| International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) |
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IFAW works to improve the welfare of wild and domestic animals throughout the world by reducing commercial exploitation of animals, protecting wildlife habitats, and assisting animals in distress. IFAW seeks to motivate the public to prevent cruelty to animals and to promote animal welfare and conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals and people. |
IFAW is a global, not-for-profit, animal protection organization founded in Canada in 1969 with the goal of ending the commercial hunt of harp and hooded seals on the East Coast. Today, IFAW is headquartered in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but has offices throughout the world. IFAW’s global campaigns are centered around providing emergency relief to animals in distress; protecting whales, elephants, and seals; ending the illegal trade in wildlife; and helping pets and companion animals
From the outset, the founders of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, or IFAW, rejected the notion that the interests of humans and animals were separate. Instead they embraced the understanding that the fate and future of harp seals – and all other animals on Earth – are inextricably linked to our own.
Over the years, IFAW has grown to become the world’s leading international animal welfare organizations with more than 200 experienced campaigners, legal and political experts, and internationally acclaimed scientists working from offices in 13 countries around the world. We are now joined in this important work by some two million contributors worldwide.
IFAW in Africa: Since 1985, IFAW's programmes in Africa are managed through our South Africa office, established in 1994, and through our East Africa office in Kenya, which opened in 1999. Our pragmatic approaches to diverse issues – from providing primary companion animal health care services in impoverished communities to campaigning against the ivory trade – have established IFAW as one of the most important animal welfare organizations in Southern Africa. |
