Sanctuaries: Vital havens that save lives
Whether airlifting bears or relocating ‘problem’ elephants, IFAW gives to wild animals the sanctuary they need, either for long-term care or prior to release back to the wild. By tackling the root causes of their displacement, we are supporting vital long-term conservation efforts.
IFAW helps ease the suffering of wild and domestic animals whenever
possible.
Individual wild animals are continually being placed into crisis situations as a result of human activities, such as unethical hunting practices, habitat loss, wildlife trade and commercial exploitation.
When captive animals cry out from cruelty, when injured or orphaned wildlife needs gentle care and rehabilitation, or when an individual animal needs a safe sanctuary, IFAW's Emergency Relief Team responds.
IFAW helped the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) relocate ten "problem" elephants in the Laikipia area to the safety of Meru National Park. The successful translocation took two weeks to complete. The joint effort not only saved the lives of these elephants by defusing conflict with humans, but helped rebuild the elephant population at Meru Park.
Across Africa, tens of thousands of animals are killed, orphaned or abused as a result of the bushmeat trade. A two-year-old chimp named Commando is one of those victims. He had been captured, beaten and illegally held as a pet after bushmeat hunters killed his parents. Commando was initally rescued by the African Rainforests and Rivers Conservation group in the Central African Republic. They called IFAW to find him a safe refuge, and IFAW's Emergency Relief team made urgent plans to transport the injured chimp to Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, in Northern Zambia.
IFAW rescued two Russian brown bears -- Fenja, a 38-year-old former movie star, and Ljalja, her six-year-old companion -- from desperate conditions at Moscow State University. With no funding available, the bears were forced to live in small cages. Until IFAW stepped in, they survived on nothing more than leftovers fed to them by students. The bears were airlifted to the Netherlands to be cared for at a shelter run by the International Bear Foundation.
We also financed the relocation of a tiger, lioness and cougar from a family-run facility in Massachusetts that had shut down to the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) in San Antonio, Texas. While the animals had been well cared for by their previous caregivers, finding new homes for them was not easy.
IFAW’s Emergency Relief program paid for the relocation, including transport and new enclosures. We're pleased that these cats will be able to live out their lives at WAO, a well-respected facility that provides sanctuary for hundreds of wild animals.
IFAW's Emergency Relief team works to actively rescue individual wild animals and place them into appropriate places of safety, to undertake rehabilitation for release back to the wild or place them in sanctuaries for long term care. All the time we are seeking ways to assist in addressing the ultimate cause of their displacement, and therefore facilitating the conservation of species and biodiversity.
Individual wild animals are continually being placed into crisis situations as a result of human activities, such as unethical hunting practices, habitat loss, wildlife trade and commercial exploitation.
When captive animals cry out from cruelty, when injured or orphaned wildlife needs gentle care and rehabilitation, or when an individual animal needs a safe sanctuary, IFAW's Emergency Relief Team responds.
IFAW helped the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) relocate ten "problem" elephants in the Laikipia area to the safety of Meru National Park. The successful translocation took two weeks to complete. The joint effort not only saved the lives of these elephants by defusing conflict with humans, but helped rebuild the elephant population at Meru Park.
Across Africa, tens of thousands of animals are killed, orphaned or abused as a result of the bushmeat trade. A two-year-old chimp named Commando is one of those victims. He had been captured, beaten and illegally held as a pet after bushmeat hunters killed his parents. Commando was initally rescued by the African Rainforests and Rivers Conservation group in the Central African Republic. They called IFAW to find him a safe refuge, and IFAW's Emergency Relief team made urgent plans to transport the injured chimp to Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage, in Northern Zambia.
IFAW rescued two Russian brown bears -- Fenja, a 38-year-old former movie star, and Ljalja, her six-year-old companion -- from desperate conditions at Moscow State University. With no funding available, the bears were forced to live in small cages. Until IFAW stepped in, they survived on nothing more than leftovers fed to them by students. The bears were airlifted to the Netherlands to be cared for at a shelter run by the International Bear Foundation.
We also financed the relocation of a tiger, lioness and cougar from a family-run facility in Massachusetts that had shut down to the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) in San Antonio, Texas. While the animals had been well cared for by their previous caregivers, finding new homes for them was not easy.
IFAW’s Emergency Relief program paid for the relocation, including transport and new enclosures. We're pleased that these cats will be able to live out their lives at WAO, a well-respected facility that provides sanctuary for hundreds of wild animals.
IFAW's Emergency Relief team works to actively rescue individual wild animals and place them into appropriate places of safety, to undertake rehabilitation for release back to the wild or place them in sanctuaries for long term care. All the time we are seeking ways to assist in addressing the ultimate cause of their displacement, and therefore facilitating the conservation of species and biodiversity.
IFAW's Emergency Relief Team rescues wild and domestic animals around the world, saving them from abusive or dangerous situations, rehabilitating them, and placing them into sanctuaries or back into the wild, if possible. Photo © IFAW
