#IfaW

[keepingitneutral]

Happy International Cat Day !

Created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), International Cat Day is a day to unite cat lovers across the globe in a celebration that recognizes the unique relationship between humans and cats.

With an estimated 600 million cats worldwide, both owned and unowned, the theme ‘Celebrating Cats’ invites cat advocates to come together and share their love for cats – fostering a sense of community and shared passion for championing their welfare.

Kawano Kaoru, "Kitten," Woodcut In Colors On Paper, H 5.75'' W 4.75''

[hislittleraincloud]

She'll Be Alright (Rated T, Cairo Sweet/Jonathan Miller (Jairo), angst, fluff, for hurricane relief efforts in the South, 1300 word drabble)

Cergy, France 

The weather was as muggy as it had ever been, on and off, during their stay, but Jon surmised that the faint frown on her face that had weighted her bowed lips down during the times it was too hot to write wasn't there for the lack of inspiration or motivation.

“What're you doin’?” 

Jon tried to quickly slide the glass door shut, but the faint smoke smell followed him in. Cairo was curled into herself on the small couch, scrolling through her apps.

“Cairo,” he leaned against the wall, staring at her ponytailed profile. “I thought we agreed —”

“That contract is void, Jon,” she snapped, more out of despair than irritance. “I can't —”  she made a half-hearted effort to look up, but her neck was hurting from being held hostage by her compulsion towards worry. She sighed. 

It wasn't him, but he wasn't helping. 

She sighed again, the frustration having collapsed into defeat as her hand fell into her lap. “I just can't.”

Their little one bedroom apartment in Cergy-Pontoise was tiny, but she was tiny, “So it works out,” she had cooed upon her booking with her cheeky, dimpled grin. At the time, it was her romantic heart that just wanted to get away from all of the heartache that home had left them to suffer, Paris being the first stop on their year-long tour of living — and loving — in Europe.

The apartment was perfect for that, offering a cozy — perhaps slightly cramped — living space for them to begin their journey together, writing whenever and wherever they felt like it, whether it be on the queen bed or lounging in the small garden patio that reminded them of home. It was the color scheme of the listing that had drawn Cairo in, but once they arrived, it thrilled her even more; the blacks, greys, celadon and verdant greens of the paint and decor matched everything at Sweetland Manor, greatly lessening her anxiety and keeping her homesickness at bay in the slightly paler and more modern trade-up. The garden even had an ironwork table, albeit a small, round, white one whose surface was not equipped in either size or stability for the kinds of activity that the one back in Benson had seen. The only thing they hadn't quite counted on was the size of the (mini)fridge and the lack of a full stove, for as cute it was that the aesthetic fit Cairo's petite stature, it didn't cooperate well with either Cairo or Jon’s ravenous appetites for something other than sex and cigarettes. Still, it had become their home away from home, their writing and lovemaking something out of a quaint and boringly repetitive erotic novel that brought them the pleasure and bonding that she had only dreamt about when she planned her gap year around the man she was smitten with, and who was smitten with her. It had been a dream, these past two months ‘under the roofs of Paris’, until the nightmare back home invaded their tranquility.

He sat down, nudging his way against her side, his left arm coaxing her shoulders into an easy slump against his chest.

“I know, alright. You...aren't the only one scared to death about all this shit.”

She shifted, her knuckles idly sliding against his tee. “You worried about Bea?”

He blinked, his brow twitching before correcting itself. There wasn't a hint of venom in her voice at the mention of his soon-to-be ex-wife.

“She ain't even in the pathway. Neither is Benson, you know —”

“It's close enough! Knoxville —”

“Is two counties over! And even if the floods are bad, it's solid. It'll be fine —”

“How do you even know that —”

“It's Lovell Hill.  Hill. You ever get floodin’ there?”

“It don't matter if I never got floodin' this bad before, Jon! People on top of fuckin’ mountains are gettin’ affected. There's dead bodies in the trees, kids, babies floatin’ down the floodwaters. A thousand year flood done washed Asheville away,” her voice cracked. “I hate it here.”

“You don't hate it here —”

“Yes I do!  Right now I do! I can't do nuthin’ about anything!”

“And what exactly do you think you could be doin’ back home besides bein’ trapped in the house with nowhere to go except the second floor?”

“...But Miss Kitty —”

“She'd find her way to that second floor,” he spoke softly but assertively, a hand patting the air as if to quickly stamp out a flame. He accidentally let a small tick of impatience slip through his throat, but immediately recovered, reaching for her hand. “Or the attic. She'll be okay —”

“There's no one to feed her! Boris n’ Black evacuated! Did they take the cat?  No, they didn't!”

Jon recalled the text. It had been a flash flood warning, and they all needed to evacuate immediately. There was no time for anyone to drive all the way over to the Hill to get the cat.

“I'm sorry —”

“I'm just — I'm just — ” her hand bounced against his stomach as a video on her phone held a silent loop of the rushing, ochre-colored waters of the floods onscreen. “The Rainbow Bridge up in Lake Lure washed away. Peoples’ live pets are bein’ washed away. There was one lady who lost ten cats — ten of ‘em, and I can't — hey!”

Jon had snatched the phone out of her hand and kept an iron grip on her waist as he held her phone at his long arm’s length.

“Watchin’ those TikTok videos ain't helpin’, baby girl.” 

He started to chuckle as she struggled but wasn’t truly putting any effort into getting it back. She only mildly hated it when he was like this, smacking at his arms until she hugged them to her chest in a caress, too drained from all of the blunt, realtime depictions of life and death at the hands of a very angry Earth. When she relaxed, he tossed her phone two feet away onto the bed and lay with her comfortably cradled in his arm. 

“I know it's hard. It's hard feelin’ so — helpless. But there ain't nuthin’ either of us can do right now except live our lives.” He cupped her rounded jaw with his fingers, stroking his thumb against her pouty lip. “At least try to.”

She kissed the pad of his thumb, but then shook away from it. “I’m tryin’.”

“I know you are.” They lay in silence for a minute, listening to each other's heavy breaths in the damp evening air. “We can't go home now.”

“I — I know.”

“Hey,” he whispered.

“What.”

“You know I love ya?”

“...I love you more,” she pouted.

“You just love more. Explains your pain over all of that —”, his hand squeezed her shoulder, “ — stuff back home.”

“And you ain't pained? You ain't bothered at all? You…heartless old codger.”

He laughed. “That what you really think of me?”

“No. But I hate that you're so calm n’ collected. It just makes me look crazier.”

“You're allowed to be crazier.”

“...Sexist.”

“Ain't nuthin’ to do with that and you know it.”

“I hate it here.”

“That's fine, I've only been packin’ for London for the past three days —”

“And I hate you.”

“Funny, I thought I just heard a little crazy, farty little forest fairy tellin’ me that she loved me more than I love her.”

“I do,” she pressed her palms into his stomach as she lifted up, eliciting a sharp wince in his disbelieving, open-mouthed grin. She flashed a smug grin of her own and gave him a quick peck on the lips before pushing up and off, bouncing to the bed for her phone. “Imma call Daddy. I bet he can get someone out there to help.”

“...You do whatever you need to do, sweet pea.”

The region in which the Under Virgin Circumstances universe is set has seen unprecedented devastation to all life with Hurricane Helene and hurricane season is far from over. Here are a few links where you can help contribute funds to the rescue and relief efforts:

The International Fund for Animal Welfare donation pages for Helene and for Milton Efforts

The Humane Society of the United States Hurricane Rescue & Relief Efforts

Charity Navigator: Hurricane Helene & Milton Relief Efforts (includes links for pets and their humans)

[everydaydeeds]

Day 3597 - Attended a training event so that I can volunteer at an intensive care unit for stranded dolphins.

[positivedevelopment]

Monthly Roundup September 2024

Interview: A Former Tamil Tiger Child Soldier Charts His Path From Forced Recruitment to Healing

"Kagusthan Ariaratnam, a former child soldier turned defense analyst, speaks with JURIST about his new memoir Spy Tiger: The 05 File. The book, co-written with Michael Bramadat-Willcock, details Ariaratnam’s experiences during the Sri Lankan civil war (1983-2009). Forcibly recruited by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a youth, Ariaratnam later became an informant for both Indian and Sri Lankan governments. The conflict, which pitted the LTTE against the Sri Lankan government, resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths. In this interview with JURIST Senior Editor for Long Form Content Pitasanna Shanmugathas, Ariaratnam discusses his role in the war, its lasting impacts, and the ethical challenges he faced."

How Satellite Technology is Revolutionizing Elephant Conservation

"In the past, understanding how animals move through a vast region like KAZA was extremely challenging. However, GPS collaring has revolutionized our ability to do this, giving us more accurate and useful information. This technology allows us to map elephant movements across entire ecosystems, providing valuable data for conservation efforts.

From 2009 to 2023, various governments and conservation groups independently collared nearly 300 elephants across KAZA. In 2016, an extensive collaboration united these researchers and field experts who agreed to compile and analyze the data together. That collaboration culminated in the creation of an unprecedented elephant tracking database containing an impressive collection of approximately 4 million GPS data points, making it the most comprehensive of its kind. Using this extensive dataset, we have thoroughly analyzed elephant movement patterns throughout the KAZA landscape, leading to the discovery of vital information for effective conservation management."

Elephants are one of the most heavily poached mammals in the world, with a staggering 90% of African elephants being killed by poachers within the last 100 years.

Elephant poaching: Why it’s a big problem

"Poaching is the term used to describe the illegal hunting, killing, or live capturing of wild animals, usually for commercial gain. This could be for a particular body part, such as their fur, horns, tusks, teeth, meat, skin, etc., or for the live animal trade. Poaching threatens the survival of many species around the world.

Elephants in particular are targeted for their ivory tusks, which are in particularly high demand in illegal wildlife trade. 

The impact of elephant poaching extends far beyond the loss of individual animals. Elephants are a keystone species, playing critical roles in their ecosystems. Not only do they help to physically shape their habitats and local ecosystems by creating clearings in forests, dispersing seeds, and creating pathways for other animals, but they’re also culturally significant and symbolic of wisdom, strength, and spirituality for many communities."

UWO professors express the impact of elephant conservation on the environment

"Over the last 75 years, the population of savannah elephants worldwide has declined by more than 50 percent, making them one of the most endangered species in Africa. With a decreasing population, there also comes threats to the elephants’ environment, which faces dangers such as climate change and lack of plant diversity.

According to a study conducted by Spanbauer in Tanzania in 2015, elephants are creating plant diversity across the savannah through digestion, with their dung acting as both a fertilizer and a protectant against insect predators. Savannah elephants are some of the most important seed dispersers in Africa, traveling up to 200 kilometers to fertilize these seeds."

“No one needs an ivory trinket on their shelf,” Spanbauer stressed. “You cannot really get the ivory off the elephant without hurting or killing them. Without elephants, the land will lose tree growth and moisture and eventually suffer drought. So, ivory needs to stay right where it is, which is on elephants that are alive, happy, reproducing and roaming around Africa.”

[wildlifeday]

Statement of the President of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (ifaw) on World Wildlife Day 2024.

Message for World Wildlife Day 2024 by CEO and President of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (ifaw)

[globalcat]

The Forgotten Victims: Animal Welfare in the Shadows of War

Amidst conflicts, groups like IFAW and FOUR PAWS rescue animals, focusing on cats in Ukraine and others in Gaza, Sudan, highlighting the urgent need for aid and compassion for war's forgotten victims. #cats #war #animalwellfare #ukraine #gaza #israel

Conflicts across the globe not only wreak havoc on human communities but also cast a long and dark shadow over the animal kingdom. The stories of animal welfare organizations striving to mitigate these impacts in various conflict zones highlight both the widespread suffering and the compassionate responses it evokes. Ukraine: Resilience Amidst Ruins In Ukraine, the International Fund for Animal…

[capecodartandnature]

We came upon the fine team from IFAW at First Encounter Beach doing a necropsy on a deceased pilot whale. It’s alway sad to see but encouraging that we are learning more with each passing—hopefully this will help in the future. #capecod #firstencounterbeach #eastham #ifaw #marinemammal #marinemammalrescue #pilotwhale https://www.instagram.com/p/CovNkGbPuO7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[luigiviazzo]

Giornata nazionale del gatto in data 17 febbraio, un appuntamento che si aggiunge alla Giornata internazionale del gatto, in calendario, dal 2002, l’8 agosto a cura dell’International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) – alias Fondo Internazionale per il Benessere degli Animali.

[cricketcat9]

Please help if you can, and reblog 🙏🏼

HELP IS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY. Due to diminishing water levels dolphins are dying in the Brazilian Amazon. IFAW is on the scene & working with Brazilian agencies to save as many dolphins as possible.

PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER AMOUNT YOU CAN AFFORD TO HELP WITH THIS EFFORT TO SAVE DOLPHINS.

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS.

IFAW, International Fund for Animal Welfare, is an excellent non-profit. You can read more here: https://www.ifaw.org/about

@russalex @iamthebadwolf85  @catedevalois @maneth985   @ogtumble @amatasera @booksandcatslover @fuckdumblr  @ladyoftheteaandblood @sirrah22 @stripedsilverfeline @larouau12 @ughseriously @usearki @ladytuarach @glendathegoodone @cricketcat9 @aregrettablehullabaloo @micaleann @toasty-hancock @hellcatblues  @middleagedandoutoftouch @sabbykatt3 @cursethedarkness @gretchenk0720  @aliceliddellsmirror @inkededucatednnerdy @notpedeka @photoboybg69  @contemplatingoutlander @nildespirandum @izhunny @ladytigrane @wolfsmom1 @phoenix-maat @writernotwaiting  @glitterypeanutmugnickel  @captain-krazy @bitchycatwizard @paulfe  @mishlady @dorcascristyforever @beerboy100 @ultimatenutshackfangirl  @lokilickedme @bakufuhakutaku  @a-sundry-bag @prettyhatemachine01 @texmexdarling @oshea52  @posttexasstressdisorder  @evieplease @queen-of-cats @catchester  @jimbr549  @ladygreytea76 @azusalover​ 

[thepastisalreadywritten]

ARNAY-SOUS-VITTEAUX, France — Three lions kept in captivity in Ukraine arrived at a wildlife park in France on Friday after their rescue from the war-ravaged country.

Atlas, a male, and lionesses Luladja and Queen — all three around 2 years old — arrived at the Auxois park in Burgundy, eastern France, after a journey of nearly 90 hours across Europe.

Their rescue is the latest effort by animal protection organizations to save big cats suffering from the upheaval of Russia’s war against Ukraine and from human exploitation.

Atlas was handed over by a woman near Kyiv who had had him since he was a cub, said Charlotte von Croy, in charge of emergency rescues at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a US non-profit organization.

“He was becoming too aggressive, perhaps because of the bombings,” she told AFP.

New home

The lion is overweight at 294 kilograms (648 pounds), compared with a normal weight of under 200 kilograms for his two-and-a-half years.

The two lionesses were found in eastern Ukraine where they had probably also been kept by private individuals who fled the fighting, Von Croy said.

The three were first picked up by a local NGO, Wild Animal Rescue, which then sought animal parks abroad willing to give them a new home.

“That’s always the difficult part,” said Von Croy.

Once the new homes were secured, the three cats were taken to France through Poland, a trip lasting 88 hours.

The Auxois park, which keeps around 500 animals, already has a lioness, said its director, Geoffrey Delahaye.

At first, the new arrivals will be kept in large enclosures in the 40-hectare park area, he said, to give them the chance to discover their new environment gradually.

“We will give them time to find their bearings,” Delahaye said.

Caught up in conflict

IFAW has rescued 13 big cats from Ukraine so far, taking them to the United States, Poland, Belgium, Spain, and France.

Von Croy said there were probably around 10 big cats remaining in Ukraine, where keeping felines in private homes remains legal.

Owners are supposed to keep them in large enclosures but that rule is ignored “in 99 percent of cases,” Von Croy said.

“These big cats are not only another victim of the Russian invasion but also suffered from human exploitation,” IFAW’s website quoted Natalia Popova of Wild Animal Rescue as saying after an earlier rescue.

“These are the unexpected victims of this war,” IFAW rescue officer Natalia Gozak said about exotic pets caught up in the conflict in Ukraine.

“Lions — that should be roaming the plains of Africa — have instead been found in backyard breeding facilities in my country.”

“As their owners were forced to flee, they were left to languish.”

[straycatj]

Actually, I read the post again and saw that it was actually naughty cat day as today is cat day… so very sorry! But, now, I must ask, is it some kind of pun in Japan for today to be cat day? Or is it not a Japan only day?

It was the ❌️World⭕️ International Cat Day by IFAW... Japanese cat day is 22th Feb(222=ni-ni-ni) from the cat meowing nyan-nyan-nyan!

[everydaydeeds]

Day 3911 - Last night I attended a refresher training to keep up my eligibility to volunteer responding to marine mammal strandings.

[positivedevelopment]

Monthly Roundup January 2023

Your Red Hand counts!

"Red Hand Day (February 12th) and the campaign to stop the use of child soldiers [have existed] for over 15 years. Hundreds and thousands of handprints have been collected in more than 50 countries and handed over to politicians and to responsible parties, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. There is progress, but there are still 250,000 child soldiers in the world."

Help to stop this abuse of children. Show your Red Hand to the world!

Our demands:

Straight 18: No child under the age of 18 may be used or trained in armies, armed groups or other military units

Punishment of those responsible

Care, protection and political asylum for former child soldiers

Expand financial support for aid programs for child soldiers

Stop of arms exports

Promotion of peace education

Stay tuned over the next week as the Dallaire Institute shares highlights of this important initiative and ways you can #RaiseYourRed to help end the practice of children being recruited and used as soldiers.

Photo credit HERE

From child soldiers to carpenters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

"To mark IVD 2022, UN Volunteers lend support to APROJED under the Actions and Projects for Sustainable Development, an organization in Turunga, a Nyiragongo municipality on the outskirts of Goma.

This organization houses a training facility formed in 2006. Here, former child soldiers and vulnerable children are taught practical life skills, such as carpentry. So far, this training facility has trained and imparted vocational training to more than 600 children."

26 minutes: counting down for elephant conservation

"Every 26 minutes, on average, one African elephant dies for its ivory. This gloomy statistic is fueled by rampant poaching, by the land and water shortages that drive tense conflicts between people and animals, and by the stifling threats of climate change.

Yet, working together, we can achieve wonders in 26 minutes. That’s how long it takes for IFAW and our conservation partners to protect the life of an African elephant through the complex process of translocation, or movement from one place to another."

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Mystery! Did you hear about this? It’s so cool!

https://www.ifaw.org/campaigns/paramount-partner-ifaw-sonic3

Awwwww ❤️🥹❤️

[wildlifeday]

Youth artists across the world called to get creative for wildlife.

Young people across the world are encouraged to get creative for this year's World Wildlife Day youth art contest. 

The 2023 WWD theme of ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’ highlights people making a difference for wildlife—whether at the local, national, or global scale.

Young people across the world are encouraged to get creative for this year's World Wildlife Day youth art contest. The fifth annual international youth art contest is being hosted by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The art contest focuses on species that have benefited from people working together to protect and conserve them. These partnerships can range from community members working together to protect wildlife around them, to scientists working together to understand and correct critical threats to survival, to wildlife groups and governments working with others to protect and improve habitat for species to thrive.

Open to artists from the ages of four-18, entrants will choose a species that has benefited from these partnerships, and then illustrate it as an individual animal or in its native habitat. The contest taps into the immense creativity of the world’s youth through artwork and builds upon the growing success from previous contests — with more than 1500 entries received last year from nearly 60 countries across the globe.

Entry opens on January 9th, 2023, and artists must submit their artwork electronically by 11:59 p.m. GMT on February 6th, 2023. All entries must be original and created by hand using markers, crayons, colored pencils and/or paint. Twelve semi-finalists from different age groups and one separate grand prize winner will be selected by a prestigious international panel of judges.

The 2022 winner was 13-year-old Yanjun Mao of China with his piece entitled ‘Return Home’. Previous winners have hailed from Hong Kong, Australia and the United States. The 2023 winner will be announced at the annual UN-hosted World Wildlife Day event.

[thehappybroadcast]

No rhinos were poached last year in the world's largest reserve for the endangered great one-horned rhinoceros, India's Assam state, in what authorities said was the first time since 1977.

Poachers killed more than 190 rhinos in Assam between 2000 and 2021 but none was killed last year, according to data shared by the Assam Police. According to IFAW, the greater one-horned rhino, also known as the Indian rhino, were once widespread across the entire northern region of India until they were decimated in the early 19th century due to the popularity of sport hunting. As a result, it is estimated that in 1908 there were only 12 rhinos left in Kaziranga, India. Thankfully, Assam, is now home to the world’s largest population of greater one-horned rhinos, with nearly 2,900 across the region today. Thanks to conservation efforts, the species has now doubled across north-eastern India. Source: World Animal News (link in bio)

#conservation #rhino #india https://www.instagram.com/p/CoH6aYer6n2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=