celebrate Earth Day and our efforts to save our planet’s great whales.

IFAW’s Whale Program Director, Patrick Ramage, was the master of ceremonies for the event, and IFAW President Fred O’Regan gave a rousing speech calling on President Obama to stop the new deal to resume commercial whaling. Actress Kristin Bauer (HBO’s True Blood) and her husband Abri van Straten joined with IFAW staff and our giant inflatable whale to help us spread the word that the whales need to be saved again.

It’s hard to believe that, on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we had to hold a rally to save whales – again – from commercial whaling. But incredibly, on the very day that the world celebrated our beautiful and fragile planet and all its inhabitants, the International Whaling Commission released its new plan to legalize commercial whaling.

The proposal, if adopted, would overturn the 1986 ban on commercial whaling. It would legalize Japan’s whaling in an internationally recognized whale sanctuary around Antarctica…grant new rights to Japan, Iceland, and Norway to kill whales for commercial purposes…and ignore established IWC scientific procedures for estimating sustainable whaling limits.

The plan is to be considered and acted on in June at the IWC’s annual meeting in Agadir, Morocco.

Obama administration officials have portrayed the deal as an effort - led by the United States - that would “end whaling” by Japan, Norway, and Iceland – the three countries that still hunt whales in defiance of international law.

The proposal released today would do no such thing. In fact, it would do precisely the opposite.

“This plan is a whaler’s wish list,” said Ramage. “It throws a lifeline to a dying industry when endangered whale populations face more threats than ever before. This would be a breathtaking reversal of decades of U.S. leadership and conservation progress at the IWC.”

Let’s hope the Obama Administration was paying attention to all of those who joined with us at our Earth Day rally in saying “Stop the Sellout, Save the Whales!”

IFAW S. Africa: Animal Action Tree Planting Event

2010-04-21T12:55:35-04:00

This post was filed by Lisa Cant-Haylett, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Campaigns Officer and Animal Action Week Coordinator in South Africa.

It is said by some people that the word vuvuzela is a rough translation from iziZulu simply meaning “making noise” and that is just what a group of sixty learners from a primary school in Khayelitsha did on 14 April 2010, made noise for trees and our environment.

By making noise, they made their voices heard in celebration of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Animal Action Education Programme and our first Tree Planting event, which recently took place in Khayelitsha, Cape Town on a warm autumn day.

Vuvuzela’s are long horns, popularly blown at soccer matches in South Africa. They will become a familiar sound to the world when the soccer world cup comes to South Africa in June 2010.

Ten indigenous trees were donated by IFAW, four to a nearby primary school to provide shade for learners in years to come and six to IFAW’s Cat & Dog Project with a view to providing shade to client’s visiting the clinic with their companion animals. For us the trees symbolise life and although many companion animals have been lost to owners in Khayelitsha, the clinic provides hope through the services they provide.

The event started at Nomsa Mapongwane Primary School, located a stone’s throw away from IFAW’s Cat & Dog Project, early afternoon. Sixty learners were patiently waiting as Vincent and Unathi from Jungle Theatre Company kicked off the event with their Jungle Jive Workshop, focusing on the environment and the importance of trees to life.

From workshop to the serious business of planting, learners were blowing their vuvuzela’s as Unathi from Jungle Theatre led the first of the processions to the first tree to be planted at the school. Vincent and Unathi kept spirits high as they explained in great theatrical style the finer details on planting trees.

With the first tree planted at the school, the procession took a turn towards IFAW’s Cat & Dog Project and with vuvuzela’s in hand, our presence was made known as curious neighbours came out to see what was going on. The grounds of the animal clinic filled quickly and everyone gathered around to plant the first tree at IFAW’s Cat & Dog Project.

Learners not afraid to get their hands dirty, joined in, grabbed a shovel and amongst the tilling of the fine dune sand and the rich compost, the trees were well on their way to being planted. Lessons learnt and fun had by all in the process.

As dry throats were quenched by vuvuzela’s being blown one too many times, AJ, Mdzananda’s long time resident dog and mascot, took a flying leap onto a very enticing pile of sand next to a newly planted tree bringing an end to IFAW’s Animal Action Tree Planting for 2010.

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

IFAW Africa: Bush meat poaching in Kenya

2010-04-12T14:26:25-04:00

These stories were submitted by our team on the ground in Africa, working closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service, our partner in Tsavo West National Park. For more information on the International Fund for Animal Welfare's work in Tsavo, please visit www.ifaw.org/kenya

The Kenyan government has long recognized the high value and importance of protecting its exceptional abundance of wildlife. It therefore set land aside exclusively for the protection of flora and fauna, founding the first National Park as early as 1946.

But today, Kenya’s wildlife, inside and outside its parks, is suffering from extensive meat poaching.

Research results compiled in several reports are distressing: a large part of Kenya’s wildlife is being killed in snares and traps and being poached with bow and arrows. For the most part, these animals are not killed for subsistence use but for commercial trade. And this killing affects every animal species, from the smallest ones such as porcupines, hares, dik-diks and even baby baboons to the largest: buffaloes, zebras, lions, giraffes and elephants.

Killing animals with snares and traps is an appallingly cruel way of slaughter. The caught animals do not die instantly – it often takes days for the victims to slowly die of dehydration, starvation or strangulation. Although some animals manage to free themselves of these death traps, they are then crippled and unable to fend for themselves, again left to die a slowly.

Any animal can get caught in these snares, including the young, the healthy and the pregnant -- snares kill indiscriminately!

For this reason, the Kenya Wildlife Service has formed de-snaring teams. In Tsavo National Park, IFAW supports these critical teams. Groups of rangers go out on foot patrols, mostly along the park boundaries, to remove wire snares, rescue live animals, confiscate dead ones, and arrest poachers if they come across them.

The tools used to kill game animals are abundant and cheap. Home-made wire snares of all sizes, made from thin telephone wire to thick cable, are the most common. Commercially sold gin traps designed to clamp onto an animal’s foot are a bit rarer, as they have to be purchased and can only catch one animal at a time. Also very common are home-made bows and arrows of different sizes, some with poison smeared on the arrow heads.

Another popular method is to simply use a flashlight (torch) to blind animals at night, then hack them to death with an axe or knife. Flashlights are often modified to last longer by holding more than the usual number of batteries. Some are even made to produce a noise that can totally stun an animal, while a second person sneaks up from behind and administers a deadly blow to the animal’s head.

Bicycles are used to transport cut-up meat from killed animals, as the load is often too heavy to carry by hand.

The stores of Tsavo West National Park are filled with these kinds of confiscated “killing machines” but more tools are produced on a daily basis from wire found in scrap yards and wood cut from bushes for bows and arrow shafts.

Until conservation education programs successfully teach local people about the importance of wildlife and local communities get their share of the benefit from wildlife and tourism, the battle against bush meat poaching will continue. ##

IFAW Russia: Orphan Bear Cub Diaries, April 8, 2010

2010-04-08T12:20:28-04:00

The following was submitted by Marja Kingma, International Fund for Animal Welfarevolunteer currently working from IFAW's Orphan Bear Rescue Center in Bubonitsy, Russia.

This is my last blog post from Bubonitsy-unfortunately my holiday here is nearly at an end. It's been wonderful to see the cubs again and to help out with the feeding. I say a big 'Thank you' to the Pazhetnovs for having me again and for letting me near the cubs.

Yesterday afternoon Sergei and I went into the enclosure in the forest to feed the two bear cubs who were fitted with radio collars last week Sunday. One of them is already roaming the forest and only returns to the enclosure to feed. The second, smaller cub stays near the enclosure and spends most of its time high up in trees. That's where we finally found it after some searching; in the distance we saw a tall spruce tree and near the top there he was- comfortably sitting in the tree in the sun. We had already left food out so we quickly made our way out. Walking was a lot easier than a week ago, when the snow was still knee-high and we all struggled to move along. Now we only had to be careful not to slip on the ice.

Over the last few days the small cubs have been allowed to walk around in the bear house. They get stronger by the day. This morning I was a bit late for breakfast and found Svetlana en Sergei busy feeding. They could only handle two cubs at a time, so the three smallest cubs were still in their box, waiting for their turn. They didn't like it and were making a big noise. They nearly managed to get the lid off. I fed Lena her bottles and tried to make her eat from a bowl, but she is still not interested. It may sound cruel, but the best way for cubs to learn how to eat from a bowl is hunger.

If they don't want to eat at first they'll go hungry for a day or two. That'll make them go for the bowl in the end. I won't see Lena do all this, but I'll keep in touch with the family to follow how she's doing.

IFAW Russia: Orphan Bear Cub Diaries, April 6, 2010

2010-04-06T14:47:12-04:00

The following was submitted by Marja Kingma, International Fund for Animal Welfarevolunteer currently working from IFAW's Orphan Bear Rescue Center in Bubonitsy, Russia.

Since a few days the bigger bears are allowed to walk around the bear house. They need to practice their walking and build up strength before they are transferred to the enclosure in the woods. Nota and Nadya are walking and climbing really well;

Bolya is already sitting up whilst eating, but Veles and Lena are still lying down whilst feeding.

Lena drinks about two bottles of semolina porridge per feed. She constantly moves her front paws and gets her nails stuck in my gloves. She gets very excited when feeding and lets go of the bottle and then has to find it again. But she finishes the bottles very quickly, gulping down the porridge in a few minutes.

We've started to make her eat from a bowl. We put one in front of her and push her snout in. Even if she is not hungry it is a good training for her. The two radio-collared bears are doing fine- they have been spotted in the vicinity; there is too much snow around for them to move away very far.

Another film crew has arrived- primarily to make a film about Letitia's wolf project, but they are also interested in the bears. Of course, who wouldn't be?

For more information on IFAW's work with bears, please visit http://ifaw.org

IFAW Canada: High-Flying Adventures for Rescued Dogs

2010-04-06T10:35:05-04:00

The following report is coming from Jan Hannah, Project Manager of International Fund for Animal Welfare's "Northern Dogs" initiative, which centers its work on the dogs living in remote impoverished communities of northern Canada.

It happened as it usually does with a phone call or an email. But this time the request was slightly different. Rather than someone from a community serviced by IFAW’s Northern Dogs Project asking for help, the request was from an external source looking to move dogs from a community in northern Ontario. A teacher working in the northern community had contacted the Ontario SPCA in Newmarket to ask for help with a family of dogs that the teachers had been feeding. While the OSPCA was committed to receiving the dogs at this end, they needed help moving the dogs from the north to the south. To do this, they enlisted the help of a dog transport service to sort out the logistics and IFAW for input on removing dogs from a First Nations community.

Moving dogs often begins with someone feeding them in the community and ends with finding them a home… which is often far away. But, in between are a whole host of issues and logistics that need to be taken care of to safely and respectfully remove an animal. Think about it…. at the community end, the dogs are at home and at ease in their environment, whether they are adequately taken care of or not. Most have never been inside a house or a car, and certainly not on an airplane. This doesn’t mean they can’t acclimatize quickly to a different way of life, it just means that it needs to be part of the decision-making process. And again, just because a dog is roaming doesn’t mean the dog doesn’t have an owner -- it’s imperative to have the owner’s permission before thinking about re-homing anyone. This goes for moving a dog from Thailand or Ecuador or China…. or northern Ontario.

The first dog the teachers wanted to help was three-year-old Rosie, the matriarch of this particular dog family. Rosie lived outside the teachers’ houses with her two-year-old pup Teddy, her one-year-old pup Waffles, her 14-week-old pups Bobbi and Little Girl, and Waffles’ four newborn pups – two males and two females who would be almost seven weeks old at the time of transport. The teachers fed the family daily and had begun to let Rosie into their home during the day. Shy Teddy, the male of the group, would often stand behind the other dogs and watch as they entered the house. His adventurous younger ‘sister’ Waffles didn’t share his concern and was outwardly friendly to people and other dogs. Amazingly, Waffles even let Rosie watch over her newborn puppies, and allowed all the other dogs in the doghouse (that the teachers had built for them) at night.

Getting dogs from the north to the south requires work at both ends. In the north, the teacher had moved the pups inside and Waffles was learning to go inside to feed them. She was also getting the older ones used to crates for their travel.

Down south, the core group of dog transport, OSPCA, IFAW and the foster family, were working on logistics. Dog transport was working daily on finding dog-friendly flights, figuring out how many dogs could fly per ticket, finding people to add a dog on their plane ticket, organizing the donation and shipment of crates to the community (crates are not available in the communities), finding foster homes for pups flown out early, locating drivers, looking into dog-friendly hotels, and on and on. Lots and lots of emails, phone calls and people doing their thing on the ground are necessary for the smooth and safe transfer of the animals. It’s amazing who comes out of the woodwork to make a dog move successful!

And successful it was. Waffles and her four pups, as well as Bobbi and Little Girl arrived safely at the OSPCA in Newmarket. Waffles and her pups flew the whole way whereas Bobbi and Little Girl, flew, stayed in foster, and then traveled by car for 16 hours. For the next few weeks, each will be treated by the OSPCA for whatever parasites they have brought with them, and then vaccinated and spayed/neutered before finding their committed forever homes. The next transport, which includes Rosie and Teddy, will occur mid-April and logistics are ongoing. It has been a gratifying partnership, and one that highlights the commitment of a whole range of people (strangers!) who came together to be part of the next step in the lives of Rosie’s family. If you are interested in being part of a story like this, find your local dog transport group, animal rescue, or humane society and start to volunteer. The dogs will thank you!

IFAW Russia: Orphan Bear Diaries, April 1, 2010

2010-04-01T11:36:49-04:00

The following was submitted by Marja Kingma, International Fund for Animal Welfare volunteer currently working from IFAW's Orphan Bear Rescue Center in Bubonitsy, Russia.

April 1, 2010 – 08.00

It’s nearly time for breakfast. The bear cubs are learning to eat from bowls instead of drinking from bottles. It’s not easy. The bigger ones, sisters Nota and Nadya are already used to it, but the smaller ones Borya and his sister Lena and Veles are struggling.

Veles didn’t get it and sent the bowl flying, covering the floor and himself in porridge. He cried out loud; Svetlana explained to me that they do that, because they can smell the food, but can’t find it!

Lena is still drinking from the bottle; she is not interested in bowls yet. It is my task to feed her. She was hungry this morning and drank two bottles. She is about 35 cm long and weighs in at about 3 kg.

Nota and Nadya weigh something like 4 kg, but it’s all muscle. They are really strong- it’s sometimes difficult to get them off my boots, or off each other; they do have scraps amongst themselves.

Once I had fed Lena I tended to Borya who had his paws in his bowl. I had to stop him from doing that, by holding his paws down on the ground while he was eating. When he was finished I wiped his paws and snout and put him in the adjacent compartment. He promptly tried to climb out again.

Later today the cubs will have a bath to wash off the porridge.

13.00

Bottle-feeding was a first-time experience for me; bear bathing (not to be confused with bear baiting) is another one.

First the cubs are being fed as usual- then they rest a bit and after that it’s time for their bath. A big washing bowl, warm water and lots of cloths for drying off are brought in. One by one the cubs are put in the bowl; Nota and Nadya first. They don’t yet realise how much bears love water and struggle to get out of the bowl. So the one who gets washed first is Svetlana instead of Nota. Valentin holds the cubs tight and Svetlana washes them as best she can.

Lena seems to be the one who understands best; she sits very still and Svetlana can wash her properly. And I dry them all off!! The only time I am allowed to hold the cubs and every one of them. After a quick wipe with a cloth I put them back in their box/den. It’s all over in less then ten minutes, but it was wonderful!

IFAW Russia: Orphan bears fitted with satellite collars

2010-03-31T09:36:05-04:00

The following post was submitted by Marja Kingma, International Fund for Animal Welfare volunteer currently working from IFAW's Orphan Bear Rescue Center in Bubonitsy, Russia.

March 29, 2010

It was an early rise this morning, because I was going to help put with the first feed of the day, at 7 AM. They are being fed four times a day, with ever increasing intervals as the day progresses. The last feed is at 10 PM.

Valentin and Svetlana had prepared the porridge, which the smallest three cubs drink from bottles. The other two cubs are slightly older and bigger and already eat from bowls. The porridge consists of semolina with milk, eggs and vegetable oil. They get anything between 300 and 600 grams per feed, depending on their weight. The bigger cubs are about 30 cm long; the smaller ones are the size of a Jack Russell terrier, or a normal size teddy bear.

I had never bottle-fed a bear cub (and it was a very long time ago since I last bottle-fed a human baby), so it took a little practice and all the time this little cub was scrambling for its food as if it had not eaten for days!

I finally got the hang of it and then was told that they we going to switch to bowls today! In fact they were given both. It is quite difficult for cubs to switch from having their heads up when feeding from a bottle and keeping it down when eating from a bowl. Of course the porridge got everywhere but in their mouths. They just don't know what to do with the bowls and end up with porridge all over their faces.

The last feed was quite a happening, because Sergei was going to take some hair samples for their DNA. One person would divert the cub's attention, by holding a bottle with porridge in front of its nose and Sergei then snipped off a bit of hair.

Even though it can't have hurt, the cubs were screaming on the top of their voices; it was mayhem, but within 15 minutes all DNA was taken and all were fed as well and so peace and quiet settled on the bear house once more. The radio collars fitted yesterday work well; there's data already and it is being processed by a software programme that was installed today. It was really interesting for me as non-scientist to witness how this works in reality.

March 28, 2010

The IFAW Orphan Bear Rescue Center in Russia has 7 bear cubs at the moment. Two cubs that had been hibernating at the centre were fitted with satellite/radio collars on the day of 'Verba', the feast of the willow catkins. This happened under the eyes of two camera crews from a Russian and a French TV channel.

The bears were roused from their 'den', a small wooden box and immobilized. Under the effect of the anesthesia, the collars were fitted.

One of the bears clearly did not like having this thing around its neck and frantically started to shake its head and to walk around, although stumble is a better word for it. After about 10 minutes it ran off into the woods.

The following day the biologists picked up a signal near the enclosure and they found the two cubs at the very top of a high spruce tree. They seemed OK. It is a real tribute to the work IFAW and the Pazhetnov family does, if you know that the cubs were brought in last year severely undernourished and one of them with dis-functioning hind legs.

IFAW Africa: Wild Dogs Comeback in Tsavo West National Park

2010-03-30T13:35:39-04:00

For a long time, wild dogs were considered vermin. Eradication programs drove them to the brink of extinction. No wild dogs had been sighted in Tsavo West National Park for the past 20 years or so.

But now they are back. With protection, we hope they will thrive.

In the past, wild dog packs were large. At times, aggregations of many hundreds were recorded. Nowadays, packs usually consist of only about six adult males and four adult females.

Their favorite prey species are medium-sized antelopes, no larger than twice their own body weight. As specialized pack hunters, they prefer open country in which they can run down their prey, taking turns in a fast chase to rip and tear at their prey until it tires enough to be caught and killed.

Sightings of wild dogs have always been recorded in the northern area of Tsavo East National Park along the seasonal Tiva River, but not in the south, and none within Tsavo West National Park.

However, in the last three years, at least two different packs of wild dog have been seen around the Ngulia Mountains within Tsavo West. Each pack is no larger than ten animals including sub-adults, but there is no doubt they have returned.

Since Tsavo West borders Tanzania -- Mkomazi Game Reserve in particular -- and is to some extent linked to the northern area of Tsavo East, there are hopes the Tsavo West wild dog population will be able to interact with the packs from Mkomazi and the Tiva River and increase their population once again.

IFAW Dubai: At last, Atlantis Hotel Releases Whale Shark

2010-03-26T10:44:23-04:00

The Atlantis Hotel in Dubai recently announced that ‘Sammy’ a 13-foot female whale shark had been released back to the ocean after spending months in captivity. The International Fund for Animal Welfare is celebrating the news after a long-fought campaign to free the threatened shark.

Sammy was allegedly ‘rescued’ from shallow waters in the Persian Gulf in 2008 and placed inside a water tank in the hotel’s lobby where it swam in circles for 18 months.

“We are very pleased to hear that Sammy is now back where she belongs”, said Azzedine Downes, Vice President for IFAW. “It is doubtful that an enclosed tank of any size is large enough to allow such a fish to express its normal behavior, no matter how lifelike the artificial habitat may be.”

Whale sharks, the world’s largest living fish species, are listed as a ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List with a declining population trend. The gentle, highly migratory plankton feeders are accustomed to travelling vast distances to feed, and regularly dive to 3,000 feet or more.