By Victoria Fanthorpe | Fundraising Manager
During the first few months of the year the team at Wild Welfare have been busy planning and implementing projects across the globe to help captive wild animals live a life worth living. Thanks to your incredibly generous support we now have a number of new initiatives set up which we are excited to share with you.
We will be working hard to share knowledge and encourage learning through training workshops. Furthermore our direct zoo support and capacity building can continue which will help to improve animal welfare both immediately and long term.
Partner for Animals
This year we will be facilitating four partnerships as part of our Partner for Animals programme. The first programme, which started in 2019, is between North Carolina Zoo (NCZ) in the USA and Zoological Parks Organisation (ZPO) in Thailand. ZPO operates seven zoos in Thailand so the training given to the ZPO staff by NCZ and Wild Welfare benefits thousands of animals in captivity.
Our second partnership is between San Francisco Zoo (SFZ) in the USA and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Brazil (AZAB). AZAB has 33 zoo and aquarium members so the Partner for Animals programme has the potential to reach hundreds of staff, through animal welfare and veterinary training, and have a positive impact on thousands of animals’ lives. The aim is to create a network of animal welfare experts across Brazil who can address issues within AZAB’s membership but also other zoos and captive animal facilities. We will use these in-country experts to create ambassador zoos and aquariums to demonstrate what good animal welfare and care looks like to the Brazilian zoo community, elected officials and the visiting public.
The third partnership in 2020 is between Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK and a bear park in Japan. The training given to the staff at the bear park will build capacity for them to be able to give appropriate care for almost 100 bears kept at the facility. The fourth programme, which is in development for 2020, is planned to be in Vietnam. With over 100 zoos, circuses and other animal facilities in Vietnam we are working with the Vietnam Zoo Association and our partners to secure a partnership programme to tackle the animal welfare issues across the country. The Partner for Animals programme addresses the lack of knowledge about animal welfare and husbandry training in these countries and also the cultural barriers which prevent improvements to animal care. This programme will positively impact hundreds of animal care staff but also tens of thousands of animals, giving them a life worth living.
Pan Asian Convention on Animal Welfare
Providing evidence-based, practical and tangible training and support to key stakeholders is essential for captive wild animal welfare to improve. Wild Welfare is partnering with Wildlife Reserves Singapore to jointly host a 4-day Pan Asian convention on captive animal welfare in April. Over 100 delegates are expected to attend from around 15 different countries. The aim of the event is to empower, educate and support those that are responsible for animal care within their respective nations through advancing knowledge and the application of best practice and animal welfare principles.
The workshop will focus on a range of animal welfare subjects and interactive workshops that encourage regionally appropriate discussions in animal welfare. It will also help identify relevant action that can be taken to improve captive animal welfare. Through a united statement of commitment, the convention will detail pan-regional welfare recommendations and future action.
Captive Animal Welfare Course in Vietnam
In April, we will also be collaborating with WildAct, a Vietnamese charity providing educational opportunities for local students focusing on animal welfare and conservation. Our visit will involve helping them to run their 2-week Captive Animal Welfare course, sharing vital knowledge on animal welfare, behaviour and enrichment and welfare assessments.
As part of this, we will join the students on a visit to a facility in which they will be required to carry out behavioural observations to assess animal welfare. This is hugely important as behaviour can be a key indicator to show the welfare states and experiences that an animal is feeling. Our aim is for the students to be able to use this knowledge in future employment within the animal welfare sector, positively impacting the lives of captive animals in Vietnam and beyond.
All of these initiatives will make a big difference to the lives of thousands of animals living in the facilities we are working with, ensuring welfare standards are consistently improving. We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress and from all the team at Wild Welfare, thank you again for everything you are making possible!
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