UK Campaigns
Tuesday, 02, Dec 2008 04:53
Internationally, IFAW covers a huge range of issues and runs a large variety of projects from our 15 offices around the world, from protecting bears in China to running Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW) projects in South Africa.
In the UK, IFAW has three major campaign areas; wildlife trade and endangered species, marine issues and hunting with dogs. These areas are outlined below.
Bidding For Extinction
The Internet is increasingly being used to buy and sell wildlife on a vast scale. This trade in live animals and parts of endangered species is causing untold suffering to millions of exotic animals traded on the Internet and is pushing endangered species closer to extinction. Much of the global wildlife trade is illegal and those involved risk heavy penalties and prison sentences.
Click here for more information
"Think Twice" before you buy souvenirs
IFAW is encouraging tourists to 'Think Twice' before buying souvenirs to help protect endangered species. The illegal trade in wildlife is estimated to be second only in value to the illegal drug trade. Hundreds of species are caught and traded as live pets and for food, medicine and the souvenir market. Each year, UK Customs agents seize thousands of items made from endangered species. Organised criminals control much of this trade, but a proportion is carried out by unwitting tourists.
South Africa is an increasingly popular destination for millions of tourists visiting each year - and IFAW is currently focusing on providing holidaymakers from the UK, Netherlands and Germany with information about the wildlife souvenirs commonly for sale in the country. In the UK, IFAW's campaign is being supported by ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, and many tour operators are helping distribute materials to travellers.
Click here to visit IFAW UK's Think Twice campaign site for more information
MARINE CAMPAIGNS
Canadian seal slaughter
Over the past three years the Canadian government has allowed (and aided through indirect subsidies) the slaughter of almost one million seals.
The seals are clubbed or shot and veterinary checks have shown up to 40% are still alive when skinned for their fur. Most of the carcasses are left to rot on the ice.
Since its inception in 1969, IFAW has led the campaign to end this cruel and unnecessary hunt. We continue to maintain international pressure against this brutal practise, and in March 2007 again had a team on the ice in Canada documenting the cruelty of the slaughter. In addition, the poor ice conditions of 2007 raised concerns about high natural mortality rates and the unsustainable nature of this hunt - the largest marine mammal hunt in the world.
Several of IFAW’s country offices, including the UK, are working towards banning the import of seal products.
Click here to visit IFAW's campaign site for more information.
Making waves to stop whaling
Whaling has driven many of the great whale species to the brink of extinction. Despite an international ban on commercial whaling since 1986, Japan, Norway and Iceland still carry out this inherently cruel activity.
Japan hunts whales for commercial purposes by exploiting a loophole in the International Whaling Commission regulations which allows for scientific whaling. The meat from the whales then ends up on sale in restaurants and supermarkets. Later in 2007 Japan intends to add 50 endangered humpback whales to its target list, in addition to fin and minke whales, when it resumes its hunt in the internationally designated Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica.
In 2003 Iceland resumed scientific whaling, allocating itself a quota of 200 minke whales. This programme ended in early September 2007. In October 2006 the Icelandic government announced the resumption of commercial whaling, allocating the whalers a quota of up to 30 minke whales and nine endangered fin whales. However, due to the lack of demand for whale meat, Iceland’s Fisheries Minister announced in late August 2007 that no more commercial whaling quotas would be permitted until export markets could be found.
Norway rejects the international whaling moratorium and openly hunts whales commercially. However, in 2006 it was unable to sell enough of the meat and the hunt was called off before the allocated quota was reached.
In 2004 and again in 2006, IFAW took its purpose-built research and education vessel, Song of the Whale, to Iceland to show the value of non-invasive research methods. IFAW offered internships to Icelandic students to spend time on board and participate in studies of blue and fin whales. Icelandic politicians were also taken out on the boat.
IFAW urges whaling nations to end whaling and promotes responsible whale watching as a humane and sustainable alternative.
Click here to visit IFAW's campaign site for more information.
Ocean noise pollution
Sound is very important to cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) for navigation, communication and finding food and mates. Given the scarcity of light in the underwater environment, cetaceans rely on their hearing, not vision, as their primary sense.
Underwater noise is a chronic form of ocean pollution which adversely affects the ability cetaceans to survive and behave normally. In the most extreme cases it can cause death. The main sources of man-made underwater noise pollution include military sonar, seismic surveys for oil and gas prospecting, mineral extraction, construction, shipping, acoustic deterrents (e.g. pingers on fishing nets) and recreational activities.
Given the nature of the marine environment, it is very difficult to assess the true impact of noise pollution on cetaceans and other marine mammals. However, since the 1960s it has been proven that military sonar has caused several mass strandings of whales, particularly beaked whales, resulting in the deaths of many whales.
IFAW is working to investigate further and combat the effects of man-made underwater noise pollution on cetaceans to help protect these magnificent creatures from harm. This will involve doing more scientific research and coming up with strategies to either remove or mitigate against the harmful effects of underwater noise pollution.
Click here to visit IFAW's Ocean Noise Pollution campaign site for more information
HUNTING WITH DOGS
Victory for animal welfare
IFAW campaigned since 1989 in the UK, alongside other organisations, for a ban on the cruel sport of hunting deer, foxes, hares and mink with dogs. Scotland banned hunting with dogs in 2002, and two years later Westminster followed suit.
The Hunting Act 2004 was passed on 18 November 2004 by the use of the Parliament Acts (1911 and 1949), which were automatically invoked to fulfil the wishes of the elected House of Commons. The ban came into effect three months later on 18 February 2005. This was a momentous occasion and a true victory for animal welfare and democracy. .
Click here for more information
Enforcing the law
The Hunting Act is a good, clear piece of legislation that protects foxes, deer, hares and mink from the cruelty of being chased and torn apart by a pack of dogs.
To ensure that the Hunting Act is enforced, IFAW’s Wildlife Crime Investigators continue to monitor hunts post-ban to ensure that hunts are acting within the law, and to pass evidence of suspected law breaking to the authorities. We are working closely with individual local police forces and with the Association of Chief Police Officers to share our experience and expertise on hunting with them.
A number of successful prosecutions – for the illegal hunting of foxes, hare and deer - have proved the Act is enforceable, despite the claims of the pro-hunt lobby. As of the start of July 2007, 12 individuals had been found guilty of breaking the Act. This number is set to climb as more prosecutions are in the pipeline, including one being taken by Avon & Somerset Police against the Devon & Somerset Staghounds based on evidence gathered by IFAW’s Wildlife Crime Investigators. The case is ongoing.
Click here for more information
EMERGENCY RELIEF AND PET RESCUE
Emergency Relief
IFAW has an international team of experts on standby round the clock to assist animals in crisis and distress throughout the world. The Emergency Relief team provides valuable coordination for vital on-the-ground efforts to save animals threatened by oil spills, strandings, earthquakes, wildfires and other natural disasters. The team members are widely recognised as leaders in their field, and are frequently called upon to share their specialised knowledge with other animal welfare groups.
Click here to visit IFAW's Emergency Relief campaign site for more information.
Pet Rescue
IFAW campaigns to protect companion animals around the world. We aim not only to save cats and dogs from neglect, cruelty and suffering, but also to increase awareness of their unique place in our communities as companion animals.
We use our unparalleled network of international offices and experts to create new laws and animal education programs to aid and rescue countless more dogs, cats and other pets each year. In the UK, IFAW is proud to support the work of two unique organisations which recognise the special relationship between companion animals and people, and work to improve the lives of both. Pets As Therapy is a nationwide network of volunteers with over 3000 dogs and over 90 cats bringing companionship and comfort to people in care homes, hospices, hospitals and schools. Paws for Kids has been providing extra support services to women and children who have fled from violence at home and live in the North West, enabling pets to be fostered at this difficult time so the animals – and their owners – can remain safe.
Click here to visit IFAW's Pet Rescue campaign site for more information.
Last updated: July 2007