Animals Lebanon and Save the Dogs (Romania)

Animals Lebanon – Animals Lebanon work for the protection and welfare of animals in the country through a variety of activities, reaching out to governing bodies and civil communities. They campaign for changes in national legalisation and work to increase Lebanon’s compliance with the regulations of the World Animal Health Organisation and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. They rescue and provide quality care to abused or neglected animals and work to close down substandard zoos. They engage with members of the community to encourage them to take an active role in making improvements to animal welfare.

Save the Dogs, Romania – Save the Dogs tackle the problem of hundreds of thousands of stray and roaming dogs in Romania as well as raising awareness on animal rights in Romanian society and lobbying national and local authorities to improve and enforce animal welfare law. They have a capture, sterilise and release programme through which they have neutered over 21,000 dogs and cats since 2002. Much of their work is linked with helping communities across the country, providing free veterinary services to disadvantaged families and setting up the country’s first riding therapy project, using rescued donkeys and helping children with special needs in Bucharest.

Last Great Ape Organisation, SOS Fauna and Education for Nature

Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA), Cameroon – LAGA is the first wildlife law enforcement non-governmental organisation in Africa. It is a field-based organisation designed to establish effective enforcement of local wildlife law in association with the Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife. Their work focuses on threatened species and the dealers of illegal bushmeat, ivory and pet trade. LAGA has also managed to expand and replicate its model in the Central African Republic and Benin.

SOS Fauna, Brazil – SOS Fauna was founded in 2002 and their mission is to tackle the increasing illegal wildlife trade and carry out projects with a focus on wildlife welfare and conservation in the country. They provide veterinary care to the victims of the trafficking of wild animals when they are seized, ensure the recovery and rehabilitation of rescued wild animals, carry out scientific research focused on the welfare and conservation of rescued birds who have been released back to their environments and run education programmes for the local community.

Education for Nature (ENV), Vietnam – ENV was established in 2000 as the country’s first non-governmental organisation focused on the conservation of nature and the environment. They aim to foster a greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and global significance, from the protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change.

Environmental and Animal Welfare Society (EAST), Taiwan

EAST has been an avid and exceptional animal welfare campaign organisation for the last two decades. As well as their ongoing work in Taiwan, they have assisted in significant investigation work for issues from fur farming in Chine to cattle welfare and slaughter in Indonesia. They are a dedicated, professional and evolved animal welfare organisation, who stand out in Asia and globally. In November 2007, EAST were involved in a WSPA-led coalition of the local and international animal welfare organisations which presented a life-size pig made of flowers and candy to the San Shia Master Temple in Taiwan, in an appeal to end the cruel Pigs of God contest.

VITA

VITA (Latin for ‘Life’) is a non-profit animal protection organisation based in Moscow. It is run entirely by volunteers working on a range of issues including education, farming and stray dogs that are not commonly addressed by groups in the country. One of their significant achievements was the success of a VITA/InterNICHE joint campaign against animal experimentation in education which saw two departments at St Petersburg university replacing animal experiments with humane alternatives.

Committee for Rehabilitation Aid to Afghanistan (CRAA)

The CRAA received this Award for its tireless efforts to implement animal welfare in country suffering the burden of political unrest and social conflict. They introduced the Humane Treatment of Draft Animals project in Jalalabad in 2003, particularly for the horses and donkeys that pull carts and are often the sole source of income for Afghani families. The project offers clean water and shade facilities where the animals can rest, educated owners about what their need are and providing mobile veterinary care and harness repair and replacement. The project was extended to the Nangarhar province in 2004 before reaching the Kabul, Laghman and Kunar provinces in the following years.