IFAW Summer 2023 Insider Update

insider update

A man smiles with his dog in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, where IFAW is helping the community prepare for potential future disasters.

Summer 2023

From the desk of Azzedine Downes, President and CEO

Dear friend,

I hope you enjoy this Insider Update newsletter. This issue features inspiring rescue stories and demonstrates the degree of thought, planning and time required to execute IFAW’s projects. Thanks to your support, we are forging new connections with those who live alongside, work with and care for animals everywhere.

ask Azzedine

Azzedine Downes President and CEO

Ask Azzedine offers our supporters the opportunity to learn more about IFAW directly from President and CEO Azzedine Downes. This edition’s question comes from supporter Brenda Brinker Bottum:

One aspect of IFAW that I really appreciate is your commitment to the health of both animal populations and human communities. Can you go into further detail about One Health and why it is so important for IFAW?

This is a fantastic question, Brenda. One Health is the idea that the health of human beings, animals and the environment are deeply interlinked. IFAW’s comprehensive approach to animal welfare and conservation reflects the interconnectedness of the natural world. Individual animals, populations, species and the ecosystems in which they live all impact biological diversity and ecological sustainability. This approach is what sets IFAW apart from other organizations. We focus on both pillars: rescue and conservation.

In times of disaster, the One Health approach yields many short and long-term benefits. For example, when we help animals, we also improve the mental health of their owners as we reduce the stress, psychological impact of the chaos and their concern over their pets’ well-being. When we return animals to their families or provide support for shelters to house those who cannot be reunited, we enhance the management of and care for stray populations, reducing the chance of zoonotic disease spread, improving welfare and keeping vital habitats healthy.

One Health is also important to consider in the rise of illegal wildlife trafficking online. Removing animals from their habitats can create dire circumstances, negatively impacting biodiversity in many landscapes. Many animals (and animal parts) targeted for wildlife trade, such as pangolins, turtles, elephants or bears, play their part in maintaining the balance of natural ecosystems.

Finally, by enhancing the well-being of human communities, supporting their ability to be healthy and thrive, we also improve the animals’ ability to thrive in these shared landscapes.

We believe that every animal matters. It is our responsibility to give them the chance to balance their ecosystem, grow their population and live harmoniously in the wild. Nature will always adapt, but we must give it the opportunity and space to do so.

This year I was invited to join the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation’s Council for Hope, a group of prominent global thought leaders and business leaders from a diverse range of fields who are deeply committed to using their influence to improve the world around us. I will continue to spread IFAW’s message, including our support of One Health when defining animal rescue and conservation strategies and procedures.

If you would like to submit a question to Azzedine, please email mdevitt@ifaw.org with the subject line “Ask Azzedine.” We may feature yours in the next Insider Update.

water for lionesses

IFAW’s Team Lioness is an all-women group of rangers deployed by the Olgulului Community Wildlife Rangers (OCWR). These 17 women protect the wildlife and community land surrounding Amboseli National Park in Kenya. They serve as the first line of defense against the poaching of elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs and other iconic wildlife.

The delivery of water to the Team Lioness ranger base is crucial but, at times, unreliable. With the 17 rangers, six childcare providers, six young children and a cook, the outpost uses approximately 36,000 liters of water each month. Furthermore, the OCWR, with IFAW as the sole supporter, employs 87 wildlife rangers, spread across nine active ranger bases. Water must be delivered to each of these nine outposts.

Team Lioness is based at the Risa outpost. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) delivers water to Risa twice per month. Since water is a scarce resource in the

semi-arid Amboseli ecosystem, the KWS bowser (water truck) is in high demand to provide water to many in the ecosystem, sometimes resulting in low supply. On days when water is low or runs out completely at the outpost, designated drivers from OCWR must travel to KWS, approximately 18 miles away, in search of water. This takes away valuable personnel time and resources (vehicle/fuel) that could otherwise be spent on landscape patrols.

The welfare of our rangers is of the utmost importance to IFAW. With the purchase of a 10,000-liter mobile water truck, we aim to ensure that water is regularly supplied to the members of Team Lioness and other members of OCWR as well as the local communities and livestock in the Amboseli region. With Kenya experiencing its worst drought in 40 years, the need for alternative solutions is critical.

Team Lioness members rest at a waterhole during a patrol in the Olgulului Ololarashi Group Ranch in Kajiado, Kenya.

Photo: Will Swanson / © IFAW

community engagement

the scent of conservation

Dogs are important members of many families. Canine companionship may provide health benefits, like reducing stress and anxiety and lowering blood pressure. Beyond this, dogs have proven to be valuable contributors to IFAW’s wildlife conservation projects around the world, using their strong sense of smell, which can be up to 100,000 times as powerful as a human’s.

Benin, Africa: In 2018 IFAW offered support to the government of Benin to expand the K9 Brigade in the city of Cotonou. The ‘detection dogs’ who are part of this Brigade are trained to sniff out ivory and pangolin scales and are deployed at Cotonou airport, ready to thwart potential poachers and illegal wildlife trafficking. Selected from breeders and shelters, there are currently eight working dogs who have trained for this mission for months before being paired with officers from the Waters and Forests Department.

Zimbabwe, Africa: As part of our partnership with ZimParks, we support the Umtshibi Canine Unit— the main coordination camp for detection dogs at Hwange National Park. These 12 detection dogs are specialized in different skills, including tracking

Officer Nabil and dog Nariz are part of the Benin Detection Dog Project.

contraband. Rangers and their dogs have been deployed at three of Zimbabwe’s national parks and have recovered firearms and other personal items from poachers.

Queensland and NSW, Australia: Due to bushfires and deforestation, the koala population is under severe threat. We have partnered with the University of the Sunshine Coast Detection Dogs for Conservation team for a groundbreaking research project to understand how koalas have survived the aftermath of the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. As part of this program, dogs search for koala scat, which is analyzed by experts to tell the story of a koala’s digestive health. The research aims to determine how resilient koalas are after natural disasters and the recovery potential for koala populations.

With support from donors like you, working dogs play an important role in the IFAW family, as we rely on their optimism, hard work and scent-tracking to help us rescue animals and conserve their habitats around the world.

wildlife rescue

Photo: Julien Gerard / © IFAW

changing minds, saving lives

Jennifer Gardner, Program Manager, Disaster Response & Risk Reduction (DRRR), has gone to disaster-prone areas around the world, working with communities to help them rebuild after disasters hit and, more importantly, prepare for the future. Some of these hardest hit areas are the most remote and without easy access to resources they are often left on their own to recover and prepare for the next disaster.

Indonesia is one of the world’s most vulnerable disaster areas, facing earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and tsunamis.

Locals had long thought that “practicing” for disasters would bring bad luck, but through direct and consistent dialogue with IFAW, community and government members are enthusiastic to create preparation plans and build resilience for long-term planning.

IFAW has partnered with the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) to establish its own pilot Disaster Response & Risk Reduction program for communities living near the base of the Mt. Agung and Mt. Abang volcanoes. Prior to this project, most community members could not evacuate with their livestock or companion animals. Jen has

worked with more than 680 households to create evacuation plans that include animals.

In 2022, Jen represented IFAW at the 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and spoke on the benefits of including animal health and welfare when building disaster resilience plans. Later that year, residents had the opportunity to practice evacuation and first response techniques, such as constructing emergency shelters and safely loading and unloading livestock from evacuation vehicles.

For communities living near an active volcano, the question is never ‘what if?’ but ‘when?’ Jen continues to empower communities around the world with the blueprint for disaster preparedness; this approach equips them to develop resilience, protect their community and improve the lives of animals and people.

Community engagement is at the heart of IFAW’s solutions. Jen’s work with BAWA is a notable example of how we ensure communities have realistic planning and support that will result in reducing the loss experienced from disasters and improving well-being for people and animals.

Jennifer Gardner, IFAW Program Manager, Disaster Response and Risk Reduction, speaks with members of the Bali Animal Welfare Association team at a project site in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia.

disaster response and rescue

innovations in marine rescue and rehabilitation

Along a stretch of Route 6A in Orleans, Massachusetts you can find typical sights outside your window as you drive past: gas stations, a few banks and restaurants, a toy shop. Soon, nestled among the unassuming buildings, there may be dolphins.

IFAW’s marine rescue team is internationally recognized for its rescue and research expertise. For 23 years, our research and innovations have led to groundbreaking response techniques and increased survival rates for marine mammals in stranding hotspots around the world. It was

previously believed that stranded dolphins and porpoises would have an extremely low chance of survival if released following a stranding event. IFAW challenged this thinking and was determined to find a better solution. Thanks to field health assessments, treatments and tracking released cetaceans with satellite tags, our team now has a 62% release rate of stranded dolphins, up from 14% before the program began and they have proven that stranded cetaceans can be successfully rescued and released.

Concept drawing of the Cetacean Intensive Care Unit (CICU).

© Alison Caron Design & IFAW/R. Sola

marine mammal rescue & research

Now, we are looking to further improve survival with the opening of a new, innovative Cetacean Intensive Care Unit (CICU) which will treat stranded cetaceans affected by stranding-associated conditions (shock, trauma and capture myopathy). Located in a former retail space, the CICU contains two large pools and accompanying filtration systems to accommodate stranded mammals for 1-4 days until they are deemed stable enough for release.

Each pool is 14-16 feet in diameter and holds 4,000 gallons of water. The facility will be staffed 24 hours a day by IFAW-trained veterinarians, biologists and volunteer responders. While the rehabilitation area cannot be open to the public, for the safety of the dolphins, the front area of the facility will be outfitted with an education display and closed-circuit television, allowing curious onlookers the chance to view activity inside and learn about these rehabilitation efforts.

Cape Cod sees the most frequent dolphin strandings of any place in the world. With the CICU

in operation, we believe we can improve the survival of stranded dolphins. Before the opening of the CICU, IFAW experts and rescuers had to treat stranded animals solely in the field or in IFAW’s custom-built dolphin rescue vehicle. By giving these stranded animals a dedicated space with additional diagnostics and treatments—such as ultrasounds, radiographs and EKGs—we are giving them a stronger chance of survival.

Through the CICU, IFAW will work to develop protocols explaining handling, treatment and bio-security procedures and how animals should be cared for during treatment. Our goal is for these protocols to form the basis of training for international responders in cetacean response through IFAW’s Center of Excellence.

This year IFAW was named to Fast Company’s annual list of the world’s most innovative nonprofits for the work of our marine rescue program and the revolutionary way we are evaluating and treating stranded marine mammals.

IFAW marine rescue responders carefully place tarps under common dolphins stranded in Wellfleet Harbor, MA.

Photo: Andrea Spence / © IFAW, Activities conducted under a federal

stranding agreement between IFAW and NMFS under the MMPA.

marine mammal rescue & research

returning to the water

Most rescue work from IFAW’s expert marine rescue team takes place in the Cape Cod area of North America. In early 2023, however, members of the team travelled all the way to Bahrain for a rescue mission.

Three endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins—named Jojo, Jory and Danny—were illegally captured in 2021 by fishers and sold to a tourist resort featuring performing dolphin shows. Despite being minutes away from their natural habitat, they were confined to a pool contaminated with rusty leaks from a poorly maintained ceiling and forced to perform daily for public entertainment.

Thankfully, conscientious members of the public (including locals and tourists) spoke up, reporting their concerns to the authorities, which led to an

investigation. Public prosecutors in Bahrain proved that the dolphins had been illegally captured and should be returned to their natural habitat and the fishers were convicted of illegal poaching.

The Bahraini Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) reached out to IFAW directly to support the rescue and release of the dolphins. Our team planned for months, working with partner Tails Veterinary Center in Bahrain to conduct the necessary tests and, alongside the Coast Guard, to identify release sites.

Before their release, Jojo, Jory and Danny were outfitted with temporary satellite tags and given full health assessments. Afterword they were safely transported back to the sea.

Experts from IFAW and Bahraini organizations prepare to release a humpback dolphin back into the sea.

animal rescue

back to the wild for two friends

The Asiatic black bear is one of four species of bear found within the forests of India. As adult bears are often hunted for meat, young cubs may be left orphaned or illegally poached to be sold as pets. In 2002, IFAW and our partner Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) joined the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department to create the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation (CBRC) — the first specialized rehabilitation center for Asiatic black bears in India.

Cubs are raised by hand as professional handlers work to reintegrate them back into the wild by going on daily walks in the wilderness and teaching valuable skills, such as identifying natural foods, to help the cubs survive and thrive on their own. Eventually the cubs are brought to a soft release site in the forest where they are collared and monitored.

Den and Itan were only about one week old when they were admitted to CBRC. For months, a team of keepers, veterinarians and on-staff biologists fed and monitored the orphaned cubs. When they reached 11 months of age, the two were taken to a soft release site in the forest, where they were fitted with tracking collars. This enables us to ensure they are adapting well to life in the wild once they are fully released. Eventually, Den and Itan spent increasingly longer periods of time on their own, exploring their environment, until they stopped returning to the release site altogether and started their second chance as fully wild bears.

Scan the QR code to watch Itan enjoying his freedom in the trees.

One of the Asiatic black bear cubs in rehabilitation at Wildlife Trust of India’s Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation.

Photo: Subhashish Arandhara / © IFAW-WTI

animal rescue

A male African lion places its paw against the wired wall of its enclosure at the Lions, Tigers & Bears facility.

how it came together: Big Cat Public Safety Act

On December 20, 2022, United States President Biden signed into law the Big Cat Public Safety Act (BCPSA). The BCPSA prohibits keeping tigers, lions, cougars and other big cats as “pets,” and prohibits dangerous public contact with these species. It was a day IFAW had worked toward for years.

Over the past 15 years, IFAW has rescued more than 200 big cats around the world, working to identify and support legitimate sanctuaries, assist them to improve and increase capacity and rescue, place and provide lifetime care for surrendered and confiscated animals. In 2014 IFAW developed the Wildlife Rescue Network, and in 2017, IFAW and a group of qualified sanctuaries established the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance, a coalition dedicated to eliminating the private ownership and commercial exploitation of big cats and providing quality lifetime care for wild cats in captivity.

Before the BCPSA was enacted, IFAW worked with state legislators to advance important state policies like New York’s prohibition against dangerous public contact with big cats—but a federal ban remained a top priority. The BCPSA received strong bipartisan support as IFAW actively worked with first responders, student advocates and wildlife rescuers to build support for this critical animal

protection and community safety measure.

As the bill gained momentum, IFAW led outreach efforts, convened virtual events, participated in congressional hearings and produced educational materials to share with both lawmakers and the public. Statements of support from emergency responders and guidance on distinguishing true sanctuaries from pseudo-sanctuaries helped to mobilize new audiences. We partnered with actor Minka Kelly, who became an IFAW Global Ambassador, helping to spread awareness of the captive big cat crisis among her many fans and encouraging them to act.

Even with strong, bipartisan support from members of Congress, the BCPSA’s path to becoming law was an uphill climb—and more advocacy and public awareness will be needed to ensure the law is enforced and that individual animals are transitioned into reputable sanctuaries.

The enactment of the BCPSA is a monumental win for captive wildlife and efforts to rein in the dangerous exotic pet trade, thanks to the passion and commitment of IFAW’s supporters. We have now turned our attention to advocating for the resources to implement and enforce the act.

Photo: Alexis Embrey /

A pacific gray whale closely approaches participants on an IFAW-led excursion in Laguna San Ignacio in March 2023.

Recent Events

Baja Discovery Camp (March 6-10, 2023): IFAW supporters enjoyed up-close encounters with Pacific gray whales during our excursion to Laguna San Ignacio in Baja, Mexico, where IFAW was a partner in protecting this critical calving habitat in 2000. Now, the lagoon has a thriving and wellregulated whale watching ecotourism business. This is one of the few places in the world where whales frequently approach the limited number of vessels allowed into the area.

Ukraine Rescue Team Virtual Update (April 6, 2023): A conversation with the remarkable IFAW staff members at the front lines transforming lives and helping to build toward recovery and regrowth in Ukraine.

IFAW Virtual Update from Azzedine Downes, President & CEO (May 24, 2023): Participants heard directly from our visionary leader, engaging on topics important to our supporters and animal welfare and conservation advocates universally.

Wildlife Photography Exhibit and Discussion, London UK (April 27, 2023): Following a tour of

the exhibit, supporters joined Executive Vice President Jason Bell to discuss our work on behalf of animal welfare and landscape conservation. Song of the Whale Tours & Reception, Boston, MA (May 4-6, 2023): Supporters and members of the public joined us aboard the research vessel Song of the Whale, which studies critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Upcoming Event

Party for a Porpoise, Osterville, MA (Thursday, August 10, 2023): IFAW’s annual signature event celebrating our marine rescue and conservation work. Proceeds from our experiential auction items, raffle and fund-a-need opportunities will support this work on behalf of marine life on Cape Cod and beyond.

Looking to broaden your connection with IFAW? Join the Global Council, which offers a means of creating innovative, lasting solutions for animals and gives you opportunities to engage with IFAW programs and leadership.

Song of the Whale docked at the Wharf Marina in Washington, DC while open for public tours.

Guests enjoy cocktails overlooking Nantucket Sound during Party for a Porpoise in August 2022.

Photo: AJ Cady / © IFAW

Photo: Denis Largeron / © IFAW

Photo: Stacey Hedman / © IFAW

ifaw in your long-term planning

Remembering IFAW in your will is a wonderful way for you to make a lasting gift. Our partner FreeWill offers a free, online will-writing service that takes 20 minutes to complete. Large or small, your bequest will make a lasting contribution to IFAW’s long-term strength, building a legacy that carries

karen’s story

Karen Swope has cared deeply about animals and nature since she was a young child. Her belief that all living things on the planet are interconnected and dependent on one another for survival drives her passion for animal rescue and conservation. Karen and her husband John, whom she met in the 1960s while they were working in a physics lab together, shared a lifelong love of nature before he passed away in 1990.

Years ago, when Karen learned about IFAW, she was drawn to our mission of animals and people thriving together. While she shared that all our projects interest her, she is especially inspired by

our work forward on behalf of animals and people for future generations.

our conservation efforts in Africa, including training rangers to protect wildlife like elephants and big cats from poaching.

Karen decided to include IFAW in her will, driven by her desire to protect our planet and the lives of animals around the globe long into the future. “I’m trying to sustain this planet after I’m gone. My estate will benefit people, animals and plants around the world, and I encourage others to donate and to learn more about nature.”

For additional information on any of IFAW’s work, please email us at info@ifaw.org or call us at (508) 744-2000

Wild elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya.