Voices From Around the World

Compassion Knows No Boundaries

The World Responds to Animal Welfare

by Katie Marsico

With the recent turn of the century, it’s indisputable that the United States has made some excellent strides in animal welfare. The past few years have included innovative legislation, new solutions to pet overpopulation, and revamped disaster-response techniques that incorporate animal rescue. That being said, America undoubtedly still has room for improvement. Animal fighting continues to plague communities across the country, most shelters are overcrowded, and illegal hunting remains a threat to endangered wildlife populations.


But what about the rest of the world? The media routinely presents international news stories that address problems affecting people, yet animal welfare is as prevalent an issue abroad as it is at home. What difficulties and problems do different countries face, and what solutions could serve as a lesson to America?

Bringing animal welfare to the forefront
Xenii Nielsen was one of three women who founded Guatemala’s Animal Welfare Association-Rescue/Education (AWARE) in 1998. AWARE offers sanctuary for both wild and domestic animals, spaying and neutering services, and additional veterinary care. The nonprofit also strives to provide education about the environment and animal welfare, especially to children. Based in Sumpango, Guatemala, AWARE is faced with a staggering number of homeless animals—nearly 100,000, per Nielsen’s estimation.

“The present government solution is to poison dogs and call it rabies control,” says Nielsen, who admits that animal neglect and cruelty are major issues in Guatemala. “We try to combat that with monthly, free or low-cost spay and neuter services. We also believe that it’s critical to reach the population through education, to teach them how to care for their animals.”

With so much political upheaval in Guatemala, the government’s focus has inevitably turned to providing for its citizens. As Nielsen explains it, “The government here could be animal-friendly, but it’s very busy trying to make people human-friendly.” Consequently, the country does not sponsor any animal shelters, a dilemma that AWARE has begun to tackle by creating a no-kill facility that houses 163 dogs and 75 cats.

In addition to caring for these creatures, Nielsen and her team (which includes some of AWARE’s canine residents) spend time visiting schools, colleges, and even private homes to educate people about issues ranging from pet care to the plight of homeless animals in Guatemala. Despite the challenges she faces, Nielsen sees hope for the future and eagerly invites help from other countries.

“Since the end of the war in Guatemala, many people considered animals as dispensable, almost like work tools. I feel that maybe some people are beginning to think differently now. As I see it, the only hope we have here in Guatemala is through education.”


Change is possible
Karin Hoad has worked in animal welfare in Costa Rica for 11 years and has faced challenges similar to those Nielsen encounters. She
acts as the executive
director of the Center for Earth Concerns de Costa Rica, an educational group that also serves as a shelter and offers spay and neuter services. Based on her experience with the government, Hoad attests that it doesn’t sponsor animal shelters and is somewhat ambivalent toward animal welfare.

“I wouldn’t classify the government here as either friendly or unfriendly toward animals,” she explains. “They used to poison dogs, but they haven’t done that in a long time. They’ve passed a regulation to help animals, but there are no laws to make the regulation stick, so it essentially has no teeth.” Despite this lack of involvement, however, Hoad has witnessed much positive change since she arrived and argues that Costa Rica might have even less of a problem with homeless pets than the United States.

“There are several groups here that do nothing but neuter, neuter, neuter, including the McKee Project and the Asociación Nacional Protectora de Animales (ANPA). Besides operating a no-kill shelter, our group concentrates on free neutering for street dogs and the animal companions of very poor people.” In addition to offering a wide range of spay and neuter services, Costa Rica has come a long way when it comes to pet care in general.

“In the 11 years since I’ve been in Costa Rica, a lot has changed,” Hoad says. “At one time, finding a bag of Science Diet was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and now you can buy any kind of dog or cat food you want. Also, more people are walking their dogs on leashes, taking them to the park, and using veterinarians. There is even a top-of-the-line pet magazine called Pets y Mas.” But she is not blind to the problems that continue to plague Costa Rica. Americans frequently visit the country to hunt doves, and some residents fight roosters or keep wildlife as pets. Like Nielsen, Hoad believes further improvement in animal welfare lies in education.

“Humans are inherently ‘me and people first’-oriented and can be insensitive to other species. Our group has a humane and environmental school, as well as wildlife and domestic rehab programs. It is important that we reach the children—they’ll in turn teach their families.”

Though filled with scenic coastline and amazing wildlife, South Africa also has its share of problems when it comes to animal welfare.

“Homeless animals are a huge problem in South Africa,” says Marilyn Hoole, the director of The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS). TEARS is a no-kill group that cares for domestic animals such as dogs and cats. “Persons from disadvantaged communities can barely afford to care for themselves properly, let alone provide for their pets or see to their spaying and neutering.”

Hoole explains that several of the communities TEARS services are situated in remote areas, and the corresponding level of neglect runs high. Faced with these dilemmas, in addition to the lack of government intervention, she feels challenged, but not downtrodden. Despite the difficulties her group routinely encounters, Hoole’s mission remains clear.

“There are so many issues and problems to deal with on a day-to-day basis, which take up so much time and manpower. But it’s our job to carry on, trying to do our best for our four-legged friends.”

Making a better future happen now
Unlike those countries where animal welfare is a relatively new issue, the United Kingdom has offered legislation related to animal rights since 1824 and continues to receive strong government guidance in this area. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) works to enforce animal-welfare laws and also strives to improve existing legislation by lobbying and campaigning at international, European, national, and local levels. As the head of external affairs for the RSPCA, David Bowles says his group is involved in one of the biggest overhauls of animal-welfare legislation in more than 100 years.

“The Animal Welfare Bill is currently halfway through Parliament in England and Wales,” Bowles says. “We essentially hope to introduce a duty of care for prospective pet guardians so that we can have a preventative measure to act before cruelty actually happens.” Among other things, the bill would introduce stiffer penalties for people found guilty of abuse or neglect, raise the minimum age at which a child can adopt an animal, from 12 to 16, and help to extend legislation that applies only to farm animals to all animals in humans’ care.

Working actively with the European Union, the United Kingdom is also pushing forth legislation that includes new rules for farming chickens and that would end cosmetic testing on animals. Additionally, the RSPCA features an international program that involves more than 30 countries worldwide (mainly in East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe).

“We offer training programs in education, shelter management, law enforcement, stray dog control, campaigning, fund-raising, and lobbying,” Bowles says. “We interact with nongovernment organizations, various governments, teachers, and other authorities. We also sponsor animal shelters.” Despite these impressive innovations, however, Bowles is not naïve to the hefty amount of work that still remains to be done.

“The major issues for us to tackle are to reduce the euthanasia of healthy animals to zero and to improve understanding of companion animals so that responsible pet guardianship increases. We’re also struggling to put a stop to dogfighting, which continues to be a problem, despite it being illegal for more than 150 years. Finally, we hope to continue to raise standards in farmanimal welfare.”

This is a seemingly tall order, yet it’s not dissimilar from the issues that several countries hope to overcome. Regardless of whether they’re just starting out or have existed for more than a century, animal-welfare groups around the world are looking toward the future with optimism and determination. Some face political barriers within their own borders, while others are busy spreading their message to other nations. No matter what their differences or distinctions may be, each has a common goal—to educate people and thereby make life better for the amazing
animals that share our planet.

For more information on the animal-welfare groups profiled in this story, please visit:

AWARE
www.AnimalAware.org

RSPCA
www.RSPCA.org.uk

TEARS
www.TEARS.org.za

ANPA
www.AdoptAMe.org (in Spanish)