Endangered Wildlife: Whales, Turtles, Sharks & Seals Rescue Society

Endangered whales, turtles, sharks, and seals receive important support from IFAW in three major areas: reducing commercial exploitation and trade, saving animals in distress, and preserving habitat. IFAW supports CITES' efforts to help protect animals who are being exploited due to illegal wildlife trade. IFAW's Emergency Relief Team helps national and local organizations to save animals when natural and man made disasters occur. Our rapid response capabilities allow us to save animals that otherwise might be lost to oil spills and storms. We also fight to preserve vital animal habitats around the world from human encroachment and destruction. IFAW meets animal welfare and conservation challenges in dozens of different settings, and works with a variety of national and local entities. A few of our recent wildlife rescue and preservation programs include:

• IFAW provides Emergency Animal relief like that given to desperate animals in the Baghdad zoo. IFAW rushed to Iraq to help ensure the long-term welfare of the animals, providing emergency food, supplies and veterinary care.



• Stranded turtle programs, including saving 24 individuals off of Cape Cod through a $1,000 donation to pay for their transport to warmer waters via commercial airline; fighting the exploitation of the Asian freshwater turtle by supporting efforts to eliminate the illegal trade and regulate the legal trade of these animals.



• Whale preservation programs, including providing research funding that helped lead to the successful establishment of a whale sanctuary in Fiji's territorial waters; IFAW is a founding member of the Cape Cod Stranding Network, and provides ongoing help with Cape Cod whale strandings.



• Seal protection programs, including delivering 100,000 signatures against Canada's commercial seal hunt to the cultural and press attachés outside of the Canadian embassy in Berlin on the Seal Hunt Day of Action, October 24, 2002.



• Gorilla and Elephant preservation: A US$30,000 donation to boost the work of the Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP); support for a petition of some two million signatures, organized by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to stop illegal bushmeat trade in Central Africa; work with African peoples to ensure compliance with the 1989 ban on the ivory trade, and expansion of elephant habitat in South Africa; work with David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya and Tsavo National Park to build lion-proof enclosures to protect young elephant population.



• Our local and regional efforts in Asia/Pacific, Canada, China, East Africa, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Latin America, the Netherlands, Russia, Southern Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States provide protection and emergency help to a wide range of wild and domestic animals.



• Since 1994, IFAW has given more than 400 Pet Rescue grants totaling nearly $2 million to small, local shelters and animal protection groups around the world. In Mexico City, IFAW's Latin America office is addressing the root causes of pet overpopulation, and is educating the public and local authorities about responsible pet ownership.

Our animal protection campaigns can only continue with your support

IFAW begins its fourth decade of operation with more than 200 experienced campaigners, legal and political experts, and internationally acclaimed scientists working from offices in 13 countries around the world. We are dedicated to preserving the link between animals and human beings across the globe. Our worldwide focus on animal conservation and the preservation of animal habitat requires generous donations from a wide network of supporters. If you wish to make a donation to IFAW, simply fill out the online form. Donating online is easy and secure. Please follow these links to find out more about corporate giving and planned giving. We want to create a world in which all life can flourish. You can help us attain that goal by making your charitable contribution to IFAW today.

Find out more about IFAW campaigns to save threatened species.