top of page
  • Writer's pictureDon Lichterman

2020 Rescue Stories, Wildlife Aid is Live, Updates on Rescues, Lady Freethinker, MARES at Rescue TV

Updated: Dec 13, 2020

The SAN Rescue Network, Wildlife Aid TV, Official PETA TV, Flying Fur Animal Rescue, Animals Asia, ASPCA, Hope For PAWS, Beagle Freedom Project...
2020 Animal Rescue Stories Made Possible by You!

Your support has powered us to overcome huge obstacles this year. Despite the trials of COVID, we have: rescued dogs from the dog meat trade's slaughter and neglect, stood in the firing line to protect wild animals, brought cruelty-free dissection learning tools into schools, won new protections for animal cruelty victims, launched our first-ever Respect For Fish Day, and won fur-free policy victories from major retailers.

Join Simon and Lawrie for all things wildlife
Dog has Been at Shelter 5 Years - Watch Dog Walks Doug and See If You Want To Adopt Caesar

Dog Walks Doug is the new #HopeForPaws series from #WA2SFilms and the World Animal Rescue Network. We celebrate super volunteer Doug Sears and the daily walks he takes with the dogs at the Animal Charity of Ohio Shelter in Youngstown, Ohio.


Meet Caesar, a dog barely alive when a Humane Agent with Animal Charity of Ohio rescued him - nearly 5 years ago! Caesar has lived in the Canfield Shelter that whole time, nearly 5 year. After watching this video of Caesar - who, as you can see doesn't want to go back after being on a glorious fall walk with Doug.


Please, help us find Caesar a real home! Please share this video everywhere - all the dog sites, dog magazines online, your social media. We need to find Caesar a real furever home. If you'd like to adopt Caesar, reach out to the good people at Animal Charity of Ohio - ask Jane MacMurchy, Adoption Coordinator to help you take Caesar home: https://www.animalcharityofohio.org/a...


World Animal Awareness Society & WA2S Films http://www.WA2S.org

WA2S Films Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WA2S.org


Help the World Animal Awareness Society save thousands of at risk dogs around the world. The work never stops, and we need you. Donate and save more lives! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...


Subscribe and stay tuned for more videos from the WA2S Films official YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/WA2Sorg


WA2S Films is: Deanna Vollano & Tom McPhee

WA2S Films productions are filmed on Sony, Panasonic, and DJI camera systems


c. 2020 All Rights Reserved

Hire WA2S Films & Support Animal Rescue Around The World

http://www.WA2S.org/WA2S-Films 818.561.5109 Studio


Narration courtesy of Vocal artist Mark Rider: http://ridervo.com

Happy Birthday ARC!! Celebrating 10 Years of Compassion in Action!

BRIAN DAVIES AWARD 2020: And the winner is… MARES donkey sanctuary in Zimbabwe!

Network for Animals (NFA) works in far-flung locations across the word; places where the local conditions often make it extremely challenging to help animals.


Along the way, we meet countless dedicated people who, often for no reward, devote their lives to the well-being of animals.


It is that same spirit that motivated our founder and legendary animal welfare pioneer Brian Davies all his life. For more than 50 years, Brian has crusaded for animals in the face of resistance and hostility from people who care nothing for the lives of animals.


It is to honor that extraordinary ethos that NFA created the Brian Davies Award, an annual accolade given to those whose outstanding work succeeds in helping animals against overwhelming obstacles. These are organizations that work in dangerous environments, without any financial or logistical support, or meet with local or political interference or resistance.


Each year, one exceptional animal rescue or welfare group we work with receives a $10,000.00 (£7,746.00) grant as a salute and to assist them in their great work. This is over and above any other grant NFA gives them.


Runners up each receive $5,000.00 (£3,873.00) as an acknowledgment of their own extraordinary achievements.


COMMENDATIONS FOR 2020

Matabeleland Animal Rescue & Equine Sanctuary (MARES), in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Baan Unrak Thai Animal Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

MATABELELAND ANIMAL RESCUE & EQUINE SANCTUARY

Zimbabwe is in total economic collapse, fodder and veterinary medicines are difficult to find and extremely expensive. Fifty-five donkeys live at the MARES sanctuary, all of them abandoned or rescued from abusive owners. Drought and poverty have led to an increase in the numbers of sick donkeys, which makes the need for medicines ever greater. Working with determination and, in spite of huge challenges, MARES also crusades for the enforcement of animal welfare laws.



NFA’s co-founders, Brian and Gloria Davies, are full of praise for the good work: “Network for Animals has been helping MARES for three years, providing financial, veterinary and food aid for the donkeys. Claire Einhorn who runs MARES has impressed us with her absolute relentless in helping animals. Indefatigable springs to mind!


Network for Animals works with so many dedicated people and organizations around the world that it is always so hard to choose a winner, Al Rabee in Jordan and Baan Unrak Thai Animal Sanctuary also do absolutely wonderful work, but what MARES is managing to achieve in spite of overwhelming difficulties is really exceptional.”

AL RABEE SOCIETY FOR NATURE AND ANIMAL PROTECTION

Al Rabee in Aqaba, in Jordan, rescues, rehomes and medically treats street dogs. Much of the time they do so in the face of outright hostility from local people because many people in Jordan consider street dogs vermin and try to kill them on sight. To make matters worse, the authorities often pay a bounty for the ‘capture’ of street dogs, and sometimes dogs are shot openly in the streets or poisoned.


Al Rabee is one of very few no-kill shelters in Jordan and is always full. Presently, it is home to 450 dogs. The shelter also works to enforce notoriously lax animal welfare laws and, through local NGOs and the Ministry of Education, to change people’s attitudes to animals.

NFA supports Al Rabee with a monthly grant and the shelter will use the $5,000.00 prize to create more comfortable living conditions for its dogs.

BAAN UNRAK THAI ANIMAL SANCTUARY

It is estimated that there are over a million street dogs in Thailand, but this number almost certainly does not include the strays in the remote areas of the country, such as in Sanghklaburi in the Province of Kanchanaburi where the Baan Unrak Thai Animal Sanctuary was founded in 2007 in the heart of the notorious poppy and heroin trade route and in the region of the country-less Karin Hill Tribes.


The closest veterinarian to the sanctuary is a four-hour journey away, but with financial support from NFA, the founders were able to establish a small veterinary clinic where they can now spay and neuter dogs, feed animals on the streets, find homes for rescue dogs and cats and provide basic animal welfare education in the area.


The on-street clinic has prompted more and more locals to bring their animals in for treatment, but they often have no means to pay. Through ongoing grants from NFA and the $5,000 Brian Davies runner up award, Baan Unrak will continue to do good things for the animals in this remote area of Thailand.

When we rescued Samuel and Hank, we were not sure if they would survive.

They were just one-day-old when they arrived at Animal Place. Activists from Animal Outlook had uncovered unspeakable cruelty at Dick Van Dam Dairy. In the process, they saved the two calves and asked us to take them in. We worked around the clock to nurse them back to health, but Hank was in dire condition. Even with the best veterinary care available, Hank died two days later. Samuel fought on. Our dedicated and compassionate team cared for him around the clock to give him a fighting chance. Generous donors like you funded his treatment. He missed Hank, so we housed him with Sterling, another rescued calf, to provide him solace in his grief. The two have grown up together and are great bovine buddies. If you visit them in their new, big-boy pasture, they will offer to let you scratch their heads in exchange for wet cow-kisses. Many -- far too many -- calves like Samuel are not so lucky. But the particular dairy that hurt him can’t hide anymore. On October 8th, Animal Outlook’s brave undercover activist, Erin Wing, released her investigation of Dick Van Dam Dairy. What she relates makes me nauseated. I’ll spare you the details of wanton cruelty and complete disregard for animal life. If you want to see for yourself, you can read her report and watch her video here. There are disturbing and graphic images on this page -- but that’s the reality of the industry. This is what Animal Place stands for. We have always and will continue to work with organizations like Animal Outlook to provide sanctuary for individuals who have been rescued from such cruelty. Even the nicest-looking dairies are part of a system that perpetuates abject horror like what Samuel and Hank faced. Thank you for supporting us, for honoring the memory of Hank, and for making possible the long, fulfilling life Samuel will enjoy with his friends at Animal Place. And, if you struggle with giving up dairy products, then I urge you to watch the video. I guarantee it will be a game-changer for you.

After extensive preparations to ensure the safety of both staff and elephant, our rescue team has been dispatched to save Jai.

They will make the long drive throughout the night, and will be on the scene in the morning to earn Jai's trust. These are critical moments to win the cooperation of the injured bull elephant that will allow us to load him into the Elephant Ambulance for the long journey to his new home with Wildlife SOS. Jai spent the past 40 years walking thousands of miles in illegal spiked chains. His painfully infected wounds have rendered him immobile and nearly lame. He desperately needs immediate medical care at our Elephant Hospital, and you can help. Can you please help support Jai's costly rescue and critical medical care?

Victory! Justice is Served for Animal Abuser Posing as Rescuer in Mississippi

While we're working toward a world where all animals are treated with kindness and respect, we're also advocating heavily for animal victims of abuse. Now, we're applauding the outcome of the trial of Miranda Kittrell who starved and neglected 39 dogs while posing as the operator of a rescuer organization. She was among the first in Mississippi to be charged for animal cruelty after penalties for hurting animals were increased with the passage of SB 2658. LEARN MORE

Against all the odds, we have completed a major rescue of 41 dogs and puppies from the threat of being killed for meat in South Korea!

We are joyful, but worried. Many of the puppies are deathly sick. Saving them has stretched our resources to the limit. We desperately want all of them to pull through.


Shelters filled almost entirely with puppies might seem like a dream come true for anyone looking to adopt. But in South Korea, shelter pups are easy pickings for dog meat traders.

These helpless puppies were dumped at a kill shelter near our South Korean partner, Jindo Love Rescue. Absent mothers were likely already killed for their meat. Most of the pups are sick — riddled with parvo, distemper and parasites.


The lack of care each of these precious dogs has experienced in their short lives so far has left each of them in need of extensive veterinary care. Treatment for parvo alone costs hundreds of dollars a day, and costs of caring for them are quickly mounting.


We urgently need your help to heal these puppies and give them a second chance at life....Save Puppies Now


Shelters should be a haven for dogs, but they aren’t in South Korea. Traders are turning to them to fulfill demand, and are known to lie, or pose as adopters. Any dogs who aren’t safe in loving homes may become victims of the country’s brutal dog meat trade. The slaughter methods are horrific.


It’s believed by some that the more pain and suffering a dog experiences, the more it will enhance the flavor of their meat and its health benefits.


Common ways to kill dogs include hanging them and beating them to death, boiling them alive, and bleeding them out. Electrocution is believed to be the most common method.


But, thankfully, our incredibly dedicated team was able to save 41 dogs and puppies from those gruesome fates. It took significant time and energy, and our funds are running dry. But we knew you wouldn’t want us to leave a single puppy behind.


We’re so grateful to have been able to have saved these lives. A rescue of this magnitude couldn’t be achieved without generous donations from supporters like you. We will not stop working until we see an end to the horrific dog meat trade. But ending the killer dog meat trade depends on you.


Sweet, sad, battered souls are still languishing — suffering! — in South Korea’s animal shelters and facing heartbreaking deaths dog and cat meat death camps. But your donation will change lives like never before.

Update on One of Our Biggest Dog Meat Rescues Yet

We recently told you about one of our biggest rescue efforts to date in South Korea, where we saved 41 dogs and puppies from the fate of being killed in the country’s brutal dog meat trade. We were sadly too late to save some who were seriously ill, but the survivors are now thriving in our care, and we can’t wait to see them get adopted!

Pepe was dragged behind a car as a sick form of punishment. He is brutally injured. Every hour we can give him intensive medical care counts.

Against all the odds, we have completed a major rescue of 41 dogs and puppies from the threat of being killed for meat in South Korea!


We are joyful, but worried. Many of the puppies are deathly sick. Saving them has stretched our resources to the limit. We desperately want all of them to pull through. Will you fund urgent care for these puppies?


Shelters filled almost entirely with puppies might seem like a dream come true for anyone looking to adopt. But in South Korea, shelter pups are easy pickings for dog meat traders.

These helpless puppies were dumped at a kill shelter near our South Korean partner, Jindo Love Rescue. Absent mothers were likely already killed for their meat. Most of the pups are sick — riddled with parvo, distemper and parasites.


The lack of care each of these precious dogs has experienced in their short lives so far has left each of them in need of extensive veterinary care. Treatment for parvo alone costs hundreds of dollars a day, and costs of caring for them are quickly mounting.


We urgently need your help to heal these puppies and give them a second chance at life.

Help Save Puppies Now. Shelters should be a haven for dogs, but they aren’t in South Korea. Traders are turning to them to fulfill demand, and are known to lie, or pose as adopters. Any dogs who aren’t safe in loving homes may become victims of the country’s brutal dog meat trade. The slaughter methods are horrific.


It’s believed by some that the more pain and suffering a dog experiences, the more it will enhance the flavor of their meat and its health benefits.


Common ways to kill dogs include hanging them and beating them to death, boiling them alive, and bleeding them out. Electrocution is believed to be the most common method.


But, thankfully, our incredibly dedicated team was able to save 41 dogs and puppies from those gruesome fates. It took significant time and energy, and our funds are running dry. But we knew you wouldn’t want us to leave a single puppy behind.


We’re so grateful to have been able to have saved these lives. A rescue of this magnitude couldn’t be achieved without generous donations from supporters like you. We will not stop working until we see an end to the horrific dog meat trade. But ending the killer dog meat trade depends on you.

Thrown into the icy waters of the River Trent with a large rock tied to her neck, Bella, a 10-year-old Belgian Shepherd, desperately fought for her life, struggling to stay above water before a heroic passerby rescued her from drowning.


Without someone to pull her out of the freezing, winter water, Bella would have died.


The police, who called Bella’s abuse “very shocking” and “totally unacceptable,” traced the cruelty back to Charlene Latham, who has pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering in front of the Nottingham Magistrates Court, and to a 32-year-old man who denied the allegations.


Bella deserves justice after enduring such horrific abuse. We must speak out to ensure that innocent dogs like her are free from harm and potential death.


This February our Animal Rescue Team arrived at a five-acre Florida property to find nearly 140 dogs confined to dilapidated hutches or crammed into filthy campers.

Our team jumped into action to give these dogs a new start. Most of the animals were sick, seemingly starving and some were even hairless from skin conditions. But thanks to supporters like you, the dogs found themselves in caring hands.


Buster and Cashie are just two of the many dogs whose lives were changed by that rescue and who are now with loving families.

When Cashie arrived home with his new family, he was skittish, anxious and seemed to have nightmares, howling in his sleep. Now his family says he’s like a puppy again and he is full of energy. Cashie loves to play at the park and to snuggle up and take naps on the couch. Buster’s new family told us that it seemed like he chose them when they visited the shelter that took him in. He hopped into their laps immediately and never leaves their sides. Buster’s new life is filled with excitement and adventure. Everything he does, he does with enthusiasm.

Because of you, these dogs are now playful, happy, full of life and safe from their traumatic pasts. If you want to help create more happy stories like Buster’s and Cashie’s and support all of our lifesaving work for animals, please make a donation today. Be a Hero


The cruel people didn't have access to anaesthetics, so Jaya had to have been in absolute agony when her vulva was repeatedly "stapled" shut with thick copper wire. The perpetrators likely used a "twitch" (a device used to control a horse by tightly pinching the nose or lips) in her sensitive nostrils to inflict extra pain if she attempted to move, and they must have tied her down to stop her from being able to flee. This grotesque mutilation was done to keep her from mating – and it nearly had fatal consequences for both her and the colt no one knew she was already carrying.

Your support made Jaya and her foal's rescue possible

Jaya was spotted standing on a street in Sangli, Maharashtra, by Animal Rahat's sharp-eyed team members. They noticed the crude wire "staples" and immediately went to work gingerly removing the wire and disinfecting her wounds. Afterwards, they called the police and filed a cruelty-to-animals report. They then secured custody of the abused pony.


Then came the surprise: they hadn't just saved her life. Just days after Jaya was transferred to her wonderful new home at Animal Rahat's sanctuary, she gave birth to a handsome, healthy colt named Rudi.


Her suffering behind her, this loving mother and her foal are thriving under the care of Animal Rahat's expert staff. The sanctuary provides a peaceful and secure home where Jaya and Rudi can bond with each other and get to know the other rescued and retired residents – something that's vitally important to social beings such as ponies.

Without Animal Rahat's quick intervention, it's highly unlikely that either Jaya or Rudi would be alive today.

PETA's projects supporting Animal Rahat will help the group provide more animals like them with the care that they so desperately need. On behalf of Jaya, Rudi, and all the other animals whose lives Animal Rahat has turned from hideous to happy, thank you for your support.














5 HEARTWARMING RESCUES

Lady Freethinker is excited to announce our Urgent Need Fund, a new grants program designed to provide lifesaving funds to small rescue groups for animals’ medical care.

Our grants program will provide funding to nonprofit organizations experiencing hardship due to increased medical and veterinary bills to care for animals. Grants may be used for either urgent, immediate help; or planned support for activities that are needed but the organization otherwise could not afford to do.


Overall Organization Requirements

  • The organization must be a registered 501(c)(3) in the United States or a registered charity in your country

  • Have a gross annual profit of up to $250,000 USD

  • Be an established organization for at least 2 years

  • Be able to provide 2 years of 990 statements and/or audited financials

Animal Crisis Grant

Our Animal Crisis Grant provides funding up to $5,000 for organizations that have recently or are currently experiencing a financial hardship due to increased medical and veterinary bills, and, unless LFT provides relief, may cause overall financial harm to the organization. The Animal Crisis Grant applications are reviewed on a monthly basis and will be selected based on need, available funding, and total impact on the organization in need. Applications are accepting on an ongoing basis and organizations that wish to apply should include their tax exemption status, financial statements, and the following documents:

  • Copies of all expenditures for services given and products used

  • Current year’s annual budget

  • Current year’s profit and loss statement

Submit the above along with a one-page cover letter detailing the request and the subject line Animal Crisis Grant to: grants@ladyfreethinker.org


Critical Care Grant

Our Critical Care Grant provides funding up to $10,000 for organizations that see an urgent need but are unable to address that need unless they received funding from LFT. For example, a shelter that would like to rescue a large number of animals but does not have the financial resources in order to do so, or, by doing so, would cause financial devastation. The Critical Care Grant applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis and all applications must be received by the following dates to be considered:

  • Spring Application due by March 15th, reviewed by March 31st

  • Summer Application due by June 15th, reviewed by June 30th

  • Fall Application due by September 15th, reviewed by September 30th

  • Winter Application due by December 15th, reviewed by December 31st

Organizations that wish to apply should include their tax exemption status, financial statements, and the following documents:

  • Copies of estimates of all services to be provided and products to be used

  • Program budget for the planned need

  • Current year’s annual budget

  • Current year’s profit and loss statement

Submit the above along with a one-page cover letter detailing the request and the subject line Animal Crisis Grant to: grants@ladyfreethinker.org

Volunteer with the Animal Rescue Team

One of the most commonly asked questions for our Animal Rescue Team is, “How can I volunteer?” Our team has—and relies on—a strong network of volunteers to help us make a real difference for animals in rescue and disaster relief work. We truly depend on them to help us get this important, lifesaving work done.

One of the most common mistakes prospective volunteers make is waiting until a natural or man-made disaster strikes to begin the application process and to begin proper training and preparation for becoming an Animal Rescue Team volunteer. Unfortunately, by then, it’s too late. If you want to volunteer, it’s important to apply before a disaster. If you get everything done early, you, like our many other volunteers, will be ready to deploy when animals need our help.

I can’t speak enough to the impact people feel from saving animals in need. If you want to make a difference, this is a way to do it. I encourage you to start your application today. With hurricane season on the horizon, our team will be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice - The Humane Society of the United States


bottom of page