Program:
Dancing Bear Rescue and Rehabilitation, India
- Budget:
-
$600,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
International Animal Rescue began working to end the suffering of the dancing bears in India in 2002 when we joined with Wildlife SOS to open a sanctuary for them. The tradition of dancing bears goes back to the 16th century when Kalandar gypsies used the bears to entertain emperors in the Taj Mahal and it still continues today. The bears’ noses are pierced with a red-hot poker and then a rope is passed through, the rubbing never allowing the wound to heal. Teeth are smashed out with an iron bar and nails are pulled out with pliers. Parliament outlawed dancing bears in 1972, although officials had nowhere to bring the confiscated animals. With their teeth and nails removed they could not be returned to the wild, as they would not be unable to eat properly, dig, climb or defend themselves.
From the very early days, the rehabilitation of the bears' handlers formed an integral part of the project, ensuring they would never need to revert to bear dancing as a way of earning a living.
How it works
The Kalandar tribespeople who danced the bears have been taught new trades to help them support their families and enjoy a better way of life. Every Kalandar who has surrendered his bear has received 50,000 rupees to start up a new business. Examples include a cycle repair shop, a carpet weaving business, grocery shops and rickshaw driving. In return the Kalandars have signed a legally binding contract promising never to acquire another bear on pain of arrest, imprisonment and seizure of all assets in order to repay the start-up loan. Some Kalandars who clearly had a genuine bond with their bears have even been employed at the sanctuaries.
Bear rehabilitation
After a three month period in quarantine, once they are known to be free of disease, the rescued bears are released into socialization enclosures where they meet other bears. The bears in our care have been horrifically abused during their lives and it takes time for them to adjust to their new surroundings and learn to trust the people caring for them. This is an even greater challenge for the blind bears who are particularly frightened and unsure. In Agra and Bannerghatta the blind bears live in special, relatively small enclosures where they learn to feel safe and secure. All the rescued bears are provided with regular environmental enrichment to stimulate them.
Once the bears have spent time socializing with other bears and been pronounced fit by the vets and keepers, they are released into the wider forested area. The freedom to roam among the trees and dense vegetation allows the bears to behave just as they would in the wild, but within the safety of the sanctuaries. Dens built out of local stone give shelter from the heat of the day and the bears can play and cool off in the bathing pools.
Program Long-Term Success:
In December of 2009, we took the last dancing bear off the streets of India, ending a cruel and inhumane tradition that has gone on since the 1600s. Our work is far from over since we will be caring for the bears in our sanctuaries for the next 30 years. We will also continue to work on the poaching level to be sure that no more endangered sloth bears are taken from the wild. Still, this was such a huge victory for us… and a milestone in the world of animal welfare.
Program Short-Term Success:
IAR funds two main sanctuaries for dancing bears in Agra not far from Delhi in the north, and Bannerghatta near Bangalore in the south, as well as a temporary holding centre in Bhopal in central India.
Program Success Monitored by:
Our success will be monitored by Forest Watch, an anti-poaching operation. We hope to see poaching decrease, and, in turn, wild numbers of endangered sloth bears increase.
Program Success Examples:
The cruel practice of dancing bears was made illegal in India in 1972 but in the decades that followed sloth bears that had been caught from the wild continued to be beaten and mutilated to force them to dance. International Animal Rescue and our Indian partners Wildlife SOS succeeded in bringing this barbaric practice to an end in December 2009 and the rescued bears live in a safe, semi-natural environment in our sanctuaries in India.
Program:
Orangutan Conservation, Borneo
- Budget:
-
$400,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
Orangutan Emergency Center
In August 2009 International Animal Rescue signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Forestry Department (BKSDA) in West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, agreeing plans for the rescue, rehabilitation and relocation of orangutans that have lost their forest habitat to make way for oil palm plantations. The agreement allows for the purchase of land and the creation of facilities where the rescued animals can be rehabilitated before being released back into protected areas of forest.
In the meantime, our team is caring for a growing number of orangutans in a small, temporary rescue center in Ketapang, West Kalimantan while we work to establish a more permanent facility. Until International Animal Rescue became involved there was no adequate center for rescued orangutans in the area. The priority was to set up a temporary facility where they could be given immediate care and emergency veterinary treatment.
We started more or less from scratch in Ketapang... The existing center was no more than a collection of cramped rusty cages when the team took over - some already containing frustrated orangutans with no environmental enrichment to stimulate them. Already, by the beginning of 2010, with generous support from the public, we had done a great deal to improve the deplorable conditions at the Ketapang center.
Veterinary Director Karmele Llano Sanchez and her team had started to treat the injuries and ailments of the existing orangutans and had brought in a number of new rescues. A unit of four new enclosures had been designed, built and erected and some of the larger orangutans were enjoying a taste of freedom as they swung vigorously in the hammocks and tires and played with other orangutans, perhaps for the first time in their lives. A nutritious diet with plenty of varied fruits and nuts had begun to improve their health and the environmental enrichment introduced into the cages on a daily basis had awoken a new interest and curiosity in their eyes.
By January 2010 the Ketapang center was caring for a dozen rescued orangutans of all ages. Many more were awaiting rescue. Further enclosures are to be built, extending the facilities of this halfway home until a more suitable replacement can be built.
Program Long-Term Success:
International Animal Rescue has purchased 60 acres of land in Borneo and has just broken ground to build the new rehabilitation center. This will be a safe place to release orangutans once they can fend for themselves.
Program Short-Term Success:
IAR's Indonesian team is working to raise awareness about the plight of the orangutan and the destruction of their natural habitat due to the palm oil trade. Local farmers have called about "problem" orangutans feeding on their crops, so IAR can relocate them instead of shooting them.
Program Success Monitored by:
Our success will be monitored by the safe release of orangutans onto protected land.
Program Success Examples:
IAR's Indonesian team has already rescued 27 orangutans from deplorable living conditions. They are being cared for by our veterinary team at a transit center until the permanent center is complete.
Program:
Primate Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release, Indonesia
- Budget:
-
$250,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
International Animal Rescue's team in Indonesia specializes in rescuing and rehabilitating macaques and slow lorises and releasing them back into protected areas in the wild. Our rescue center on the island of Java has excellent facilities for the treatment and care of these primates. The center has a fully equipped veterinary clinic, spacious primate socialization enclosures, a public education center, accommodation for volunteers and visitors and a viewing platform for observing the animals. Set apart from the other buildings are quarantine enclosures for new or sick animals.
Macaques
Various species of macaque live in different parts of Indonesia: pig-tailed and long-tailed macaques have no legal protection. They are caught from the wild and exported for research, or eaten as a delicacy, but mostly they are kept chained up or caged as pets in miserable isolation.
Our team rescues macaques which have often spent years in captivity. Owners cannot be forced to hand them over but often they are happy to part with a pet which was once small and cuddly but has grown into a strong and dangerous wild animal. After rescue, veterinary check-ups and a period in quarantine, the macaques are socialized in groups. Over time they learn to behave like monkeys and establish a natural hierarchy before being released back into the wild.
International Animal Rescue also helps the macaques by educating people in animal welfare and raising awareness of the dangers of keeping these animals as pets and the risk of zoonotic diseases, as well as campaigning to win macaques legal protection in Indonesia.
Slow Loris
The slow loris is a nocturnal primate which, even though it is legally protected in Indonesia, is frequently and openly traded. Lorises are sold at the roadside to passing drivers and in the notorious animal markets. Jakarta alone has three big markets where all kinds of animals are traded, both legally and illegally. Before being sold the lorises' teeth are clipped off by the trader to prevent them from biting. As a result many of them die a slow, painful death from severe blood loss and infection.
As it is illegal to trade slow lorises, International Animal Rescue works closely with the local authorities and the police to catch the dealers and bring them to court. We aim to return rescued lorises to the wild whenever possible, but also provide lifelong sanctuary for any animals that can no longer fend for themselves.
Program Long-Term Success:
Widespread destruction of the rainforest and the illegal trade in primates in Indonesia inflict terrible suffering on animals that are caught from the wild to be killed for bushmeat or sold as pets. They also pose the threat of extinction to some endangered species. International Animal Rescue's team in Indonesia specializes in rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans, macaques and slow lorises and releasing them back into protected areas in the wild.
Program Short-Term Success:
Education is a vital part of our work in Indonesia to increase people's understanding of their native wildlife and motivate them to respect and protect it. The education team frequently gives talks and presentations to visiting schoolchildren and other local groups. The animals in rehabilitation at the center demonstrate to visitors how primates look and behave if they are given the freedom to live as nature intended.
Program Success Monitored by:
The success of this project will be monitored by the safe release of macaques and slow lorises onto protected land. Over time, we hope to see wild numbers increase and as well as the strict enforcement of the law to protect them from illegal traders.
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Dog Welfare, India
- Budget:
-
$200,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
International Animal Rescue was set up in Goa on the west coast of India to reduce the suffering of the stray dog population.
Unregulated breeding had resulted in large numbers of sick and starving dogs and puppies on the streets and beaches. Since then our sterilization and vaccination programs in Goa and subsequently also in Tamil Nadu have dramatically reduced the numbers of strays. Sterilization also stops male dogs fighting over females and suffering wounds that quickly become infected and infested with maggots if left untreated.
As a result of our anti-rabies vaccinations (AR) cases of rabies in humans have also been eliminated in the areas where we operate.
Program Long-Term Success:
How it works
International Animal Rescue is licensed under the Indian government's Animal Birth Control (ABC) grant system which pays 400INR (around $10.00) towards the cost of every dog that is sterilized. Stray dogs in need of treatment are brought in to our clinics. They may have been spotted by our ambulance drivers, but locals and tourists also often tell us where to find animals in need of help. Indian dogs are smart and streetwise, making them hard to catch unless you're an experienced trapper. But our teams have the skills to catch even the most difficult dogs with a minimum of stress.
During their stay at our centers, the dogs are housed in individual kennels and given as much attention and handling as possible by our staff and volunteers. Street dogs are often remarkably friendly, particularly in Goa where western tourists befriend and feed them. However, it is important to return treated dogs to their territory as soon as possible: a dog that has been away too long will be regarded as an outsider when it returns and will be attacked and driven away from its former home.
Treated dogs have their ears tipped and are fitted with an IAR collar to identify them. Sometimes dogs aren't returned to their territory: they may have an injury or ailment which means they can't fend for themselves, or they may be considered suitable for adoption. Some lucky ones that can't be released are found to fit in well with our family of center dogs, and end up with a home for life, like doggy ambassador Olive in Goa.
Program Short-Term Success:
Education
A vital part of our work to improve the welfare of dogs and cats is the education of local people. Fear of being attacked or catching a disease can lead people to persecute dogs. At International Animal Rescue we teach people, young and old, that animals are sentient beings that deserve our compassion and respect. The animals themselves are our greatest ambassadors: they show us all not only how we can improve their lives, but also the comfort and joy that they can bring into ours.
Program Success Monitored by:
Our success will be monitored by a decrease in the stray dog population as well as a decrease in rabies affecting the human population.
Program Success Examples:
Over the years the center has grown from a few makeshift cages under a palm leaf roof to a fully equipped vet clinic with a kennel block housing 90 dogs and a purpose-built cattery for 50 cats. The center has two surgeries, an x-ray and ECG machine and equipment for orthopaedic surgery. We employ 28 full-time members of staff from Goa and other parts of India. The team includes six fully qualified vets under the leadership of Veterinary Director Astrid Almeida, three nurses, ten kennel staff, four office staff and three drivers.
From initially treating almost solely stray dogs and cats, the clinic has expanded to treat all kinds of animals, both domestic and wild. Our outpatients department is constantly busy and the center also has about 200 animals in care at any one time. As well as dogs and cats, we also provide rehabilitation and shelter for injured livestock, birds and wildlife. John and Jo also provide sanctuary for a number of monkeys that have been rescued from captivity or injured on the busy roads.
Since the center has opened, IAR has treated over 100,000 animals!
Program:
Cat Welfare
- Budget:
-
$200,000
- Category:
-
Animal-Related
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
Sterilization is the only humane and effective way of reducing and controlling large populations of stray cats. International Animal Rescue’s vets in India and Indonesia routinely sterilize stray cats at our clinics. A team from Catastrophes Cat Rescue in the UK also conducts sterilization trips for us in Spain and other parts of Europe, intensively trapping and sterilizing communities of feral cats and giving them treatment for injuries and illness.
Program Long-Term Success:
How it works
Liz Varney, Catastrophes' Executive Director, leads the team of volunteers which includes a vet, vet nurses and experienced trappers. They are often invited to an area by local residents concerned by growing numbers of feral cats. Large communities of stray cats can be a nuisance to people. They themselves also suffer from a lack of food, untreated wounds and injuries leading to infection and slow and painful deaths, and countless unwanted kittens born to females that are too weak and malnourished to feed them.
Program Short-Term Success:
The sterilization team travels to Spain each year to regulate communities of cats in and around Torrevieja. They work closely with Street Cats, a local group run by Jim and Gwen Harrower. Together they are able to trap, sterilize and release nearly 200 cats in just one week, ensuring that populations remain stable and healthy.
Sterilization trips are only possible with the support of local people who appreciate the difference we can make to the animals' lives. We also rely on cooperation from the relevant government authorities in granting permits so our team can work in the country. We hope in future also to visit Malta to tackle the problem of growing populations of stray cats on the island.
Program Success Monitored by:
The success of this program will be monitored by a decrease in the stray cat population. Abandoned and abused cats will be taken in and treated before being adopted. If the cat is not able to find a home, they can live out their lives on the beautiful grounds of the Catastrophes sanctuary.
Program Success Examples:
Thousands of stray cats have been sterilized and vaccinated.