As the year draws to a close it's a good opportunity to reflect on the successes and failures of the past 12 months as well as making plans for the future. It's been a busy year for Network for Animals with new staff, new challenges and the odd moment of careful optimism. We thought it would be nice for you, our supporters, to read our round up of the successes we achieved in 2011 and what we have identified as the key goals to strive for in 2012.
- 2011 saw the successful prosecution of dog meat traders under anti-rabies legislation in the Philippines. We see these as benchmark rulings which will hopefully set a precedent for more prosecutions to come.
- This year saw two devastating natural disasters in Asia that we felt compelled to act on. The first was the terrible flooding in Thailand, for which we gave a grant to SCAD Bangkok to assist with their relief efforts. Then, only last week, our team in Mindanao sprung into action to distribute food, water and emergency vet care following the chaos of Typhoon Washi.
- We identified the re-emerging threat to badgers and chose to support a badger rescue operation in Cornwall so that they could continue their vital badger rescue work. In addition to this we ran petitions and 'Email Your MP' campaigns on badgers with huge participation as well as providing Badger Trust with a grant to assist with the costs of their legal challenge against the cull. We believe pressure from our supporters was partly instrumental in the Welsh decision to review their plans for a cull.
- We delivered a petition on the dog meat trade to parliament with over 10,000 signatures and the support of more than a dozen MPs. We also secured commitment from the Ambassador to the Philippines and senior government figures to continue to support our work on this issue.
- We conducted our first raid of a restaurant serving dog meat in Baguio City in the Philippines, with the pledge to do many more next year.
- We provided free vet care for hundreds of horses in the Philippines, some of which were injured in horse fights
In 2012 we intend to continue building on what we achieved this year. Our key goals are to:
- Assist in the prosecution of more dog meat traders and close more restaurants
- Pressure the government to abort plans for a cull of badgers in England
- Work with other organizations to ensure the Hunting Act 2004 remains in place
- Launch a new tourism-focused campaign with the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust to tackle the dog meat trade
- Work with HSI to ensure that the Chinese market remains closed to seal products
We are always happy to receive feedback and suggestions about the work we are doing and hope that our supporters continue to stay with us for the coming year. We will continue to fight for a world that treats animals with respect and animal cruelty is a thing of the past.
We wish you all the best for the festive season and a very happy new year.
