Helping Haiti's animals
We would like to thank everyone who donated to our disaster relief appeal following the devastating earthquake in Haiti. All too often animals are the forgotten victims of disasters, but the generosity of your support has allowed us to fund our immediate response as well as make plans to addresss the vital animal welfare needs that will need to be met in coming years.
Your donations made it possible for us to respond swiftly to the Haitian government's request for help. We partnered with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) to set up the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) so that animal welfare organizations could work together for maximum impact.
We sent an ARCH team to Haiti to carry out an initial inspection and assess the animal welfare need. We have also equipped and staffed a mobile clinic to treat and vaccinate animals, which will be travelling to areas outside the capital. It is anticipated that the clinic will be able to administer veterinary treatment, vaccinations and feed for companion animals and livestock. In the longer term, the main challenge ahead is the reconstruction of veterinary infrastructure in Haiti.
Keep up to date with our disaster relief efforts on our Animals in Disasters blog >>
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It's on! First vote in Catalonian bullfight debate passes
In 2009 WSPA joined forces with anti-bullfighting group PROU to campaign against bullfighting in Catalonia.
Public demand forced the regional parliament to vote on whether to review the existing animal welfare legislation, which currently doesn't protect animals used in bullfights. Amending the legislation to include these bulls and horses would effectively ban bullfighting in the region.
The vote was passed and a parliamentary debate on the issue is scheduled for early this year. WSPA plans to present over 85,000 signatures from people around the world who support the PROU campaign. We hope that this support will help convince the Catalonian MPs to vote in favour of the amendment. Find out more >>
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Want to hear all the news from the bullfight debate as it happens? Follow WSPA's bullfighting program manager Alyx Dow on Twitter (@bullfightban) to receive updates on this campaign.
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Say it with animals this Valentine's Day — send a Really Wild Gift
What better way to show someone you love them than sending a Really Wild Gift this February 14th? Proceeds from WSPA's Really Wild Gifts help animals in need worldwide.
We've selected some of our favourite animal images for our Valentine's Day e-cards. Now you can pick from six images for your e-card, along with writing your own personal message.
You can even choose which day your e-card is delivered, so you can make sure your e-card arrives in their inbox on Valentine's Day! | |
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Take action — tell Ontario it's time to licence exotic animals
Last month a man was killed by his pet tiger in Southwold, Ontario, in a tragic attack that could have been prevented had the province licensed the keeping of exotic animals when it revised its animal protection law last year. Ontario remains the only province where anybody can keep an exotic animal without a licence or experience.
WSPA believes the province must step in to take responsibility and make changes. We are asking our supporters in Ontario to write to their MPPs in support of licensing. If we can get enough people to write letters we will succeed in convincing the Province to take action.
Our letters are already making a difference. WSPA has received several calls from MPP offices and Premier Dalton McGuinty has asked two of his ministers to review options for regulating the keeping of exotic animals. Unfortunately, one of the options they are reviewing is simply to do nothing. We can't let that happen. The current patchwork of different municipal by-laws is not protecting animals or people.
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We are at a critical stage in the campaign. If you live in Ontario and have not taken action, visit www.wspa.ca/exotics to send your letter.
If you have already sent a letter, thank you! You can help even more by forwarding the above link to as many people as you can who live in Ontario.
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Subscribe to Modern Dog magazine and help animals in disasters
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Modern Dog Magazine has generously offered to donate a portion of their revenue from new subscriptions to helping animals in disasters.
Subscribe before February 15th and 50% of your subscription cost will be donated to WSPA's disaster relief fund.
Subscribe >> | |
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Watch our 2009 Achievements video
Our supporters helped us achieve so much for animals in 2009. We created a video to show you some of the things you helped us accomplish last year. If you haven't seen it yet, you can watch it here.
If you like it, why not forward it to a friend or share it on your social networks (just hit the "Share" button below the video) and help spread the word about WSPA!
Read about our achievements here. | |
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Thank you for voting for animals!
We want to thank our supporters for voting for WSPA in Matt and Nat's 2009 SamSara initiative.
A dollar from every SamSara bag sold was divided between four charities, and Matt and Nat asked the public to decide how it would be distributed. 1,731 votes were cast for WSPA, raising an amazing $22,007 for animals!
See the complete results at www.samsara.ca
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