2010: A year of animal welfare accomplishments
Jan 1, 2011
With the start of the New Year upon us, we would like to thank all of our supporters for their ongoing dedication to helping animals. From opening the first stage of a new bear sanctuary in Pakistan, to providing relief to more than 100,000 animals in disasters, to helping end the inhumane culling of dogs in Bali, WSPA has been able to make a huge difference to so many animals in 2010 thanks to your help.
As WSPA moves into its 30th year of advocating for animal welfare, we continue in our mission to end animal cruelty and suffering worldwide.
There is still much to be done, but in the meantime please enjoy our 2010 achievements video below, and thank you again for your support!
Protecting bears
Just three months after the devastating floods in Pakistan, WSPA completed the first stage of a new sanctuary in Balkasar thanks to the help of all of our supporters, including those who got behind our Bricks for Bears project and bear baiting appeals throughout the year.
The sanctuary is now home to four rescued bears: Babu, Sohrab and Maylu – rescued from Kund Park which was destroyed during the floods in August, and Chowti - a blind 6-year-old Asiatic black bear, who was rescued immediately after her last bear baiting event. Now that phase one of the sanctuary has been completed, we are able to start rescuing more bears in need. We also look forward to developing the Balkasar grounds, and will continue with our education and alternative livelihoods work to ensure we achieve a sustainable end to bear baiting.
A reprieve for whales
Thanks to Optus and the thousands of Australians who recorded a word, we were able to Give Whales a Voice at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in June. This united voice, alongside the release of a WSPA investigative video showing the suffering of a minke whale harpooned by the Norwegian whaling vessel, allowed us to demonstrate the strong public support for an end to whaling.
After two days behind closed doors, the IWC failed to reach consensus on the future of whaling and, therefore, postponed a vote that could have increased commercial whaling quotas for the first time in 25 years.
Support to end the cruelty of live export
In 2010 over 68,000 Australians joined the Humane Chain and thousands more wrote to their MPs calling for an end to live sheep exports. Hearing these voices, many Australian politicians spoke out publicly against live exports including Sydney Mayor Clover Moore, Fremantle MP Melissa Parke, Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt and other Federal and State members.Saving the dogs of Bali
In Bali, the government signed an agreement authorising a mass vaccination campaign to immunise nearly 400,000 dogs, preventing further inhumane culling. This followed WSPA’s successful pilot project in the Gianyar region of Bali.Funded by WSPA, working closely with the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA), the new, island-wide program is an essential first step toward the government’s goal to eradicate rabies from the island by 2012. Already, the team has vaccinated more than 65,000 dogs, thereby preventing the spread of rabies throughout the dog population and protecting human health in the area.
Disaster relief
Following the January earthquake in Haiti, WSPA helped establish the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), a group that addressed the needs of the country’s surviving animal population. To date, WSPA has treated more than 45,000 animals in the hardest-hit areas of Haiti.
WSPA also helped repair the National Veterinary Laboratory and main lab infrastructure, which fell during the earthquake; installed 24 solar-powered refrigeration units, which are critical to storing animal vaccinations; and launched the country’s first-ever public awareness campaign to educate Haitians about disaster preparedness, pet care and health issues related to their pets and families.
Our disaster relief efforts didn’t end there – throughout the year, our disaster management team provided aid to animals in several disaster-stricken areas across the world, including...Pakistan, Mongolia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Myanmar.
An end to bullfighting in Catalonia
2010 saw a major victory over the issue of bullfighting as well. In July, WSPA handed over 140,000 signatures to the Catalonian Parliament in support of a bullfighting ban in the region.
Just days later, the Parliament made history by voting to approve the amendment to ban bullfighting once and for all. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2012, meaning from that day on bulls will no longer suffer slow, painful and terrifying deaths in Catalonia’s bullrings.
New animal welfare laws in Nicaragua
In December, WSPA, along with other groups, helped Nicaragua enact strict animal welfare laws, including a “Law for the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Animals and Domesticated Wild Animals.” This creates a new crime of “biocide” for unwarranted killing of domestic animals or domesticated wild animals, punishable under the Penal Code and incurring a jail term for offenders.Amazing Ambassadors
Throughout the year, some very special ambassadors gave us their support…
"As an ambassador for WSPA I'm speaking out against the cruelty of bear baiting. Because it isn't sport. It's animal cruelty.”
- Nick Maxwell, Captain of Collingwood Football Club
WSPA does so much for animals and the Bondi Rescue team are all animal lovers, so we wanted to be a part of City2Surf and make people aware of what is going on in some parts of the world.”
- Reidy from Network Ten’s Bondi Rescue
"The World Society for Protection of Animals struck a chord with me, as it’s a global charity that recognizes the needs of animals around the world."
– Simon Cowell, Music Executive and TV Producer
“Animals really matter to me, and WSPA is trying to stop needless acts of animal cruelty all over the world.”
– Ricky Gervais, Actor, Producer and Writer
"I am honored to be a spokesperson for WSPA’s campaigns, and I encourage others to join in our fight to save all animals from suffering, worldwide."
– Leona Lewis, Singer
All of these accomplishments were made possible by the ongoing dedication and generosity of ALL our WSPA supporters.
All of these accomplishments were made possible by the ongoing dedication and generosity of ALL our WSPA supporters. Thank you and we look forward to working with you in 2011 to help end animal cruelty worldwide.
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