Helene Scharf’s Post

Move over Pomodoro technique, other ways to improve productivity are here. Get a 'Ringo'. Earlier called Muffin, this little one was renamed to Ringo due to his ringworm infection. (Breeder-bought kittens usually have this because of the lack of care and poor hygiene practices) Of course, that's not Ringo's entire story. His sibling was bought from a breeder and turned out to be 'defective' (their words, not mine). So, the so-called family who bought the kitten, exchanged him for Ringo. When Ringo turned out to be unwell too, they decided it would be too much work to keep him and wanted to get rid of him ASAP. And that's how he ended up on my keyboard. Currently, he's in charge of my schedule so that I can take intermittent breaks to work. Most of my day involves giving him food and medicine, cleaning after him, and entertaining him. So you know who to blame if I'm not responding to your messages/emails. But of course, there are ways you can help folks like Ringo. 1. #AdoptDontShop. Consider giving a home to a homeless animal instead of buying from a breeder. Shelters and rescue places are overflowing with animals who need homes and there's ZERO need to feed the breeding industry. 2. Foster. If you're not ready for the full-time commitment of adopting an animal, sign up to be a temporary foster. Lost animals, animals in-between homes, and those waiting for adoption would be grateful for your help. Also, before a permanent adoption, you can get a feel for how your schedule would need to change to accommodate a companion animal. Reach out to folks like Paws for a Cause: NCR Adoptions - Delhi to adopt an animal. 3. Can't foster, support TNVR. Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return - is the best way to control urban animal populations and help animals lead happier, healthier lives. Not only does it reduce cases of diseases like rabies, it also prevents human-animal conflict and reduces the load on the already burdened animal rescue/welfare ecosystem. Friendicoes SECA, Paw People Foundation, and Dogs of Delhi (link in comments) are people doing brilliant work in this direction. Remember, in a country where the penalty for animal cruelty is a about $0.6 (after arduous legal processes and IF there is a conviction), this is how you can help animals. DM/leave a comment to know more and if you want cute pictures of Ringo. #adoption #animalRescue #AnimalWelfare #TNR #TNVR #foster

The City of Cranbrook contracts the local SPCA to care for stray dogs and cats picked up by Bylaw Services and the Cranbrook RCMP. The contract was due for renewal and in the process of renegotiation. Unfortunately, the local SPCA branch has decided to end the renegotiations, go to the media, and stated they would also stop accepting stray animals from the Cranbrook area. The City needs to provide facts publicly since this has become a public discussion. The local SPCA's contract with the City is for accepting animals captured by the RCMP or bylaw services, which amounts to less than 15 animals per year. The BC SPCA provides for the care of stray animals in BC; it is in their constitution. The City supports the SPCA and its important work, acknowledging that its constitution clearly states it will accept strays whether they are within City limits or not. Section F of their constitution says: ‘establish and operate shelters for the reception and care of animals, in particular sick, injured, stray, seized, or unwanted animals, and provide facilities for the humane destruction of animals’. A recently proposed new contract by the SPCA to the City more than doubled the fees requested to be paid by City taxpayers. The SPCA proposed a new contract fee for 2024 that includes supporting their base costs for meeting their constitution and accepting approximately 15 animals from the City bylaw and RCMP, from $42,000 to $92,699 per year. This is a cost increase that the City is unwilling to pass on to the local taxpayers. The City’s requests for these costs and fees to be itemized and substantiated by the SPCA have not been provided. The SPCA reports that last year, there were 394 emergency animal boardings; from that number, 111 are from the “Cranbrook area” (no information was provided as to specifically inside or outside City limits). Also, the Regional District of East Kootenay donates just over $7,000 to the SPCA. The number of animals dropped off by City bylaw and RCMP is less than 15 per year. If the reported 111 animals were all from within the City limits, this would total $842 for each animal boarding at the proposed new rate to be paid by Cranbrook taxpayers. At this rate, caring for a litter of kittens would cost taxpayers several thousand dollars for basic room and board. This is much higher than a veterinary clinic boarding or private animal boarding and is why the City is trying to negotiate this proposed new contract cost. The City is disappointed that the local SPCA has chosen to stop the contract negotiations and go to the media stating they will no longer accept stray animals in the Cranbrook area. However, the City also encourages the SPCA to meet their provincial constitution of taking stray animals and to continue with negotiations. Read more - https://ow.ly/mEyS50PVROM #Cranbrook

Alongside the Australian Alliance for Animals, FOUR PAWS and wool industry representatives, today we met with the Ministry of Primary Industries and Water at the Tasmanian Parliament in Hobart to talk about Australia’s most controversial farming practice, ‘mulesing’ lambs. We welcomed the news that Tasmania recently followed Victoria’s lead by mandating pain relief for mulesing, but more progress is still urgently needed. Unsurprisingly, cutting flaps of skin from fully conscious lambs, even with a local anaesthetic applied afterwards, causes significant pain and distress. Today we emphasised the rapidly growing demands from retailers for mulesing-free wool, and even for lanolin from non-mulesed sheep, especially knowing that many have locked in commitments to phase out mulesed wool by 2025 or 2030 from their stores. So we discussed the best collaborative approach to progress towards effective flystrike mitigation and ending mulesing in Australia. Since 2018 when New Zealand banned mulesing, Australia now takes centre stage as the only country in the world still allowing the controversial lamb cutting technique to be part of their flystrike prevention ‘toolbox’. Since the 2010 industry goal to phase-out mulesing was abandoned, more than 130 million lambs have likely been mulesed. Meanwhile flystrike prevention and treatment costs the industry millions each year, and they continue their search for an alternative. But I think they’re ignoring the sheep in the room, because there already is one. Many growers have successfully stopped mulesing by selectively breeding sheep with less wrinkles, producing ‘plainer’ sheep that are described as possessing drought tolerance and are more suited to Australian conditions. The demand for mulesing-free wool will undoubtedly continue to climb as more retailers update their buying policies, responding to consumer concerns for lamb welfare. It was a welcomed opportunity to discuss this issue in Tasmania today. We will continue these discussions and this collaborative approach until Australia is #mulesingfree. #EndMulesing #SheepWelfare #AnimalWelfare 🚫🐑✂️⏰

Based on our recent analysis of 2,136 grant records from 131 funders for animal advocacy projects in Africa, we estimate that between $25 and $35 million was donated by the funders in scope to animal-related causes on the continent in 2020. Fast facts: - Of this amount, we estimate that only 0.8% to 2.9% is dedicated towards helping farmed animals in Africa. Wild animal and conservation efforts receive the most funding, followed by support for working animals such as donkeys and horses. - The most relevant intervention types for farmed animals in Africa were plant-based outreach, education, and food provision programmes, along with corporate outreach initiatives. - South Africa stands out for its significant funding towards farmed animal advocacy -- likely influenced by its more developed economy and farming sector -- followed by Kenya. - The good news is there has been a remarkable uptick in funding for farmed animal advocacy in Africa. From 2017 to 2022, funding towards this space has increased a 100 fold, translating to more than a doubling of funds every year on average. We hope to continue to see sustained and consistent increase in funding for farmed animal advocacy in Africa, as the current level still represents a very small proportion of the overall global funding for animal groups. This research aimed to offer detailed insights to support the decision of stakeholders to redirect resources towards more neglected and higher-impact farmed animal projects in Africa. We hope this report will enable us and other stakeholders to more swiftly and effectively develop the farmed animal advocacy movement on the continent. We invite individuals and organisations interested in contributing to this cause to reach out to us and consider increasing their commitment and focus on improving farmed animal welfare in Africa. Full report: https://lnkd.in/d9Y-U5qy Summary: https://lnkd.in/d-u_33mC