IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

Three wild horses found shot in Alberta

On Tuesday, April 28th three wild horses were found shot to death in the foothills of Alberta, Canada. The latest victims were a pregnant mare, her yearling colt and a young stud. The colt was shot in the chest and ran up a hill for about 100 feet before collapsing. The stud had been shot in his stomach, and suffered a long, agonizing death. His head was caught between two trees when he fell. The mare looked ready to foal within a day or two, and appeared to have gone into labour after she was shot as her birthing sack was visible when she was found.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and wildlife authorities are investigating the killings. They believe the horses were shot from a nearby road with a high-powered rifle.

The winners of IFAW Canada’s 2008 Wildlife Protection Award, Bob and Doreen Henderson of the Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) serve to protect these wild horses and lobby the provincial government to enact legislation to better protect them. The death of these last three raises the total to 28 wild horses found shot in Alberta since the formation of WHOAS in 2002. For Bob and Doreen, this type of scene is all too familiar.

WHOAS, with several other animal welfare organizations in Alberta, is offering a reward of $25,000 CDN for information leading to arrest of the person(s) responsible for the shooting. For more information and to find out what you can do to help, click here.

Photo: Bob Henderson

Under wind and rain - IFAW rescues stranded dolphins

Posted by IFAW Communications Officer - Michael Booth

The call for help was received at 1:00pm as we were all busy at our office desks and quite happy to have a roof over our heads as rain started to pour down on Cape Cod.

Three dolphins had been reported stranded along the marsh at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet and like so many times before everyone immediately burst into motion.

Like clockwork, the team of responders rushed to the warehouse area that houses all the necessary rescue equipment and transport trailers needed to rescue the large cetaceans. It seemed everyone had a phone permanently attached to their ear, getting more information from the field and calling up volunteers.

Within the hour we were there, facing the distressed dolphins. It was cold, it was raining heavily and we were knee-deep in mud but next to us were three Atlantic White-sided dolphins stranded but alive!

Moving them was no simple task, the largest male dolphin was close to 8 feet and carrying his large body on a stretcher through those mud flats required very heavy lifting and patience. Each step was hard-earned but eventually all 3 dolphins were placed inside the transport vehicle where a series of test were done to evaluate their health.

Blood was drawn, tags were being placed on their dorsal fin and there was even an ultrasound device capturing images from inside the dolphin’s organs looking for signs of damage and distress.

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived with the dolphins to Herring Cove. This safe release site is chosen largely because the rescued animals have a clear shot at the open ocean, which dramatically reduces the chances of them ending up stranded again. That day, the ocean surf was far from calm but good enough to send these dolphins back on their way and back to their ocean home.

As they swam away, crowd and volunteers cheered. It was a great ending to a hard working day –a big thank you to IFAW supporters for making these rescues possible.

IFAW conducts Emergency Relief training in Canada

Posted by IFAW Emergency Responder - Deb Gleason

Twenty-five extraordinary individuals who share a common concern for the fate of animals in disasters in Canada joined Dick Green and I for a two day training session last week. We came together to develop goals and common ground for how to handle animals in case of a disaster in Canada, and more specifically, in Ontario. The group was comprised of representatives from the Ontario SPCA and several of their affiliates, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Toronto Wildlife Centre, Social Services, the Canadian Red Cross as well as local emergency managers and municipal leaders.

Participants were introduced to the world of disasters and in particular, to what IFAW has done internationally to help animals in distress. IFAW’s 36-foot response trailer was on site and participants were given a tour of the trailer. Through this, the participants saw first-hand how our Emergency Response team communicates with the outside world while responding to a disaster, as well as where they meet, eat and sleep.

Disaster assessments, training and equipment, coalition building and lessons learned from past disasters were some of the key areas that were covered. The highlight of the session was a massive table top exercise where the participants had to problem solve their way through a mock large disaster that put thousands of animals in peril. The good news is that not only did they learn a lot about the challenges they would face in a disaster involving animals, they were successful in identifying key issues as well as rescuing and sheltering animals throughout the scenario.

Government of Canada Annouces Outrageous Seal Hunt Quota

Posted by Sheryl Fink, IFAW Senior Researcher

In the same week that Russia annouced an end to the hunting of seals under a year old, the Canadian goverment released today that they will allow for the slaughter of 280,000 harp seal pups this year.

This is outrageous.  This quota is completely indefensible. It’s not supported by markets, it’s not supported by the DFO’s own management plan, and it’s certainly not going to be supported by the majority of Canadians.

For the past two years we’ve seen saturated markets for seal fur, and pelt prices are now the lowest in recent memory.  If this is a market-based hunt, as the government claims, the quota for this year should be zero.

The federal government’s determination to ignore reality on this issue is totally irrational.  There are no markets for seal products, and with a potential European-wide ban on the horizon, no signs that the economic outlook is going to improve anytime soon. While our politicians trip over themselves to support commercial sealing, our taxes are being wasted on bailing out an anachronistic, dangerous, dead-end industry.

How ironic that two days after Russia announced an end to its commercial harp seal hunt, Canada is condemning one-third of the pups born here to a cruel and unnecessary death. Our government is insistent on keeping Canada stuck in the dark ages.  Canadians would be much better served by a government that will stop playing politics, stop wasting our taxes, and start investing in alternative, economically viable employment opportunities.

Canada’s commercial seal hunt will be under intense scrutiny this year, as the European Union considers banning the trade in seal products.

You can help keep the pressure on the Canadian government by taking action now on www.stopthesealhunt.org

What Happens After They Swim Away?

Releasing a stranded animal is always an exhilarating experience, but there is a wide range of emotions that go through our heads whenever an animal is released. Often there is an initial sigh of relief after the arduous task of recovering, stabilizing, and transporting the dolphins. As you stand in the surf, squinting your eyes to try and spot a dorsal fin in the suns glare another question starts to quietly pop up in the back of your head. “How will I know if they’re ok?” Responders will ask themselves. As the dorsal fins disappear among the swells that question becomes a nagging one that’s always in the back of your mind. It used to be that if a stranded animal came ashore deceased you pretty much knew the rescue was a failure and if you never saw the animal again you hoped everything was ok.

IFAW Rescues Four Stranded Dolphins In Wellfleet

Cape Cod juts out from the Massachusetts coast like a flexed arm and has historically been a hot spot for marine animal strandings due to this feature. It’s reputation held true with a stranding event yesterday in Wellfleet, MA. Often times whales, dolphins, and even sea turtles will be migrating along the coast and find themselves trapped on the beaches of Cape Cod. Yesterday morning a Fin whale and four Common Dolphins were reported to IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team. Instantly the team rapidly assembled a response and headed to Wellfleet.

While some marine mammals, such as seals, naturally spend time on shore, most everything else stays in the water. (ok, another exception that just popped in my head is when Sea Turtles come ashore to lay eggs) When a whale or dolphin winds up on land it’s a life threatening situation that requires quick action. With powerful tails (known as a fluke) and a streamlined shape these animals have evolved to live life in the water. A whale that weighs 30-tons moves effortlessly through the water, but will quickly crush its internal organs under its own weight when on land.

Luckily the Fin whale was herded out to sea yesterday morning and when we arrived on scene four Common Dolphins were sitting on the frozen ground. IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team and lots of volunteers showed up to help out with the rescue. The animals appeared healthy so we carefully carried them in stretchers to IFAW’s Emergency Response vehicle waiting near by. A brief road trip to Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod and they were one step closer to freedom. The reason we move them to this location is so we can release them where they can easily access open ocean. One of the dolphins was outfitted with a satellite tag that enables us to monitor how effectively we do our job of rescuing dolphins. So far two transmissions from the tag shows the dolphin heading away from land and out to sea.

Just another ordinary day for IFAW Marine Mammal Rescue Team and thanks to their efforts a group of dolphins which would have otherwise perished, are swimming free.

Check out the pictures and map below!

Take a look at this map and you'll understand why Cape Cod is such a hot spot for strandings of marine mammals. 

View Larger Map

It's time to renew US leadership in whale protection

Post written by Patrick Ramage, IFAW's Global Whale Program Director

Many people think commercial hunting of whales ended in the 1980s. Sadly, this is not the case! More than 30,000 whales have been killed since the 1986 commercial whaling ban and Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to slaughter whales for products that nobody needs. The Government of Japan leads this effort and its factory ship and fleet are killing whales right now in the waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica!

Whales face more threats today than at any time in history -- from marine pollution and habitat destruction, to entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with high-speed vessels. New and emerging threats such as global warming and ocean noise pollution are also threatening the ways whales breed, feed and migrate across our oceans

For more than two decades, IFAW has been giving hands-on-help to whales around the world. Not just on the water or on the beach but also in the halls of government. IFAW is a leader in the fight to protect our planet's great whales at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) the global body charged with protecting whales and managing whale stocks. On Sunday, January 25th, the Washington Post broke the news of a secret Bush administration plan to allow the Government of Japan to kill more whales.

Read the Post story and join our campaign to encourage governments worldwide, including the Governments of Japan, Iceland and Norway to put down the harpoon, pick up the camera and join the emerging global consensus for whale conservation in the 21st century!

Join our fight to protect whales - take action today at www.stopwhaling.org

Mystery Surrounds Pelican Illness On West Coast

© IBRRC

"One pelican was found in New Mexico, wandering in the snow at an elevation of 7,000 feet", reports NPR.

Many of you may have already heard stories from the West coast concerning a large number of endangered pelicans being rescued and admitted to local rehabilitation centers in California. Sick, disoriented pelicans have been found in unusual places, with unusual aliments, not consistent with what has previously been observed in rescued pelicans. Approximately 400 pelicans are believed to have been affected and the number is growing.

Last week the NY Times featured an article, In Pelican Mystery, Weather is Suspect, and the latest continues to penetrate through media. Scientists, environmentalist, fisherman and the wildlife service are all wondering what is happening and is there someone to blame. Unlikely. It seems that mother nature and a massive storm that swamped the Northwest weeks ago may be the mystery behind these ill birds, many of whom are severely frostbitten.

IFAW's international partner in worldwide oil spill response, IBRRC (International Bird Rescue Research Center) has recorded 265 reports of dead or ailing pelicans. More than 100 pelicans are being nursed back to health at the center's two facilities in Fairfield and San Pedro, California with a combination of intravenous fluids, medications and a specialized diet.

For the latest updates on the situation visit the IBRRC blog. They are right in the middle of this and are working around the clock to help these birds.

IFAW US: Washington State Flooding Update

The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Emergency Relief Manager, Dick Green filed this update just about an hour ago on IFAW's monitoring of the situation surrounding the massive flooding in Washington State.

Good morning. I have now heard from Grays Harbor, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Pacific, and Mason Counties. I was in contact with Thurston and King Counties last week. In addition, I have been in daily contact with Department of Agriculture and at this time there have been no requests for rescue, transportation, sheltering, or food. For the most part, the local communities and county DEM have been able to provide needed support. There are local rescue groups active in the area but I do not know where they are operating and I am not aware of which national NGOs might be active in the region. There are at least eight animal shelters in operation at this time - the largest at Evergreen (Olympia) and Puyallup Fairgrounds.

"Pitty Sakes" - a happy ending for a rescue from Hurricane Ike

As reported back in September, IFAW sent our Emergency Relief team to the Gulf coast to assist in the rescue of animals left abandoned in the wake of Hurricane Ike.  One of the areas of focus was in Anahuac, Texas where we set up a sheltering operation.  Below is a heartwarming update of one of the rescues from that site.

Pitty Sakes was rescued by Manny Maciel of American Humane (AHA), one of the groups IFAW was working alongside in Texas and brought to the IFAW shelter in Anahuac that same day. Due to her neglected state and her breed, Pitty did not find a new owner before the shelter team had to demobilize when the rescue efforts were complete.  Luckily, she was placed under the care of local vet Dr. Mel Whitten.

After a few weeks, Christine McEntyre (Texas CARRT), who had worked with IFAW during the sheltering operation, took care of Pitty and found her a new forever home in San Antonio.  Here are a few words from Christine:

"Here are “Before” and “After” pictures of Pitty Sakes, she is now in her new forever home after being cared for by Dr. Whitten and treated for mange, heartworms, parasites, and more. She is now healthy, current on everything, has weight on her, and is microchipped.  Pitty now lives indoors, sleeps in bed with her new human companion, goes to the dog park, naps on the couch, is all filled out...happy, healthy, perky and well loved…. A true happy ending!!!"

     

Thank you to all of our supporters who support IFAW and our efforts to rescue abused and abandoned animals around the world.  Because of you IFAW is there whenever...wherever disaster strikes.