2012 Issue no. 13

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

A Publication of the International Fund for Animal Welfare

Safe Havens for Wildlife ...Providing lifesaving care.

A Dog’s Lifein Northern Canada.

Many times when animals need our aid, they also require sanctuary. IFAW owns and supports more than 12 wildlife rescue projects in nine countries around the world to provide these havens.

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Protecting Wildlife

Safe Havens

of AnimalsWorldIF

AW’s

This month’s feature gives you a closer look at our work providing safe havens for wildlife, and highlights some animals you may not hear about very often ... from African penguins ... to eagles ... to chimpanzees.

There’s also an update on our elephant collaring research in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, clouded leopards ready for release in India, and a heartwarming story about dogs in Northern Canada.

Our goal is to enrich your knowledge of the breadth and depth of IFAW’s work around the world. I hope you enjoy reading about the many ways your support makes a lifesaving difference for animals.

Fred O’Regan President and Chief Executive Officer

Protecting Wildlife ...Providing safe havens. page 3 – 5

Tracking Elephants ...via satellite. page 6 – 7

IFAW ProfileAsia Regional Director Grace Gabriel. page 8

Releasing Clouded Leopardsback to the wild. page 9

Animal MattersIFAW news from around the world. page 10 – 12

In FocusA Whale Alert for iPad. page 13

A Dog’s Lifein Northern Canada. page 14

In ProfileCommitment to community welfare. page 15

A Baby Boomin Amboseli, Kenya. page 16

Contents

page 2 © IFAW 2012 All Photographs © IFAW unless otherwise indicated

Whether a baby bear needs foster care until it’s old enough to survive in the wild ... a captive tiger or cougar needs sanctuary for life ... or entire elephant herds need protection from poaching across vast ranges ... your support makes it possible for IFAW to give animals a safe, secure future.

Whenever possible we strive to rehabilitate injured or orphaned animals and release them back to their homelands. But when that isn’t possible, we ensure that the animals we rescue find quality, lifelong sanctuary. To achieve this, we partner with the best to provide expert care.

Foster Care for Tiny OrphansSo often, it’s a helpless infant who depends on us for survival. Through our Bear Rescue Centers in Russia and India, we wean little cubs whose mothers have been killed ... nursing them round-the-clock ... feeding them a nutritious “porridge” as they grow and develop ... then “soft-releasing” them in protected areas under supervision while they learn the skills they’ll need to make their way in the wild.

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This golden eagle began her life soaring the skies of northern China. Then she fell prey to a poacher. Now she stands on a log, swathed in bandages. But with expert care from IFAW, she is slowly recovering. We hope one day to see her soar again.

On Ngamba Island, 98 acres of forest provide plenty of room

to roam and play. There’s also an indoor facility where the

chimps feed, climb ropes and tires and bed down in straw-

filled hammocks at night.

Thanks to IFAW, three tigers and one cougar were recently moved from the cramped cages of a private owner to spacious enclosures at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota and WildCat Haven in Oregon. Now they have shelter indoors and out, long grass to hide in, and care for life.

Protecting Wildlife

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Through our work with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), we care for abandoned chicks born too late in the season when their parents molt and can no longer swim to bring them food. This year we’ve also started taking in abandoned eggs to monitor and hatch.

During the past five years, we have successfully reared and released 2,000 penguin chicks.

Making Room for ElephantsAfter successfully completing elephant habitat protection projects in Addo Elephant and Marakele National Parks in South Africa in 1996, IFAW moved on to Kenya to revive Meru and Tsavo National Parks. At Meru especially, where wildlife populations had been nearly wiped out by poachers, IFAW helped reinstate 1,300 various species … from rhinos to giraffes to impalas, to leopards and elephants.

Now we are working to safeguard elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli Ecosystem and in Malawi’s Liwonde National Park.

Through our Wildlife Rescue Center in Assam, IFAW and the Wildlife Trust of India rescue orphaned elephant calves, black bears and other abandoned or injured animals ... provide foster care ... and release them into the protected forests of Manas National Park when they are old enough to survive on their own.

Model SanctuariesWhen animals can’t immediately be returned to the wild and need long-term rehabilitation, IFAW places them in centers of excellence, where they will receive the quality care they need to thrive.

IFAW celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center (BRRC) – China’s only specialized raptor rescue and

rehabilitation facility – with the admission of the 3,367th bird of prey: a beautiful golden eagle. The BRRC is known for providing the best care and treatment to eagles, owls, falcons and other birds confiscated from illegal traffickers or people who kept them as pets.

China’s State Forestry Administration even acknowledged BRRC with an “Outstanding Organization for Forest and Wildlife Conservation” award.

In Uganda, the IFAW-supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust has managed Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary since its inception in 1998. Located on a beautiful island on Lake Victoria, the sanctuary is home to 44 chimpanzees who were rescued from the exotic pet trade, or from poachers who killed their mothers. These chimps will never be released to the wild, so they will depend on their caretakers for life.

On another island across the world, IFAW has been working with the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago and the Manatee Conservation Trust since 2009 to stem the tide of wildlife trafficking in exotic birds, reptiles and primates ... and provide sanctuary to animals seized from trade.

Through IFAW’s support, seized animals who cannot be returned to their own countries find a home at a sanctuary created especially for them. Local wildlife confiscated from trade is rehabilitated here and released back to the wild whenever possible. IFAW is also helping to protect the globally endangered leatherback turtle which nests on 8 km of Trinidad beaches.

Commitment to Quality of LifeAround the world, IFAW rescues close to 1,000 wild animals every year. Hundreds are released back to the wild. The rest are given expert veterinary care, safe sanctuary and enrichment for life.

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Following Elephants ... from Space

The IFAW-KWS team chose representative elephants from a few different herds, tranquilized them with a dart-gun from a helicopter, then attached satellite-radio tracking collars around their necks.

We deployed collars as quickly as possible for the safety of the tranquilized elephants. By day three of the exercise, KWS veterinarians took less than 10 minutes to collar each elephant. During this time, they measured the elephant’s neck circumference, cut the length of the collar to fit, then used a hooked wire to pull it underneath the massive and weighty neck of the sleeping elephant.

Enhancing Protection This research will be a critical tool in wildlife management decisions. Human population has significantly increased in the area over the last four decades. As more people use former elephant rangelands for agriculture and livestock, we are seeing more incidences of human-elephant conflict.

In addition, poaching in Kenya has reached alarming levels in the last two years. KWS reports at least 278 elephants killed for their ivory last year compared to 47 in 2007.

As we track the elephants over the next 20 months, we’ll learn where they spend most of their time in Tsavo and which areas they frequent outside the park.

A Wealth of InformationA year ago, we tracked three elephants, and gained some interesting insights. We learned that the elephants stay in preferred areas most of the time, probably to share the resources across the ecosystem.

One collared female elephant and her family spent most of their time outside the protected area in a community ranch south of Tsavo East. This showed there is a corridor and habitat important to elephants outside the park boundaries that needs to be secured.

This is the first large-scale monitoring of elephant movements using satellite technology in the Tsavo parks. The last tracking initiative, conducted 40 years ago, used conventional radio tracking collars.

In March, IFAW and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) collared 10 elephants in Tsavo National Park in a historic research project to follow their movements through the park and surrounding area within the 43,000 square km habitat.

The information generated from the satellite-collared elephants will help us triumph over challenges and better protect the elephants and the habitats they depend on in the Tsavo Conservation Area.

James Isiche, IFAW East Africa Regional Director

“ “

Another six elephants in Tsavo West:Kasigau – a huge one-tusked, 40-year-old bull. Maktau – a one-tusked female, 20-25 years old. Jipe – a male between 35-40 years old who had at least six inches missing from the tip of his trunk – most likely from being caught in a wire snare that cut through it.

Njukini – a female, 20-25 years old, from a group of 80 in neighboring Tanzania. She had a smaller body and shorter, straighter tusks than the other elephants. IFAW and KWS scientists believe her herd is part of a remnant forest population that moves between Tsavo West and Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. Tracking her movements will confirm this hypothesis.

Kamboyo – a male aged 20-25 years. The collaring team ensured adequate collar space since the elephant is still growing.

Kishushe – a 20-year-old male.

The ElephantsFour elephants were collared in the northern sector of Tsavo East:

Emusaya – a mature male adult about 30 years old.

Ndiandasa – a 35-year-old male. He had two arrowheads embedded in the side of his belly. Because an elephant’s thick skin does not allow

accumulated pus to seep out, it can develop serious

infections, causing a slow, painful death. So while he was asleep, the veterinarians cleaned and

treated his wounds.

Ithumba – another male aged 20-25 years.

Sangayaya – a female of 20-25 years.

Scientists quickly measured and collared the tranquilized elephants.

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This spring, IFAW released two more clouded leopard cubs to the forests of India to begin their journey back to freedom.

The cubs, a brother and sister, were brought to IFAW’s Wildlife Rescue Center in Kokrajhar in March 2011, after villagers found them when they were less than a month old.

We returned with them to the forest in hopes of reuniting them with their mother. But after three nights, she hadn’t claimed them and they were growing weak. So we took them back to the Center to hand-raise.

Then in November, they were “soft-released” to our rehab station in Kachugaon Forest under the supervision of animal keepers, or chaperones, who looked after them. At first they slept in cages on tree platforms at night and were taken on forest walks during the day.

As they grew more confident, the keepers left them free to explore the

forest. The cubs generally kept within a four km radius of the camp. Then one day this spring, they crossed into Bhutan ... a welcome sign that they are becoming quite independent.

The cubs have been observed stalking macaques and langurs, and hunting red jungle fowl, while keeping wary of animals they don’t recognize.

As we go to press, IFAW-WTI vets are planning to radio-collar the cubs so we can continue to keep an eye on them as they venture farther into the wilderness on their own.

These cubs were rescued just one year after two more rare feline cubs were successfully released in mountainous forests along the boundary of India and Bhutan. Clouded leopards are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching, so every animal returned to the wild provides hope for the species’ future.

Shy, tree-dwelling clouded leopards are listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. There are only 10,000 mature individuals in the wild worldwide.

Under careful supervision, the cubs became more independent every month.

Clouded Leopards Learn to Hunt

Back to the Wild

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IFAW in Profile

Blazing a Trail of Compassion

Grace Ge Gabriel is IFAW’s Asia Regional Director. Grace learned of IFAW in 1996 when she witnessed the cruelty of bear bile farming and visited an IFAW-run moon bear sanctuary.

Her heart went out to the bears immobilized in tiny cages for years while their bile was drained and sold as medicinal remedies. She committed to turning her sorrow into action and opened an IFAW office in Beijing, the first – and only – international animal welfare organization in China.

Her work has saved many animals from horrific fates.

Overcoming DemandIn the past quarter century, China’s economic boom has created a swelling middle class with burgeoning consuming power. Combined with the growing online trade, this buying power has increased pressure on wildlife, especially endangered tigers and elephants.

Grace believes that respect for nature and compassion for other beings are values that have a much longer history in China than recent trends of overexploiting. “We have found that once people know the truth about cruelly derived wildlife products, they willingly reject them,” she said.

Pioneering ChangeIn 2008, Grace scored a huge victory when, after years of efforts by her and her staff, China’s largest online shopping site, Taobao.com, banned the sale of elephant ivory, bear bile, tiger bones, shark fins, rhino horns and turtle shells.

Perhaps her proudest accomplishment is establishing the only government-certified raptor rehabilitation center in Beijing. Every year, thousands of birds of prey – falcons, kestrels, owls and many others – are captured illegally from the wild in China and sold for food or smuggled as exotic pets. Since the center opened, almost 3,400 raptors have been admitted for care.

Grace’s pioneering work on behalf of animals has introduced an animal welfare and conservation ethic into modern China.

This article was excerpted from the book Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals They are Committed to Saving by Jeff Flocken and Julie Scardina. Read more at www.wildlifeheroesbook.com.

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

Animal matters

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Well-known Canadian wolf expert Bob Hayes presented his new book Wolves of the Yukon at an IFAW event last spring in Hamburg.

The book is based on Bob’s research for the government on former methods of wolf regulation. In the past, wolves were shot or killed through poison or traps. Bob observed that just a few years after mass killings the wolf population grew back to its former level. In addition, a lot of other animals suffered from the methods.

Controlling the wolf population through these measures proved to be unsustainable and unnecessary. Bob showed that the population naturally regulated itself, and the Yukon government eventually stopped killing wolves.

As wolves become more common, it’s essential that we learn how to live with them.

In May, Canadian Senator Mac Harb re-introduced his bill to end the commercial seal hunt in Canada. And this year, it was seconded by Senator Larry Campbell and moved to debate. This is historic because it means all political parties in the Senate essentially have agreed to allow debate. This victory for democracy and open debate in Canada was applauded around the world.

IFAW will continue to work with Canadian politicians in both the Senate and House of Commons to bring an end to the cruel commercial slaughter that has become unprofitable and internationally condemned.

Don’t miss IFAW’s groundbreaking online interactive magazine, IFAW Using Science to Protect Elephants. Learning about elephant conservation has never been easier.

From a slide show of compelling images that will reaffirm your commitment to saving elephants; to an animated feature “Elephants in Space and Time” which demonstrates the urgency required for their protection; and even an interactive quiz that will test your knowledge of elephants and their conservation; Using Science to Protect Elephants shouldn’t be missed.

Please view IFAW’s new online magazine at http://elephantdigimag.ifaw.org/#1/1.

Share it with your friends and prepare to be amazed!

GermaNy

CaNada

Saving Wolves with Science

Historic Bill to End Seal Hunt

In January we asked you, our World of Animals readers, to share your opinions of our magazine through an online survey. We were delighted that readers from eight countries responded ... and we’re happy to report you like what you read!

Seventy-three percent of readers said the size of the magazine is just right, and 82 percent read half or more of its content. Ninety-five percent said World of Animals keeps them well informed about IFAW’s work. One reader from Australia wrote, “Reading the magazine for the first time, I’m amazed and so grateful for the work IFAW is doing to help our animals in need.”

WorldWideA World of Opinions

For the second year in a row, IFAW participated in Traffic Days at the Museum of Natural History in Marseille. Within the framework of sustainable development, the exhibit helped raise awareness among the general public of the threats wild species face from illegal trade.

Fifty children, aged 10-12 years old, attended a workshop which examined legal issues; risks incurred by traffickers, buyers and sellers; and the consequences of animal trade on biodiversity.

The children were fascinated by the campaign and by IFAW’s work to protect wildlife.

FraNCeTeaching Children about Animal Trade

IFAW’s rescue of stranded dolphins made a big news splash last spring. And inspired one young girl to act. When Hailey Kay celebrated her 9th birthday, she asked friends to donate to IFAW instead of buy her gifts. The dolphin theme played out in the party decorations.

A week later, Hailey and her family visited our Cape Cod headquarters and presented Katie Moore – IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Manager – with a check for $250. Hailey really lit up when she saw Katie; she clearly recognized her from the TV interviews. The team gave Hailey a few IFAW gifts to thank her for her generosity.

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A Birthday Gift ... for Dolphins

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In Focus

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North Atlantic right whales, which migrate along North America’s East Coast from Newfoundland to Florida, are one of the world’s rarest large animals and a species on the brink of extinction. So few exist – about 450 – that scientists have identified and named almost all of them. Collision with ships is a leading cause of death for right whales.

IFAW recently helped launch a new app for the iPad and iPhone that combines science and technology to help save critically endangered North Atlantic right whales along the East Coast of North America. The free Whale Alert App is the result of a multi-organization effort to reduce threats to whales from collisions with large ships.

The Whale Alert links a system of acoustic buoys that listen for right whale calls to an iPad (or iPhone) on a ship’s bridge. This shows captains a whale’s presence in shipping lanes in and around Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The app uses Global Positioning System (GPS), Automatic Identification System (AIS), the Web, and digital nautical chart technologies to help save whales’ lives.

“Endangered right whales face deadly threats, but we can save them. This

new iPad app helps keep whales and ships apart and gives them a fighting chance,” said Patrick Ramage, IFAW’s Whale Program Director. “Imagine a world in which endangered right whales use iPad and iPhone technology to alert ship captains that they are in the area. That dream is now reality and IFAW is very proud to be part of the team that made it happen.”

Whale Alert was developed through the collaboration of a number of researchers, scientists and various governmental agencies, principally the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Whale Alert is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

See how it works.

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A Whale of an App for iPad

iFaW believes even one elephant killed for ivory is too many.

Animal matters

A recent nationwide survey showed that 77 percent of Americans agree the government should adopt a broad whale conservation program, and 89 percent believe that the US should help enforce the global ban on commercial whaling.

To address the most urgent threats facing whales, IFAW released a Blueprint for US Whale Conservation. It recommends simple, effective steps the US government should take to secure a better future for whales in waters around the world.

From the vital role whales fulfill in marine ecosystems to the strong economic impact of the $2 billion whale watching industry, whales have become increasingly appreciated worldwide as living beings, with their own intrinsic value. IFAW is asking world leaders to seriously consider how we are going to protect these majestic creatures.

download a full copy of the Blueprint.

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A Blueprint for Whales

As part of our global Animal Action Education Program, IFAW honored four US animal heroes in May:

Stephanie Leontiev is the Founder of Youth for Conservation Forum at the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC. Teacher Paula McMahon and 15 students are members of the Chatham (MA) High School Animal Welfare Club, which helps run the town’s animal shelter. Journalist John Platt is the founder and writer for “Extinction Countdown,” a blog hosted by Scientific American magazine. Former Congressman Jay Inslee – a candidate for the Governor of Washington State – has been one of the strongest champions for wildlife and the environment in Congress.

The program reaches more than 5 million young people worldwide each year through special events and school outreach in more than 16 countries.

Following a report, Jordanian environmental officers rushed to a neighborhood and found an unexpected surprise in a man’s office! Two 4-foot-long Nile crocodiles were being kept as pets in a water container. Officers seized the crocodiles and moved them to the New Hope Centre at the Princess Alia Foundation.

Juvenile crocodiles are smuggled to Jordan through Egypt. They are sold in the local market and finally end up in the hands of people who keep the dangerous wild animals as pets.

IFAW is working to end illegal wildlife trade by conducting wildlife enforcement workshops and increasing public awareness about the danger of keeping wild animals in private homes.

Wild Animals Are Not Pets

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In Profile

A Commitment to Animals and CommunitiesKit Lilly works actively in her community protecting animals. And that’s what she likes most about how IFAW works around the world.

A resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kit is the President of the Board of a trap-neuter-release group for feral cats that she helped start. She shares her home with three domestic cats and two feral cats who sometimes come inside to visit.

IFAW’s work for companion animals is what first attracted Kit to the organization, but she also recognizes our obligation to care for wildlife wherever they suffer.

She said: “IFAW has a bird’s-eye view of issues facing animals around the world and addresses the most critical. As IFAW mobilizes immediately for short-term urgent needs, they also address long-term policy issues.”

“I also really like and respect that IFAW takes into account the human side of the equation,” she said. “Rather than coming into communities as an outsider saying what people should do, they work with them and address economic realities.”

Kit joined IFAW staff members on a memorable trip to India last spring, and

was smitten by all the infant animals being nursed at our Wildlife Rescue Center in Assam.

While Kit was thrilled to bottle-feed the baby elephants, what she most admires about the center – and IFAW’s work globally – is that we hire local experts to work within communities. In Assam, this helps villagers feel connected to the animals that surround them. Then they are more willing to live with elephants nearby ... and keep a lookout for baby elephants who may fall into irrigation ditches on the tea garden estates.

Kit is a dedicated and engaged IFAW supporter. She’s also left a bequest to IFAW in her Will. The reason: “IFAW is consistent. They continue to work on an issue until it gets better. They work within communities with consensus, and with credibility with governments and other organizations to effect positive change.”

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Update

In Cree communities along James Bay in northern Canada, dogs go fishing in lakes, run freely and take care of each other ... even removing porcupine quills and licking each other’s wounds.

While this sounds like a carefree existence, in truth they live precariously ... finding their place as they evolve from valued hunting partners of old to cared-for companions today.

Historically, dogs in Cree society were considered an important part of the family. But as once traveling communities become established towns, roaming dogs are perceived as a health and safety risk as well as a nuisance.

IFAW has been working in these communities since 2002, providing veterinary services through annual spay/neuter and vaccination clinics, community education, and assistance with dog-related bylaws. We also help rehome unwanted dogs ... caravanning them south, as it were, when our teams go home.

“IFAW recognizes economic realities and proposes solutions that are wins for animals

and people.” – Kit Lilly, IFAW supporter.

Schoolchildren learn how to approach a dog

for the first time.

Community ClinicsThis past April, IFAW vets and volunteers loaded three vans with donated supplies, medicines and spay/neuter equipment and drove to the remote towns of Mistissini, Ouje Bougoumou and Waswanipi for our annual vet clinics.

Over six days, the team spayed 63 female dogs and neutered 71 males, vaccinated 306 dogs and cats, and provided vet checkups to 315 animals. They also visited schools and conducted community surveys ... counting dogs, informing people about their dogs and normal dog behavior (such as chasing, barking and guarding), and teaching people how to safely interact with wandering dogs.

By helping these communities humanely manage their dogs, IFAW is making a huge difference in the way dogs are perceived ... and how they are cared for ... in the harsh wilderness of northern Quebec.

A Dog’s Life in Northern Canada

US

Following a terrible drought in Kenya from 2008-2009 that killed off half the elephant matriarchs in Amboseli, we were overjoyed when a baby boom commenced in 2011.At the end of April this year, the 150th baby was born. Young females in the herd help babysit and guard the calves. These babysitters, called “allomothers,” also guide the babies’ development from the tiny newborn wobbly stage to the start of their learning and exploration.

ava and alfre look after anywyn’s daughter, who is delighted to be the center of attention.

A Baby Boom

iNterNatioNal FUNd For aNimal WelFare

International Headquarters290 Summer StreetYarmouth Port, MA 02675

Founded in 1969, IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) saves animals in

crisis around the world. With offices in 15

countries, IFAW rescues individual animals,

works to prevent cruelty to animals, and

advocates for the protection of wildlife and

their habitats.

www.ifaw.org

youtube.com/ifawvideo facebook.com/ifawhq twitter.com/action4ifaw