It has been more than two months since conflict broke out in Ukraine and in all this time, we have been working without rest to bring aid and relief to the animals on the ground. Together with our partners in Poland and Ukraine, we have helped to feed, treat, evacuate and rehabilitate thousands of animals injured and displaced by war. In April, our partner, Marc Ward from Have a Heart Equine Sanctuary (HAHES), joined us in Ukraine to bring critical aid to animals on the ground. Our work is ongoing, and we will continue long after the war is over.
While Ukraine remains one of our primary areas of focus at present, our team is continuing to work with our partners to help animals in crisis around the world. Here is how your donations allowed us to help animals in dire need during April. We will send you a full update on our work in Ukraine soon.
South Africa – KwaZulu-Natal
Torrential rainfall in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) region of South Africa led to devastating flooding in the province. The floods killed hundreds of people and animals, and seriously affected our partner organization on the ground, KZN Valley Dogs. Supply lines were cut off and roads were all but washed away, making it impossible for them to reach and feed the hundreds of dogs they support. Our team went in under challenging circumstances, crossing hazardous terrain, to help KZN Valley Dogs feed animals who hadn’t had a square meal since the flooding. We continue to support this wonderful organization on an ongoing basis as they feed and care for hundreds of homeless street dogs in the Valley of a Thousand Hills.
South Africa – Noordhoek
The Tom Ro Haven in Noordhoek, Cape Town, cares for abused and neglected horses and ponies. They also focus on community outreach and educating local people on how to care for their horses. A number of their rescue horses were saved from bush-racing, a cruel and illegal blood-sport in which horses are stolen and raced for money. The animals are terribly mistreated and some, when found or rescued, need to be euthanized to be put out of their excruciating pain. This month, we funded Tom Ro’s next community outreach program. Education is key to teaching people about horses, helping them to develop empathy for animals and helping to put an end to the ghastly sport of bush-racing. Read more about our work with Tom Ro here.
South Africa – Cape Town
The Howlelujah Foundation is a non-profit organization that rescues abandoned and neglected animals in Cape Town and helps to find them loving forever homes. Like so many rescue organizations, they had amassed a large vet bill due to treating and sterilizing significant numbers of unwanted animals. Through our Small Acts of Kindness program, made possible by the continued support of our loyal donors, we were able to donate $1,000 towards their vet costs and help ease their load.
South Africa - Hout Bay
A few months ago, we told you about the plight of baby seals along the coast of the Western Cape in South Africa. Mother seals were giving birth and abandoning their young, leaving them starving and orphaned, some only days old, in desperate need of sustenance and critical care. The Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre takes in these orphaned, sick or injured pups, nursing them back to health until they’re strong enough to return to the ocean where they belong. They reached out to us for help and thanks to your support, we were able to supply enough vital nutrition to feed 25 seal pups for two months. We are thrilled to report that many of the seals are thriving, and some have even been released back into the ocean. We will continue to support this incredibly hardworking organization which has helped to bring countless seals back from the brink of death. Read more.
South Africa – Calvinia
Network for Animals has been helping to support the needy animals of rural farming town, Calvinia, since last year, when we learned of the plight of hundreds of starving, neglected and abused animals here. Through our continued support and the dedicated team in Calvinia, we are helping to improve the situation by providing food, medical care and a vital sterilization program. Incredibly, we have managed to sterilize 91% of the pet population in the area – a huge achievement, and the most effective way to reduce the incidence of animal neglect, abuse and disease. Well done to our team in Calvinia!
South Africa – Bonnievale
Recently, our partner Have a Heart Equine Sanctuary (HAHES) let us know that their horsebox had been damaged beyond repair, and they urgently needed a new one. This is a vital piece of equipment for treating and confiscating abused horses and donkeys in the areas in which they work, and they cannot be without it. We purchased a new horsebox for them right away, and continue to support their deeply worthy work with abused and neglected equines in the rural townships of South Africa.
Kenya – Nairobi
A few months ago, our team visited the Nairobi Feline Sanctuary (NFS), a small, good-hearted sanctuary that cares for unwanted cats in the Kenyan capital. Here, 210 little souls are desperate for food, treatment, shelter and love, and the NFS is stretched to capacity. They needed help raising funds for food and medicine for the cats in their care. They reached out to us, and our supporters enabled us to make a generous donation to the little sanctuary to assist them with food, medication and rescue efforts as they go out and save injured, abused and neglected animals from the streets of Nairobi. Thank you for being a friend to the cats of Kenya!
Middle East – Jordan
We have great news to share about Bella, the little puppy with a broken back we told you about a few months ago. Sweet little Bella has taken her flight to freedom – or at least, her flight to a ‘bellissima’ new life in Italy! After being rescued by the wonderful Al Rabee Society for Nature and Animal Protection in Aqaba, Jordan. She was offered a place, free of charge, at Casa Bau rehabilitation center in Italy – all we needed to do was raise the funds for her flight. Bella’s story resonated deeply with you, and thanks to your support we were able to get Bella on her flight. Thanks to you, she can look forward to a bright future where she’ll receive the dedicated care and rehabilitation she needs, and may even walk again one day. Thank you for opening your heart to beautiful little Bella!
Mauritius
In December, we told you about Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCAR) in Mauritius, which faced imminent eviction from their landlord. The shelter was home to 65 rescued dogs and over 100 cats. Your support enabled us to get the animals to safety: first by relocating them to a temporary location so they wouldn’t be killed by the authorities, and now by helping to build a new shelter where the animals will always be safe and cared for. Land for the new shelter has been prepared and building is ready to commence. We will keep you updated on this project.
Middle East – Jordan
The Al Rabee Society for Nature and Animal Protection does an excellent job caring for more than 400 severely abused, neglected and starving dogs in Jordan – a country where animal lives have little to no value. This organization works under incredibly difficult conditions to rescue and care for animals, and we are always proud to support their work. Al Rabee desperately needed to move to a new shelter: their existing premises were too small for all the animals, but worse, they were constantly affected by crime. They have secured a location and we are providing the funding to help them build their bigger, safer new shelter so they can help even more dogs and cats. The animals are so deserving of this new home!
Middle East – Jordan
Al-Rahmeh for Animals is another of our Jordanian partners which does incredible work for the abused and unwanted dogs of the region. They, too, urgently needed to move to new premises: their landlord kicked them out of their shelter as they were based in a residential area. They managed to find a wonderful farm location for their new premises and with our help, will be building a new shelter, capable of housing and helping even more animals.
As always, these life-changing, life-saving campaigns are made possible by your kind and generous donations. Thank you for continuing to support our work so that we may fight to help every precious life possible.
Image credits: Banner & 4: Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre, Image 2: Tom Ro Haven, Image 3:Howlelujah Foundation, Image 6: Have a Heart Equine Sanctuary, Image 8: Al Rabee Society for Nature and Animal Protection, Image 9: SCAR
