Giving Day for Apes 2025 – Save the Date!
The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries is excited to announce the 12th annual Giving Day for Apes, a 24-hour fundraising event to benefit ape sanctuaries and rescue centers in Africa, Asia, and North America.
You’re invited! Please join us in support of sanctuaries and rescue centers doing amazing work for Great Apes around the world. Donations large and small will help fund veterinary care, healthy food, safe facilities, enrichment, and rehabilitation services.
To learn more, visit www.givingdayforapes.org. More information, including the list of participants and prizes will be added, so be sure to check back often.
For the chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons…see you on October 7th!
LET’S MAKE IT THE BIGGEST ONE YET!
Thank you to our friends at the Arcus Foundation for making this vital event possible.
Sanctuary Caregiver Day – Save the Date
Save the Date: Sanctuary Caregiver Day is June 13! Keep an eye out for our Caregiver Day Social Media Challenge and get ready to celebrate your amazing caregivers!
Sanctuary Self-Care: We Asked, You Answered!
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we asked GFAS community members to share their advice, thoughts and lessons learned on taking care of yourself as a sanctuary operator. At GFAS, we get to experience a birds-eye view of the sanctuary movement, its common challenges and triumphs. We have also had the privilege of meeting all of you personally. With that perspective we say: you are some of the most resilient, brilliant, compassionate and hardworking people we know. You are priceless. You carry wisdom, experience, and knowledge that this world desperately needs. So more than anything we want to remind you how important you are and that what you do matters more than you know. Just as we know you NEVER question the worthiness of your residents to receive care and compassion, we hope you will accept that as a human animal, you deserve the same. Sanctuary work can be isolating and depleting, while also immensely fulfilling, and we hope you remember you are not alone. You can view some great words of wisdom from your colleagues here.
For some more ideas for self-care for animal caretakers check this article out.
May Is Adopt-A-Horse Month
As an Industry Partner of the ASPCA Right Horse program, we’re celebrating Adopt A Horse Month! Our shared goal is to increase adoptions in the United States by bringing awareness and visibility to adopted horses, mules, and donkeys. These equines are just as versatile and diverse as any other group of transitioning equines, so whether you’re dreaming of a companion for your current horse or hitting the trails with a new friend, there’s an adoptable Right Horse waiting to make your dreams come true! Celebrate with us and learn more about adoption at ASPCA’s myrighthorse.org.
Adopt, Don’t Shop!
You’ve probably heard the saying, ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop,’ encouraging people to find pets like dogs and cats through shelters with adoption programs or rescue centers, but what does it mean for equines?
When a horse, donkey or mule is adopted, it means that individual equine has found a safe, forever home which helps break down the stigma that rescued animals are less capable or valuable than a purchased one.
Depending on the rescue center, adoptions often come will lifetime support and resources such as training for owners and animals, or safety net programs when times get tough.
Adoption also opens up a spot for another at-risk equine to be rescued. In most cases the adoption fee is at a lower cost than purchasing and will be utilized to pay for the expenses for the next rescued horse, donkey, or mule.
If you’re considering getting a new equine friend, remember when adopting not only are you helping an individual animal in need, but you are also supporting the organizations working hard to rescue them.
Did you know that you can find GFAS certified organizations that offer equine adoption right from GFAS website? Check out Find a Sanctuary for a sanctuary or rescue near you.
Congratulations to NAPSA on their 2025 Workshop!
Primate professionals recently gathered in Stuart, Florida for the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance’s (NAPSA) annual workshop, Climbing the Ladder. Presentations covered leadership skills, working with volunteers,
interns and committees, improving work culture and professional development. Patti Ragan of GFAS Accredited, Center for Great Apes, delivered the keynote presentation at the welcome reception and brought everyone to tears reflecting on the early formation of NAPSA and how far the organization has come. Attendees were also treated to a tour of GFAS Accredited, Save the Chimps, in Ft. Pierce, Florida. GFAS is proud to celebrate the vital collaboration of NAPSA member organizations and the positive impact the alliance’s work continues to produce for primates.
Washington Bans Wild Animals in Circuses!
One by one states within the U.S. are saying NO to wild animal exploitation. Washington has joined the list of 12 states to outlaw the use of wild animals in traveling shows. Elephants, wild cats, bears, and nonhuman primates can no longer be forced to perform in Washington. GFAS was proud to support this vital legislation!
GFAS Announces Translation of Standards of Excellence Volumes into Spanish
GFAS is proud to unveil the translation of our Standards of Excellence volumes, covering Operations and General Animal Care, into Spanish. This initiative aligns with GFAS’s strategic goal to enhance global outreach and accreditation efforts.
The translation not only facilitates accessibility for Spanish-speaking sanctuaries and rescues but also fosters inclusivity within our accreditation process. By broadening language accessibility, GFAS aims to engage more sanctuaries across Spanish-speaking regions, providing essential resources and guidance to uphold superior standards of animal care. This milestone underscores GFAS’s commitment to advancing animal welfare on a global scale.
We are thrilled to announce this major step forward in our efforts to support animal sanctuaries and rescue centers worldwide. Together, we strive towards a future where all animals in sanctuaries receive the highest quality of care and compassion.
For more information and access to the translated volumes, please visit our website.
Certifications and Renewals
Over the past month GFAS has renewed three groups!
Congratulations to these groups!
Renewal
Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, Maryland
Project Chimps, Georgia
The Horse Shelter, New Mexico