Save the Date – Help GFAS Help Sanctuaries this Giving Tuesday!
Save the date for Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, November 28th, 2023! This international day of giving supports GFAS in our work to ensure the welfare of animals in sanctuaries worldwide.
This year, GFAS is raising funds for travel expenses to animal sanctuary facilities, as we monitor and support animals retiring from the entertainment industry, confiscated from the illegal pet trade, and rescued from factory farming – worldwide. Your tax-deductible donations will help us reach our $5,000 goal.
Other ways to support our campaign include:
- Sharing this newsletter with your family, friends, and professional networks
- Follow us on social media and share our content. Simply click the social media icons at the bottom of this newsletter!
Stay tuned to our social media, as over the next three weeks we will share the stories of True Sanctuaries and their animal residents who have been touched by our work at GFAS. Through your support, sanctuaries have been strengthened, increasing their capacity to provide critically essential assistance for animals-in-need. Their inspiring stories are full of hope and achievement, and we invite you to follow along in the weeks leading up to Giving Tuesday 2023.
Meet the 2023 Carole Noon and Outstanding Sanctuary Award Winners
Last month we held our virtual ceremony to present the winners of the Carole Noon and Outstanding Sanctuary Awards. This is one of our favorite days of the year and we are always so excited to be able to showcase the work of some amazing individuals and organizations. The winners of this year’s awards are:
- Carole Noon Award Winner: Tammy Thies of The Wildcat Sanctuary
- Outstanding Equine Sanctuary: The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada
- Outstanding Farmed Animal Sanctuary: Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge
- Outstanding Wildlife Sanctuary: Vervet Monkey Foundation
- Outstanding International Sanctuary: Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
If you weren’t able to attend the ceremony, you can view a recording here.
In the week leading up to the awards, we also presented three webinars on topics important to animal rescues/sanctuaries/rehabilitation centers. You can visit our webinar page to view recordings of sessions on Building a Donation Driven Website, Introduction to Animal-Centered Design and How Do Sanctuaries Create Change.
Find Some Great Holiday Gifts While Helping Us Help Animals!
Looking for a gift for an animal lover in your life? Do you want to give to a worthy cause while spreading holiday cheer? We’ve got you covered.
You can help GFAS continue to support animal rescues and sanctuaries globally by purchasing items like t-shirts, insulated cups, hats, and more. When you do, you help provide essential assistance to GFAS certified organizations and the animals they care for.
Is your favorite animal a pig? A whale? A horse? There’s something for everyone, so check out our merchandise cart at: https://gfas.myspreadshop.com/.
GFAS Attends Parrot and Exotic Cat Conferences this Autumn
Phoenix, Arizona was the site of this year’s Parrot Conservation Alliance (PCA) conference. The PCA is a group of rescue, sanctuary, and conservation organizations working to improve the welfare of parrots in captivity and conservation of wild populations. Alliance members shared expertise on protecting parrots from trafficking, improving care of birds in captivity, responding to large seizures of birds and ways to strengthen member organizations. Participants included, American Bird Conservancy, One Earth Conservation, Belize Wildlife Clinic, several wildlife veterinarians, and GFAS among many others. GFAS Accredited groups, ARCAS (Guatemala) and Foster Parrots made outstanding presentations as well. Attendees enjoyed wonderful onsite tours of Ginger’s Parrots, outside of Phoenix, and the Oasis Sanctuary, in Tucson.
The Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance (BCSA) recently celebrated their 10th anniversary at their conference in San Diego, California. A range of topics were covered this year including, international rescues, the small cat crisis, disaster preparedness and response, BOD development and donor growth. Attendees were also eager to discuss enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act—a new federal law—that many attending organizations worked for years to pass. A U.S. Fish & Wildlife representative presented details on the law’s parameters and how it is already saving big cats. Another highlight, was a presentation by Dr. Andrew Kushnir, on his work to rescue exotic cats from war-torn Ukraine including four lion cubs now residing safely at The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota. The conference concluded with a beautiful dinner and tour of GFAS Accredited, Lions, Tigers & Bears in Alpine, California.
Congratulations to both the PCA and BCSA on another year of leading effectively and making impact!
Asia for Animals Coalition Conference: Education and Engagement Bring Change
It was truly an international gathering last month at the Asia for Animals Coalition’s conference in Kuching, Malaysia, where hundreds of delegates from 23 countries came together to share their expertise and experience on making change for animals. With a theme of “Education and Engagement Bring Change,” the event kicked off with keynote speaker Dr. Jill Robinson, Founder and CEO of Animals Asia, and included three days of presentations from organizations throughout Asia and worldwide about their programs and campaigns to raise awareness and improve the welfare of wildlife and companion animals through education, advocacy, and community engagement. GFAS Program Director Jackie Bennett presented a session about the ways in which animal sanctuaries create change, sharing information from several surveys she conducted throughout the year that gathered feedback from both sanctuaries and the general public.
The next AfA conference will be held in 2025. To learn more about the Coalition and past conferences, visit https://www.asiaforanimals.com.
Horse Feathers Equine Center
Along with several other programs, GFAS Verified, Horse Feathers Equine Center, located in Oklahoma offers a wonderful program for seniors within their community called, ‘Seniors Ole Timers Club’. This program provides the opportunity for seniors to come onsite to socialize with each other, as well as the horses. Seniors can participate in activities like grooming which can be therapeutic for both and contribute to the overall care of the horses and donkeys residing there.
Learn more at: https://horsefeathersequinecenter.org/seniors-ole-timers-club
Interview with the Turkeys
Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
This month, ahead of the upcoming winter holidays, for which many farmed animals lose their lives, we thought we’d write something to convince you that these animals should be friends, not food. According to Farm Sanctuary, 68 MILLION turkeys are slaughtered annually for the Fall and Winter holidays in the US alone. The thing is, numbers like these are hard for us to truly fathom – there’s plenty of research demonstrating that these statistics are not enough to get people to change.
So beyond noting the devastating scope of this problem, we’d like to let the turkeys themselves tell you just how special they are. They are inherently worthy of a life free of exploitation and suffering. But in our experience, getting to know animals is the best way to build a caring relationship with them. So, we interviewed two lovely turkey gals in sanctuary, so you could also get to know them, love them, and importantly, leave them off your plate.
Libby, Accredited Wildwood Farm Sanctuary and Preserve
Libby, what’s your…
Favorite food: Corn on the cob!!! Or pumpkin. Wait! I love leafy greens too. I can’t choose.
Hobby: Snuggling. I get in some snuggles whenever I can. It’s good for the humans too; they appreciate it.
Spot at the sanctuary: Front and center! I think of myself as a Wildwood greeter. When you walk into our main barn I’ll probably be one of the first people you see, right near the front where the humans prepare the snacks.
Prefer sunrise or sunset?: Which one has more snacks? I’ll choose that one.
Personality traits: I’m a chill kind of gal. I try not to take life too seriously.
Best friend: Olive. We got rescued together from the scary place where we almost died. I’m so glad we get to be together.
Gladys Gladiolus, Accredited Rivers Wish Animal Sanctuary
Gladys, what’s your…
Favorite food: My favorite food is watermelon!
Hobby: Doing the Triple Jump with a hop, skip and jump! That’s how I get to my cat bed!
Spot at the sanctuary: Hanging with the felines Tommy, Twinkle and Twilight in the sun or snuggled in our beds up high. With my long neck I can keep an eye on everything and this comforts my kitten family.
Prefer sunrise or sunset?: I’ve never been a morning person and I love watching the sun go down from the comfort of my bed with my feline friends.
Personality traits: I think I’m precious, beautiful and brave. Nothing like what I heard someone say about me, that I was intense. I prefer the word intentional.
Best friend: Don’t let Tommy or Twilight know, but my best friend in the world is Twinkle.
Need a primer on how to do the holidays vegan? We’ve got you covered.
Renewals
Over the past month, GFAS has renewed four groups!
Congratulations to these groups!
Renewal
Equamore Foundation, Oregon
Horse Feathers Equine Center, Oklahoma
Illinois Equine Humane Center, Illinois
Nalani Horse Rescue, Virginia