Recipients of the 2021 Carole Noon and Outstanding Sanctuary Awards Announced

Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries honors sanctuaries, rescue, rehabilitation, and transition centers  for exceptional animal care, professionalism and ethics.

October 22, 2021 – (Washington, DC) The Board of Directors of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) today announced the recipient of the 2021 Carole Noon Award: Anna Bryant, of ARCAS Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Guatemala. The Carole Noon Award is named after the late Dr. Carole Noon, a courageous and innovative sanctuary pioneer and champion of chimpanzees.

The GFAS Board of Directors also presented the annual Outstanding Sanctuary Awards to recognize excellence in humane and responsible animal care; professionalism and ethics; organizational sustainability; public engagement; and contributions to, and leadership within, the sanctuary field. Recipients included Skydog Sanctuary, Oregon; Pasado’s Safe Haven, Washington; Animals Asia, China; and Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary, Colombia.

“This year’s award recipients truly embody and put into practice the GFAS philosophy of vision, dedication, and excellence in animal care,” noted Valerie Taylor, Executive Director of GFAS. “Part of the GFAS mission is to recognize sanctuaries and rescue centers and raise awareness of their work, and the 2021 Award recipients serve as exemplary models of many important characteristics attributed to true sanctuaries, demonstrating professionalism, collaborative spirit, and leadership, all for the animals – qualities highly regarded by GFAS and the late Dr. Noon.”

Editor’s Notes:

GFAS is a global leader in accreditation programs for animal sanctuaries, assessing facilities against a robust set of operational and animal care standards, including species-specific standards for elephants, great apes, big cats, horses, farm animals, and others. More information about GFAS at www.sanctuaryfederation.org and a list of previous awardees at https://sanctuaryfederation.org/about-gfas/carole-noon-award/

ARCAS Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is a Guatemalan NGO committed to preserving wildlife and its habitat. It was formed in 1989 by a group of Guatemalan citizens who became concerned as they saw their precious natural heritage – especially their wildlife – rapidly disappearing before their eyes. ARCAS was originally created for a very specific purpose: to build a rescue center in the northern Peten region to care for and rehabilitate wild animals confiscated from smugglers in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Since the establishment of the rescue center, ARCAS has opened additional program areas on the Pacific coast of Guatemala and the altiplano, branching out into other very necessary activities including marine turtle conservation, protected areas management, environmental education, ecotourism, and reforestation.  For more information, visit https://arcasguatemala.org/

Skydog Sanctuary rescues at-risk mustangs and burros from neglect, abuse and starvation as well as special needs wild horses rounded up by the BLM.  The rescue and sanctuary bring them back to health and releases them to their 9000 acre sanctuary near Bend, Oregon. Donations are used for rescuing horses in need, for vet bills to treat them, farrier bills to help with their feet which are often in very bad shape and for the special equipment needed to handle wild horses, as well as for the hay, grain, supplements and minerals to keep them in good health moving forward. Skydog Sanctuary also raises awareness for wild horse issues and educates people on what to do to help through social media platforms. For more information, visit https://www.skydogranch.org/

Pasado’s Safe Haven is on a mission to end animal cruelty. In addition to investigating animal cruelty crimes and providing sanctuary to animals who have suffered abuse and neglect, the organization advocates for better laws to protect animals and educates the public about how they can help reduce animal suffering. Learn more at https://www.pasadosafehaven.org/

Animals Asia mission and major programs include ending the farming of bears for bile in Vietnam and China, providing sanctuary for rescued bears, ending the suffering of wild animals in captivity and ensuring humane treatment of dogs and cats.   For more information, visit https://www.animalsasia.org/

Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary is the first farm animal sanctuary established in South America almost 15 years ago and is currently the only established one in Colombia. We have substantial educational programs, including vegan cooking workshops, free distribution of vegan comics, vegan food relief, and strong social media activism. Donations made to Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary enable us to provide the absolute best life for the animals under our care, as well as empower our vegan advocacy projects for the Colombian population and, most importantly, address the root cause of animal abuse – inequality. For more information, visit https://julianasanimalsanctuary.org/

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