Change For Animals Foundation

Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) aims to improve the lives of animals throughout the world by delivering and supporting positive and lasting change for animals.

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For Django

“Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favourite”

I wasn’t going to write this blog, and deleted several versions before finally writing this one to share. I felt compelled to do so for anyone who may have lost their best friend, their soul mate, their everything. I hope that just by knowing you are not alone in such feelings of loss can be a source of comfort in some way, as I know Django always sought to provide comfort when he sensed sadness. I also wanted to use this opportunity to thank everyone who has shown so much kindness since Django passed away – your words of sympathy and support, and the time you have taken to share your stories of loss and healing, have meant so much to me…

Django will forever be my greatest love story. It was love at first sight and as soon as I met him, I knew life would never be the same again! He was rescued from a dog meat farm just outside Seoul in South Korea in 2013, where he had been living the most pitiful existence – the same life that millions of dogs endure on dog meat farms still toady in South Korea. His value in Korea was measured on scales…

But as soon as he came to live with me and my family, we knew he was the most precious soul we could ever imagine or have dreamt up! He was weak after being born and surviving months in a cage, and he struggled to keep up with our other dogs charging along the beach, even though he was only a puppy. But, he quickly gained his strength and he was unstoppable! He thought everything about life was great! And his joy for anything and everything was totally contagious! His big tosa grin was like magic and I always told him I loved him “too much” and that one day my heart would explode! Yet every day I some how loved him even more!

Over the years we had together, I was travelling quite a lot for work. Endless visits to dog meat markets, farms and slaughterhouses in South Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. And I would come home and weep for all the suffering I had left behind. Django was always waiting for me when I came back and coming back to him was coming home. He would lie with me and let me sob into his beautiful soft fur, never pulling away or judging. He was my most amazing therapist and source of courage…

And after letting myself feel down for a day – feeling totally overwhelmed by sadness and frustration – I would look at him and say out loud, “OK, Django... Let’s get back to work...” And he would smile at me and we would do just that! He was never more than a touch away…

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage” – Lao Tzu

Django lived a life of absolute adoration with me and my family. We never took him for granted even for a second, and we always knew how lucky we were to have this most beautiful boy in our lives, home, family and hearts.

In April 2018, out of nowhere, he developed a lump on his front wrist. I thought he must have twisted it or been stung by something on one of our walks. I took a photo and sent it to my vet friend who told me to get it checked out as soon as possible. Her tone made me nervous and I started googling…

The words “cancer”, “amputation” and “life expectancy” flashed up on my screen and my heart sank and I could feel a huge knot in my stomach. It was 11 pm and we put him in the car and went to a 24 hour veterinary clinic. They took x-rays and did tests, and then, very bluntly, the vet told us Django had an aggressive form of bone cancer – osteosarcoma – and there was nothing that could be done and we should take him home to die.

The world caved in around me and I felt totally crushed. Living in Bali, it is not always easy to get good or specialised vet care. But there was no way we were going to let cancer win! I was going to fight for him with everything I had… fighting for his life was the same as fighting for my own…

“One day you will ask me which is more important? My life or yours? I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing you are my life” – Kahalil Gibran

Fortunately, I have an amazing network of friends and colleagues, and together we found a vet clinic who could do Django’s amputation surgery and another who would find a way of getting the chemo drugs he needed to Bali.

Meanwhile, without me even knowing about it, a dear friend had set up a fundraising page to help cover the costs of his amputation and chemotherapy, and I was blown away to see that people from all around the world – most of whom neither I nor Django had ever met – had donated to help save our Django.

I was so overwhelmed by people’s kindness; and knowing people all around the world were rooting for him and sending the most beautiful messages of support was such a great source of comfort and strength.

And Django did it! He learned to live life on three legs, he took chemo in his stride, and his follow up x-rays and tests all looked good! I decided the statistics of survival rates of “up to 12 months even with amputation and chemotherapy” didn’t apply to Django, because they hadn’t considered the power of love! And we had enough of that for him to live forever!

Amazing friends sent us tailor-made wheels from the US and we even had a visitor from the UK to try to make him an artificial leg so that Django could keep doing what he did best – living and loving life!

And we had an amazing 13 months after the chemo…

But then, bit by bit he started to show signs of pain… and what had started as random yelps of discomfort, developed into long periods of inconsolable discomfort  and awful vocalisations that would tear through me…

We did tests and x-rays, tried every medication and pain management plan we could to try to keep him comfortable and happy. But eventually the drugs stopped working and my boy was suffering.

His life become one of pain, no matter how hard I tried, with only brief intermittent moments of reprieve. I knew I was losing him. And, after months of trying anything and everything, I knew it was time to let him go.

I couldn’t keep him even though I wanted to more than anything, because keeping him meant him suffering.  I arranged for the vet to come at 10 am on the 22nd August. I didn’t sleep at all on the night of the 21st and Django lay next to me, restless but better than other nights. He had as much ice cream and cheese as he wanted and I told him over and over again how loved he was.

The following morning, I asked him if maybe he could stay with me for just one more day; and he looked at me and begged me to let him go. He was so, so tired and needed peace. His muzzle had been turning grey and his eyes were so tired... He had had enough and couldn’t go on no matter how hard he had been trying. I now understand why people say, “rest in peace”… He died in my arms surrounded by love. At peace.

And I and my family took on his pain and the only comfort was that he didn’t have to. It was the most excruciatingly agonising experience of my life losing Django. I felt – and still feel – like I lost so much of who I am and totally lost without him. He is such an indelible part of me, all that I do, all that I fight for, all that I am. I don’t know who I am without him… but I am trying to find my way…

I could go on about how unbearable the loss was and still is to me and my family, but that isn’t the purpose of this blog and Django never dwelled on his pain or the bad hand he had been dealt. Rather, this blog is written with the aim of celebrating Django, the depth of love humans and animals can share, and the kindness of people who you have never met but feel like family…

What was so touching after Django’s passing, was the outpouring of support and words of comfort from so many people around the world. So many people took the time to reach out to me to share their stories of loss and how they had found ways of soothing the pain. I also heard beautiful stories on how their next rescue dogs had saved them from their pits of despair when they thought they would never survive the heartbreak of losing a friend. And kind people told me how Django’s story and updates had been such sources of inspiration and joy.

And all the while, Django had no idea just how special he was or what he created and inspired just by being him, no matter how many times I told him…

I now look for Django every day – little signs from him so I know he is still with me. On most days, I can find him…

One recent moment took my breath away…

In September, I was walking down a random street In Seoul and a busker was playing his guitar. As I got closer, he started singing the song, “Love of my life” by Queen.  A friend of mine and Django’s had told me this song always made him think of me and Django, and it kind of became mine and Django’s song… So, when that song filled the streets in Seoul, a month after Django’s passing, not so far from where his life began in a barren cage on a dog meat farm, I couldn’t help but believe it was a sign from my boy, wherever he is... Django always had a great sense of humour!

So, in Django’s honour, I will never give up on the promise I made him – because a promise is a promise – that I will never give up until all dogs are cherished and valued just for being them… and that never again will dogs suffer on farms or in markets and slaughterhouses.

As hard as it feels at times, I trust that eventually the ground will settle a little and that in time, I will just feel gratitude for having had him in my life, without all the sadness and grief I feel now.

Time was never on our side and I just wish the universe could have let him stay a little longer because the world certainly was a better and more fun place with him in it. I would love nothing more to relive every second I spent with Django all over again…

A kind friend sent me these beautiful words of comfort that I will end this blog with…

“I know that for the likes of us there is no ease for the heart to be had from words or reason and that in the very assurance of sorrow’s fading there is more sorrow. So, I offer you only my deeply affectionate and compassionate thoughts and wish for you only that the strange thing may never fail you, whatever it is, that gives us the strength to live on and on with our wounds” - Playwright Samuel Beckett to his friend after his father’s passing.

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Nature, Beauty and a Merciless Dog Meat Trade. Welcome to Indonesia

Guest blog by Andrew Telling - Director at Orange Planet Productions

Andrew Telling filming some of the residents of Animal Friends Manado Indonesia’s sanctuary.

Saturday 2nd March 2019, 10:30am. I'm with Peter Egan and Change for Animals Foundation Director Lola Webber in the middle of an open market with little space to move. It's 35 degrees and around us are the blow-torched and bludgeoned carcasses of every animal imaginable - bats, rats, pigs, sheep, monkeys and pythons. The largest heaps, however, are dogs and cats. Bloodied traders with seemingly endless supplies of cigarettes hack limbs off to order with rusty machetes. Trade, we’re told, is excellent.

We haven’t yet witnessed piles of caged living dogs and cats awaiting butchery. We know they exist somewhere, but this part of the Tomohon Market in North Sulawesi appears only to be serving 'pre-slaughtered' animals. This is in stark contrast to a week earlier where terrified, captive souls filled the streets. It's almost as though the traders knew we were coming…

Peter speaks to a representative of the Governor of North Sulawesi in an unusual display of media-friendly solidarity. 'We'll be dog and cat meat free within the year,' the representative says. 'And we no longer slaughter any live animals in this market. It's bad for tourism'. It’s a bold and optimistic statement but no sooner have the words left his mouth, Lola receives a text from a colleague. ‘Come quickly,’ it reads. ‘We’ve found live dogs.’

We're back in the heart of the suffocating market looking at a trader selling lettuces opposite the array of meat vendors. A simple make-shift table top is covered with a filthy tarpaulin. Peter lifts the corner to reveal a rusty cage holding five of the most painfully distressed dogs we have ever seen. No food, no water and held in this sweltering prison for 30 hours at least, these dogs are literally hours from death. In a stage-managed and orchestrated act of deceit, they’ve been hidden from us in preparation for ‘live’ butchering to satisfy a demand for 'fresh' dog meat. The traders watch us, wielding their machetes waiting for us to leave. The Governor’s representative, who minutes earlier assured us that no live slaughter takes place in this market, is nowhere to be seen. His sudden and unannounced departure speaks volumes.

A waiting game begins; the police are called, as are the market authorities, but nobody comes. Nobody cares. Lola does everything she can to legally adopt the dogs in to her care. The urge to just take them is overwhelming, but to do that would unleash far reaching repercussions and indirectly harm many more animals and their chance of a cruelty free future. Euthanising the caged dogs in a stress free, humane and dignified way would be better than the barbaric fate that awaits at the hands of the blow-torch wielding butchers. And make no mistake, the slaughter methods are designed to create maximum suffering to, same say, ‘enhance’ the flavour. Quite honestly, most traders just enjoy torturing animals.

We wait for almost an hour while Lola exercises every legal avenue to help these animals but before a resolution can be reached, they are wheeled away to a building we can't access. I follow with my camera, split from our team, and find myself reaching the end of a road and within spitting distance of a meat trader who makes a bold show of his presence. I'm a six-foot four-inch Western man holding a film camera. I’m painfully conspicuous and unwelcome.

Lola’s faith has been broken yet again by traders who flagrantly ignore laws they know will never be enforced by a Governor offering positive assurances that are never upheld. Peter and I are devastated having experienced it just once. Lola battles this feeling daily.

This is just one market in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, which contributes to the slaughter of over 1 million cats and dogs a year. Stolen pets and diseased, often rabid, illegal ‘imports’ fill the cages until it’s their time to die in front of indifferent customers, often with children and even their family dog. They claim it’s ‘cultural’ – but there’s no reference to dog meat being eaten in the history books. Besides, what kind of culture bludgeons and blowtorches animals to death? Indonesia is a beautiful place and this vile and vicious trade is incongruous with everything we believe about the country. And while tourism stays strong and their image on the World stage remains one of stunning natural bio-diversity, there is simply no imperative for the Indonesian Government to make a stand.

But, this ‘secret’ is out. Thanks to Lola Webber and the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, the World is beginning to see the extent of animal cruelty that exists in Indonesia. It’s a cruelty so heinous that I can find no word other than evil. As previously mentioned, culture has no relevance. Nor does the ‘…but we eat pigs and cows in the West’ argument. Nor is it about ‘being open minded’ or ‘unafraid to try something new’. This is about extreme and egregious cruelty, plain and simple. It will ONLY stop when the Government dictates it. And the Government will ONLY dictate it when the World unites with one simple message; your beautiful country is a lie as long as you allow this trade to continue.

Peter Egan and Frank from Animal Friends Manado at the sanctuary with two dogs just rescued from the market - read more about the rescue here >>

Watch a video of CFAF Ambassador Peter Egan’s visit to North Sulawesi here >>

If you feel inert and dwarfed by the scale of the problem, please don’t be. Because this is a country that WILL respond to a petition. I know there are so many causes requiring so many signatures these days, but I promise this one has weight. The spectre of Global censure weighs heavy on the conscience of a Government that builds a strong economy on tourism. Just one click and you’re there: dogmeatfreeindonesia.org. Your voice WILL be heard, and you WILL make a difference. And God knows we have to.

Ricky Gervais recently said, ‘be the person your dog wants you to be.’ He means a kind, loving and loyal friend. Not a torturous butcher devoid of conscience causing industrial suffering on an unimaginable scale. 

Ricky Gervais has been an ambassador for our Dog Meat Free Indonesia campaign since we launched in 2017.

Please TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Pledges of action have been made by those in power but we need to make sure these result in real and impactful change for those in such desperate need… and change can’t come soon enough!

* Sign & share the petition calling for the closure of dog and cat meat markets

* Write to the Indonesian Embassy in your home country to voice your opposition to the trades – you can find contact details here

* Make a donation today so we can continue to expand our campaign – your generosity saves lives

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Why Giving up on Indonesia’s Dogs is Not an Option

In Indonesia, every 60 minutes, more than 100 dogs are slaughtered to supply the demand for dog meat. The dogs – many of them stolen pets - are collected from the streets and crammed into sacks and cages, their mouths bound shut so tightly they can hardly breathe. They are taken on long, gruelling journeys to markets and slaughterhouses. Those who survive must watch other dogs being brutally slaughtered while they wait their turn. This is the reality for tens of thousands of dogs each week in Indonesia.

It is estimated that just 7% Indonesia’s population consume dog meat, but in a country with the fourth largest population in the world at 261 million people, this amounts to a significant trade and a booming business in some parts of the country. With few overhead costs, it can be a profitable industry.

However, Indonesia is also the country with the 5thlargest number of human rabies deaths in Asia each year – a 100% fatal disease with devastating societal and economic impacts. It is no coincidence that the provinces and regencies with the greatest demand for dog meat are also those with the highest prevalence of rabies, given that the trade in dogs for consumption is responsible for the biggest trade in dogs of unknown disease and vaccination status. There is mounting evidence – spanning decades – linking this trade to the transmission of rabies, and efforts to eradicate the disease will fail without addressing this cruel and dangerous trade. It is an issue that governments cannot afford to turn a blind eye to.

Knowledge is Power…

In 2016, we created the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition – a group of international and Indonesian animal protection groups committed to ending the dog meat trade.

We started by conducting nationwide investigations. The findings were shocking and indescribable. The brutality was immense and the indifference to the suffering of animals by those involved in the trade was impossible to comprehend. But, it is only by understanding the drivers behind the trade and by collecting evidence of the cruelty that we can tackle this issue effectively and holistically.

After countless meetings with traders it soon became evident that, for many, getting involved in the dog meat trade was opportunistic. In a country with widespread poverty and unemployment, and inaccessible healthcare for many, it is easier to understand the traders and consumers. Many turn to the dog meat trade as a way of feeding their families; and consumers often resort to eating dog meat as a form of “traditional medicine” to treat health problems that are rife but where mainstream medicine is not accessible to all.

And with this understanding, I often think, “lend me your eyes and I’ll change what you see; lend me your heart and I’ll change how you feel; lend me your hands and I’ll change what you do”.

However, whilst many traders we met expressed a degree of shame and remorse, for others, there seemed to be a total disregard to animals’ sentience and these are the traders who are far harder to tackle. But no one is immune to change and if they could just see the dogs the way we do, we can change hearts and minds, and the trade could end tomorrow. I always remember that the dogs of tomorrow’s trade are still free and we need to fight for them….

North Sulawesi – A place where your heart is broken, but the fire of determination is ignited…

After launching our initial investigative findings in November 2017 with the support of Indonesian and international celebrities such as Peter Egan, Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley and Chelsea Islan, we received an outpouring of support from the dog-loving community from throughout Indonesia, expressing condemnation of the trade and love for dogs.

We hosted innumerable meetings with government officials from various provinces where we were told that they supported our campaign to safeguard both animal welfare and public health and safety by tackling the dog meat trade; but we were also told that all efforts to eradicate the trade nationwide would be thwarted by the rife trade in North Sulawesi – a province in Indonesia that prides itself in it’s “extreme cuisine”, with dogs, cats, monkeys, snakes, bats and rats just some the animals for sale in meat markets and in restaurants.

As a long-term animal rights campaigner who has focused on the dog meat trade throughout Asia for the last 9 years, I have learned that seeing the human-side to those who act in ways so incomprehensible to me enables more effective campaigning…. But, in North Sulawesi, I found people who appeared to take pleasure in causing terror to the animals they slaughtered, an estimated 10,000 dogs each week….

Seeing is believing and I knew we had to shed light on what was happening to the dogs caught up in the trade in order to create the determined and vocal movement in calling for an end nationwide.

I will never forget the first time I visited North Sulawesi’s notorious live animal markets, locally termed “traditional markets”. We spent hours watching and documenting dogs and cats being slaughtered. Every thump of the club, every scream of pain, and every tremble of fear chipped away at my soul.

We watched animals lose their lives in a scene that most of us couldn’t imagine in our worst nightmares or see in the most gory of horror films. Yet it was happening right in front of our very eyes. As my heart broke and countless animals lost their lives, people were milling around smoking cigarettes and eating snacks, walking through puddles of blood and faeces, children playing… They would look at the animals, but they were not seeingthem…

Over and over again, people would come and select a dog or cat for slaughter, condemning him or her to the most gruesome of deaths, right there as others cowered in the cages not knowing when their turn would come and not being able to hide…Unable to disappear to somewhere far, far away…

I closed my eyes every time the club came crashing down and found myself whispering a prayer and soothing words that before long it would all be over for them and that soon they would find peace.

The traders toyed with the trembling dogs in the cages. They mocked them, kicked the cages and played with their bats menacingly, covered in splatterings of blood.

We took hours of footage that will never be seen. It will never be seen because it is too gruesome to show. The media responded with, “we can’t show that”; and yet this is what is happening every single day to tens of thousands of dogs and cats in markets and slaughterhouses throughout Indonesia.

After witnessing so much horror, you are left with one of two choices: give up, or fight. But, when failure is not an option, there is actually only one choice… To fight.

An Army of Animal Warriors

And we are not alone in this fight. There is an ever-growing animal rights movement in Indonesia and a fearless network of animal protection groups and activists who are not afraid to give their voices to the voiceless. Through the Dog Meat Free Indonesia Coalition, we have been able to support these groups and individuals, coordinating days of action where thousands of dog and animal lovers take to the streets calling for an end to the dog meat trade. Over 550,000 people from around the world have already signed the petition and local and international celebrities have helped us to raise vital awareness of – and opposition towards – the dog meat trade.

Change is happening in Indonesia. Never before has the practice of dog meat production and consumption been questioned the way it is now. People are turning their backs on a trade and a practice that can no longer hide behind a defence of ‘culture’ or ‘tradition’. It is quite simply a question of animal cruelty, and a serious concern for public health and safety.

Saving Those We Can…

Conducting investigations is the hardest part of our job. It never gets easier. We are often asked, “how do you go to these places and witness such immense suffering and cruelty?” But for me the question is the wrong way round and ought to be, “How do you leave these places and walk away from such immense suffering and cruelty?”

The shame, the horror, the grief and the sadness are choking and don’t ever leave you. Sometimes, the only way to save your soul and to help heal your broken heart, is to save those lives you can.

Over the course of our investigations, we always did just that. Dogs like Hero, Ina, Lola, Bobby and Indah… They all have heartbreaking stories of abandonment, betrayal, abuse and terror. But fortunately for these individuals, they are now all living lives of love and compassion, light years away from the trade in which they got caught up in. For them, justice has been restored, and whilst we must fight on, for them, the trade has ended. Despite all the cruelty that they have endured, their spirits remain unbroken. They forgive and they love life again.

Dogs like Bobby….

Bobby was rescued from a market during our investigations in North Sulawesi. It had been a long day and the market was getting ready to close for the day. I made the ‘mistake’ of making eye contact with a dog sitting in a cage surrounded by blood in the slaughtering area of the market. As we talked to the traders, I made a decision that I couldn’t leave him behind. I had to restore justice for at least one. I didn’t try to negotiate on price, it was what it was… for his life to be spared. As he was taken from the cage, the trader told me that he had been dropped off with the traders that morning by his owner who no longer wanted him. The ultimate betrayal. We named him Bobby, and now he is living a life of joy at our partner group’s shelter “Animal Friends Manado”. Now, his days are spent playing with the other rescued dogs, showered with love.

“If not YOU then who? And if not now then when?”

Everyone has a role to play in ending the dog meat trade. I have always had a deep sense of responsibility in leaving the world a better place than how I found it, so that future generations don’t have to take on the same battles we do. And in Indonesia, your voice counts! Through national and international pressure, we are seeing change. Already, since launching our campaign, TripAdvisor has removed their promotion of live animal markets in Indonesia; the local government of Tomohon has banned the keeping of live dogs and cats and their slaughter from the infamous “Tomohon Extreme Market”; food companies have removed dog meat from their menus; and thousands of people have taken part in our days of action against the dog and cat meta trades.

Please make your voice heard against the dog and cat meat trade!

1-     Sign the petition calling on the President of Indonesia to ban the dog and cat meat trades: www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org/take-action

1-    Write a letter (TEMPLATE BELOW) to the Indonesian embassy in your home country urging them to do their part in combatting the trade: www.embassy-worldwide.com/country/indonesia/

2-    Find out more about the campaign and what you can do to help: www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org/take-action-options

The government is prepared to take action and it is our duty to ensure this happens.

Template for letter to Embassies

Dear Ambassador,

I am deeply concerned about the millions of dogs caught up in Indonesia’s brutal dog meat trade, and the risk this poses to Indonesia’s pledge to eliminate rabies by 2020. Every year, millions of dogs – including many stolen pets - are transported within Indonesia to supply markets, slaughterhouses and restaurants. Nationwide investigations have revealed the immense suffering caused to these dogs – crude and brutal methods of capture, transport and slaughter – and there are also growing concerns for the risks the dog meat trade poses to human health, including the transmission of deadly rabies. The brutal and unhygienic slaughter and butchery of dogs, and consumption of meat from rabies-positive animals, puts humans at risk. Human deaths from rabies have been directly linked to involvement in the slaughtering, butchery, handling and even consumption of meat from infected dogs. I urge you, on behalf of all dogs and the vast majority (93%) of the Indonesian population who never consumes dog meat, to please take action to safeguard Indonesia’s dogs from cruelty and the nation’s health by ending the cruel and illegal dog meat trade.

Sincerely,

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Ending the Dog Meat Trade in Indonesia: Hero’s Story

As a founding member of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, we spent many long months investigating the inner-workings of the dog meat trade throughout Indonesia…. As people who do what we do because we care so passionately about animals, doing investigations never gets any easier… It is soul-destroying and heart-breaking work, but is essential in documenting the reality of the trade so that we are best-positioned to fight it.. and ultimately realise our goal – and dream – of ending the dog meat trade, that, in Indonesia alone, results in the unimaginable suffering of an estimated 1 million dogs every year…

Why Hero?

After endless months of witnessing the cruelty and suffering, we had the opportunity to save one dog… A dog we named “Hero”. As a “breed” dog, our undercover investigator took the opportunity to convince the trader that he wanted to take Hero, without blowing his cover. The trader accepted the offer, not realising that to us, Hero was priceless… but not because of his weight on the scales or because of his genetics… Simply because his life matters. To us, Hero has came to symbolise hope for all those we are fighting for, and for those we were unable to save…

Hero is still undergoing intensive therapy at the wonderful Jakarta Animal Aid Network’s veterinary clinic. He cannot walk properly yet because of various injuries.. likely ones that happened many years ago and which is why the owner had neglected him, leaving him to suffer and deteriorate in a cage. But he now has a “walking frame” to help him gain strength and learn to walk again, and he is adored by everyone who meets him.. He loves attention and nuzzles you incessantly for strokes and gentle words.. and he loves his treats!

Hero already has an adopter lined up; who is paying for his ongoing treatment and visits him regularly.. and as soon as Hero has gained a bit more strength, he will be going home… 

Why don’t you save them all?

People often ask us after seeing the footage of the dog meat trade, “why didn’t you save them? How could you just stand there and watch?” They are questions that hurt profoundly… we all do what we do because we care deeply and passionately; and for us, walking away and not being able to save them, goes against all that we are and all that we believe in.. But it is only by documenting the reality of the trade – a trade that is affecting thousands of dogs every day – that we can get the evidence needed to change hearts and minds.. and legislation… and this is what will end the suffering in the end for all dogs that will never be caught by traders and never suffer in slaughterhouses… 

Rescued animals inspire hope and change, conquering hearts and minds... and they help to heal hearts that can sometimes feel broken beyond repair. As a very dear friend of mine says, 'they save us as much as we save them'.

Change is coming in Indonesia and throughout Asia… Never before has the dog meat trade or the consumption of dog meat been questioned the way it is now. People are turning their backs on a trade and a practice that can no longer hide behind a defense of ‘culture’ or ‘tradition’. It is quite simply a question of animal cruelty. 

Earlier this month, the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition launched our first major public awareness campaign at a press conference in Jakarta. We presented the findings of our investigations to the national and international media; and our wonderful Indonesian celebrity ambassadors, Sophia Latjuba and Gamaliel Tapiheru, spoke passionately about their love of dogs and wish for an end to the inherently cruel trade. Their message was clear: “claims of culture and tradition by proponents of the dog meat trade can never be an excuse for cruelty”.

We won’t stop this fight until the last dog slaughterhouse is closed, until never again is a dog’s value weighed on scales, and until the dog meat trade is banished to the history books. But everyone has a role to play in making this a reality. 

So whilst we fight on, for Hero, we have been part of the most amazing moment where all his suffering ended, and that is a victory against this horrific trade.

Thank you for joining us in this important fight. 

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Because Animals Matter…

I have loved animals my whole life. My earliest memories are moments of joy with animals. The dogs I grew up with in my family were always my best friends and I always felt such a duty and commitment to making sure they were happy, cared for and loved… And from there, I always felt the same duty of care to all animals.

I have worked with and for animals forever. From the age of 7, I declared myself vegetarian after learning of the abhorrent treatment of animals on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. I would spend time writing letters of protest to companies and institutions profiting from the exploitation and abuse of animals; and I would hold bake sales and do sponsored events to raise much needed funds to send to my favourite animal charities. So working with and for animals is all I have ever known.

Lola and Splodge in 1987. “My first defined memories of feeling a love for and connection towards animals began with the dogs I grew up with. My family adopted ‘Splodge’ from a local shelter when I was four and I knew from that moment I had a duty to look after her and to protect her.”

My 9 year old daughter once asked me why I do what I do when it makes me so sad. I always think, “it was never a choice”. It is something I feel so compelled to do that just when I think I can’t do it anymore because it hurts so much – too much-, I always dig a little deeper and find that extra bit of strength to keep fighting. After all, there is too much at stake. Animals’ whole lives are reliant on us and what we do… And if we don’t do it, how can we assume anyone else will? It is too easy to put too many problems on the shoulders of too few. If each and everyone of us takes responsibility to make sure we leave the world in a better state than how we found it, we truly can make change.

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” Haile Selassie

I am a big believer in that you should be the change you want to see in the world. You should think about the world you would live in if everyone acted like you. Would it be a kind and compassionate world?

Witnessing animals suffering at the hands of Man never gets any easier or less shameful. But turning a blind eye will not change anything…

People often ask me how I do the job I do. How do I bear witness to so much suffering?   The answer is that I do it with an aching heart and fighting back tears. It never gets any easier, but at the same time I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because the sadness, frustration, shame and anger I feel is what fuels my determination to fight on every day.  And the pain I feel is a reflection of the love and compassion I feel for animals.  I no longer apologise for crying, because each and every animal that suffers deserves to be seen and loved…

“But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.” Viktor Frankl

I sometimes look back through the boxes of letters I wrote as a child - diligently saving copies and marking when I had to send follow ups – and I realise we are still tackling too many of the same problems, from protesting to airlines for transporting macaques to supply laboratories, to the production of foie gras. And whilst it may be seem sad and frustrating to think that we are still tackling some of the same issues 26 years later, what we must remember is that we can’t always measure the impact of our actions. Every time we stand up for what is right- not necessarily what is easy- we are making change and feeding an ever-growing momentum.  We will never know where we would we be if there weren’t people like us standing up for animals every day, fighting the injustices simply because animals matter.

And we should never underestimate the victories we have fought so hard for. We are changing hearts, minds, policies and paths for future generations.

Thanks to local groups and inspiring individuals, the animal rights movement is growing rapidly around the world in increasing in strength and numbers each year. We are becoming an army fuelled with passion, compassion and a burning desire to end cruelty to all animals. Because wrong is wrong regardless of time, country or culture.

You have my word that we will continue no matter how difficult it gets, and no matter how impossible or distant those victories might feel, because, despite all the horrors I have played witness to and mourned, I still believe in humanity and that love and compassion will triumph inhumanity and cruelty.

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love, have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it always.” Mahatma Gandhi

Living with Change For Animals Foundation’s very special ambassador, Django, who was recued form the dog meat trade, and my other rescued dogs is a constant source of joy and motivation to never give up… Because every life is worth fighting for…

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Ending the Dog Meat Industry in South Korea: A Journey of a Million Tears

The story of Change For Animals Foundation and the dogs caught up in South Korea’s brutal dog meat industry is one of unconditional and resolute love, based on the most profound commitment to never give up until the dog meat trade ends.

Today marks the six-year anniversary of the first time Lola Webber, Change For Animals Foundation’s Co-Founder and Programmes Director, visited South Korea. She had no idea what impact this trip would have, or how it would change the trajectory of her life… This is a story of hope that is written in tribute to all the amazing people around the world who are fighting to end the dog meat industry, and is in honour of all the dogs.

It was for the first time, six years ago today, that I visited Moran Market, South Korea’s largest dog meat market. As someone who has always loved dogs and has never questioned that they are indeed ‘my’ best friend, if not ‘Man’s’, seeing dogs waiting for their moment of slaughter was horrifically surreal and painful to witness. That moment when a trader opened the cage and threw a noose over a dog’s neck, dragging it to its death is burnt in my mind. I closed my eyes, weeping silently, and wished more than anything that I could take the dog’s pain away. Hoping that somehow each dog knew that I was with them and that I cared. That I could see them and that their pain hurt me so very deeply. I wanted to be able to tell them that they mattered to me and that witnessing their suffering would change my life forever – that their suffering wouldn’t be in vain.

Lola and Splodge in 1987. “My first defined memories of feeling a love for and connection towards animals began with our pet dogs. My family adopted ‘Splodge’ from a local shelter when I was four. I knew from that moment I had a duty to look after her and to protect her.”

That cold morning in Seoul I made a promise that has changed my life. I promised that I would carry on fighting until dogs were no longer valued for the meat on their bodies. Their beautiful broken bodies that had endured so much suffering before they even arrived at the heartless market.

Dogs for sale outside a “health store” in one of Seoul’s dog meat markets.

The majority of dogs sourced to supply South Korea’s dog meat markets, restaurants, slaughterhouses and “health stores” come from dog meat farms. There are thousands of these farms throughout South Korea, ranging from small backyard enterprises housing a small number of dogs, to intensive farming facilities containing thousands of dogs. Regardless of the size of the farm, the suffering of the animals is the same. Throughout their short lives there is no reprieve, no moment of happiness or absence of fear. It is a pitiful existence that has a brutal end.

A typical dog meat farm in South Korea.

I also remember everything about the first time I visited a dog meat farm. The smells, sounds and the sight of faces peering out from the bars of the cages were overwhelming. The sadness I felt was suffocating. I walked away and I wept. The sense of hopelessness, combined with the need to do something NOW, felt overwhelming. Walking away from suffering and misery does not sit well in my heart or soul, and it filled me with a shame that was going to destroy me or make me fight harder.

And so, when failure is not an option, you fight. You fight for the lives of these animals as though you are fighting for your own life. The only thing you know for sure is that giving up is not an option and that you need to act now, because tomorrow will be too late for so many dogs…

Change For Animals Foundation was founded so that there would always be an organisation that would fight for an end to the suffering of the dogs in South Korea. We will continue no matter how difficult it gets, and no matter how impossible or distant that victory might feel. It’s a hard campaign – one that requires tenacity to change both the societal and legal status of dogs, so that all dogs are viewed equally in people’s hearts and within laws designed to protect them.

A dog peering out from its cage on a dog meat farm near Seoul.

It took years of research and investigations to gain a full understanding of the dog meat industry in Asia; to determine the motivations, drivers and the changing culture, building up invaluable relationships and gaining the trust of people within the industry. Over this time, the heartbreak of seeing these dogs and witnessing their horrendous suffering has been immeasurable.

Yet, at the same time, we have had many victories. And each one has given us the strength to bandage up our broken hearts and carry on.

We hold on tight to these victories and remind ourselves of the immense significance of this movement to gain protection of and inspire compassion for animals in South Korea and beyond…

The launch of the ‘Stop It!’ anti-dog meat campaign by CFAF, CARE and Animal Guardians in 2013.

The support of our small, yet determined, army of amazing online supporters from around the world, enables us to continue to create this lasting and positive change.

The demand for dog meat in South Korea is decreasing, particularly amongst younger generations where pet ownership is rising exponentially. As a wonderful example, the country’s longest-running dog meat restaurant closed in 2014, after 33 years of operation, as customers were said to be turning away from eating what are now widely viewed to be ‘companion animals’.

Thanks to local groups and inspiring individuals, the animal rights movement is the fastest growing civic movement in South Korea, increasing in strength and numbers each year.

We are also seeing an astounding change in those involved in the industry – dog meat traders, farmers, and restaurant owners – who are reconsidering their livelihoods and changing their opinions. I have met many dog farmers and traders, yet none of them has shown pride in their job, each one expressing remorse for the dogs who have suffered at their hands. They tell me they are ready to leave the industry but need help to do so.

CFAF knows that change will be the most effective when it comes from within, so we are committed to working with those in the industry who want to bring the trade to an end. By showing industry workers that there is a way out and by uniting our calls to the government for support to end the trade, as well as presenting sustainable and viable alternatives, we can and will end the dog meat industry. We always work in partnership with local and international animal protection groups and individuals where possible, because we believe the fastest change will come from a unified movement. And part of our current essential activity involves supporting farmers who are ready to close their farms, and helping traders who want to leave the industry and transition to humane trades.

And our approach is working!

Dog farms are being closed down and hundreds of individual animals have been saved from a cruel fate – they have been rescued and have begun new lives of freedom, love and compassion.

Gillian was rescued from a dog meat farm in July 2015.

Over the last six years, I have visited South Korea countless times. I always go there with a heavy heart because I know it will hurt to bear witness to the pain of these animals. But leaving hurts even more. Leaving so much suffering behind that I couldn’t fix there and then consumes my being. But CFAF will always go back. And we will always fight to end the whole industry, whilst saving as many individual animals as we can on the way, because each and every individual animal in this world matters.

CFAF’s ambassador dog, Django, is a breed considered to be a ‘meat dog’ in South Korea. He was rescued from a dog meat farm in June 2013 and now lives with Lola and her family.

Given that this story started in Moran Market, I will end it here too. But I will end it with a story of hope… With the story of “Nun” (meaning “snow” in Korean):

It was a cold afternoon in January a couple of years ago in Moran Market. It was snowing and already dark. We were about to leave when I saw a dog darting through the parking lot at the front of the market, only about twenty metres away from the dog meat traders. She was terrified and, as I approached her, she hid under a car. I pleaded with her to come out and promised her she would be safe if she would just come to me… I crawled under the car to her and held out my hand. She licked it. I coaxed her out and we got her in the car and drove away…  Nun (or “Nunnie” as we called her afterwards) was one of the breeds considered to be a “meat dog” in South Korea. She had likely somehow managed to escape from the traders. Just like that, bundled into our car and safe in my arms, the dog meat industry ended for her. I remember thinking as we drove away, “how did someone so beautiful end up somewhere so awful.” Nunnie is now living in the U.S. and is doted on, being treated with the compassion and love she deserves… and that all animals do. To me, she will always be a miracle and a symbol of hope.

Nunnie moments after being saved from Moran Market.

Nunnie enjoying her new life, free from fear.

I am often asked if I truly believe that one day the dog meat industry will end in South Korea. It always seems like an odd question to me because for us at Change For Animals Foundation, it’s not a question of ‘if’, but ‘when’. I always respond with a resolute “YES!”

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Towards a bit less suffering: small changes to create better welfare in equestrian sport

Sometimes working in animal welfare can be overwhelming - so many issues, so much suffering, so much work that needs to be undertaken to improve the lives of animals and drive permanent change.

 Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) has recently joined a new campaign calling for improvements to the welfare of horses used in equestrian sports – A Bit More Choice. 

 A ‘bit’ is the piece of metal that is held in place in the horse's mouth by the bridle. When the rider adds tension to the reins, pressure is transferred to the bit, which causes discomfort in the horse's mouth causing him/her to slow down or change head position as is required in some equestrian sports, especially dressage. Some bridles do not include this piece of metal in the mouth and are known as ‘bitless’.

 Bitless bridles are generally considered to cause less pain and discomfort to the horse than bitted bridles. However, some designs of bitless bridles rely on leverage mechanisms that generate considerable pressure to the poll (a sensitive area on top of the horse's head between the ears). Therefore, even though some bitless bridles are also far from ideal, the vast majority of designs are more humane than bitted ones – the key message of the campaign is to provide competitors the ability to choose humane bridles for their horses.

 Currently, some equestrian disciplines do not allow horses to be ridden without a bit in competition. This campaign aims to improve the welfare of horses used in equestrian sports and remove the discrimination against riders who choose to train and compete using bitless bridles. Many riders and their horses prefer bitless bridles for several reasons including the preferred mode of action, increased comfort for the animal and ethical position. Competitors can achieve the movements and requirements of the dressage scoring systems using a bitless bridle. 

 There are many welfare issues associated with equestrianism, such as stabling horses for long hours, stress associated with travelling, and the stressful competition environment itself. Therefore, the discomfort and pain caused by the bit is just one of many welfare concerns associated with horse riding, but CFAF recognises that the issue represents much more - discriminating against riders who choose equipment that is kinder to their horse is simply wrong.  Since the rules for these competitions were written there have been considerable developments in our understanding of animal behaviour and welfare; the rule books need to change to reflect modern what animal welfare science has discovered.

A rule change to allow bitless bridles in all competitions would make the lives of some horses more comfortable during training and competition. Horses competed at high levels are trained for many hours a day so being trained in bitless bridles would make this time more comfortable. Although we recognise that these changes are small, they are also very important. The equestrian world is not likely to change overnight, but these small improvements to the lives of the horses will make way for bigger ones to follow. Small steps towards change can be frustrating for those of us who recognise the suffering of animals all around us, but some change is better than none. It is wrong that, in this case, the current rules discriminate against choosing more ethical equipment for horses. All sports constantly evolve to reflect improvements in knowledge and equipment and equestrianism shouldn’t be any different; positive change should be embraced, not ruled against.

 Reasons given for disallowing bitless bridles in some competitions include not being “able to change the rules" and not being able to "achieve submission to the bit without a bit," but we all know that rules can be changed. And when the change will result in better welfare of horses, there is no excuse. The A Bit More Choice campaign is supported by professionals and organisations across all equestrian disciplines and levels of competition.

  Please show your support by signing the campaign petition and you can follow the campaign as it gains momentum via the campaign website and Facebook page

Suzanne Rogers 

CFAF Programmes Director

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Why animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable food choices are not separate issues

I was recently asked if I thought animal welfare was improving. It’s a good question. Are people generally more aware of animal welfare than they were 20 or 30 years ago? Undoubtedly! In many countries, there is now a more fundamental understanding of animal suffering, and knowledge of the consequences of our use of animals, than at probably any time in history. Every year, new laws are drafted to protect animals. And more people are making ethical, animal friendly choices than ever before.

 But when we consider the level of animal suffering globally, it’s hard to weigh this increased understanding of welfare against the almost inconceivable scale of the problem that still exists.

 For example, forty years ago, the number of animals raised and killed for meat globally each year was less than 15 billion (already an unimaginable number). Today, that figure has increased to almost 70 billion. Back in the 1970’s, only a small proportion of animals were intensively farmed. Today, two thirds of farmed animals are kept in factory conditions. And right now, at this moment, there are over one billion animals suffering around the world in intensive farming systems.

 While our understanding of, and attempts to provide, better welfare for animals has improved, the proportion of animals suffering as a result of human actions is higher than it has ever been.

 We have to consider the wider impacts of our lifestyle and daily choices on the use of animals, because animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable food choices are not separate issues. They are completely interdependent, and it is impossible to care about one without acknowledging the others.

 It is easy to see how animal agriculture greatly impacts the wider world. The livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all forms of transportation globally. It is responsible for devastating amounts of deforestation and the subsequent loss of biodiversity. Livestock consume a third of the global grain harvest, despite an average of 21,000 people dying every day of hunger or hunger-related causes. And in some countries, around 80% of all antibiotics are used by the farming industry. 

 The scale of the problems appears so huge, the numbers so unthinkably high, and the suffering so ubiquitous, how can we as individuals possibly make a difference?

 Whether it’s the welfare of animals, the environment or creating a more sustainable world, it doesn’t really matter what we care about the most. What matters is what we do.

 This Earth Day, April 22nd, we can take part in the #EatForThePlanet campaign and take steps to change the way we live. By adopting a plant based diet we can help end the suffering of billions of animals, heal and restore the environment, and build a more sustainable world.



Change For Animals Foundation is supporting One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet campaign to inspire the public to take control of the damage being caused by animal agriculture. Making the right choice about what we eat is not an all-or-nothing endeavor. Every single choice we make can be a change for good, and each time we consider the welfare of animals, we are making a difference.

Harry Eckman

Change For Animals Foundation

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In the Name of Compassion

It is often said that compassion hurts. And it does. Grief for the suffering endured by so many can feel suffocating and crushing… The scale of the problem overwhelming. The incomprehensible and inexcusable cruelty endured by so many lives and the absolute indifference shown by so many towards it is unfathomable. It hurts because it matters. They matter.

  “All animals are somebody - someone with a life of their own. Behind those eyes is a story, the story of their life in their world as they experience it”- Tom Regan

  We often have to play witness to atrocities inflicted on animals around the world. People say, “I don’t know how you go to these places and see what you do”. But going is the easy part – it’s the walking away that leaves that ache in your heart that never goes away.

Seeing the world through different eyes to so many other people around you is hard. Sometimes having to make deals with those responsible for so much misery, only because they are in the privileged position to be able to make the greatest change for certain animals, goes against instinct.

  We don’t take photos of animal suffering for the sake of it. We take them to show the world what is happening – out of sight is, all too often, out of mind. We work to ignite a passion – and a demand – for change. To inspire people to stand up against what is all too often entrenched in society, defended as “culture”, “tradition” or “the norm”.

  I remember every animal I have ever photographed. I remember their faces, their pleading eyes. I apologise as I walk away, making a promise to them that I have seen them and that they matter to me.

  “Oh that I could spare your pain, and tell the world how beautiful you are to me”- Maria Daines

  All too often we find ourselves in a position where we have to make an on the spot decision to take immediate action to save an animal. Sometimes others condemn what we do and maybe, with hindsight, things could have been done differently. We are only humans after all. No matter how much experience of witnessing suffering you have, when confronted with a desperate situation you make a decision to save the individual animal suffering right in front of you. It might not be a great campaign strategy, and it won’t change the world for all animals. But the world will change for that particular animal. And, for them, all the pain will go away. We should celebrate that, because a life saved means everything to that individual animal.

  I believe in being the change you wish to see in the world. And you never know the ripple effect that your seemingly small action may create. This impact should never be under-estimated or belittled.

  "What is easily done can be easily undone. To move steadily forward on one’s chosen path, step after step, whether or not others are watching; to meet difficulties with the steady, relentless strength of ceaselessly flowing water — such firmness of purpose, such integrity and perseverance builds a foundation that can never be compromised"- Daisaku Ikeda

  I stand strong behind CFAF’s actions because we always know that the decisions we have made were based on compassion, and an absolute unwavering belief that animals matter.

  The task at hand is big, sometimes seemingly insurmountable. But failure is not an option. It is not our suffering that is at stake. If our voices are silenced, it is the voiceless that will continue to suffer.

  Without the backing of so many people from around the world, we can’t fight and win this battle. Campaigning takes resources, and animal welfare deserves to be presented and taken as seriously as other pressing issues our societies are plagued with. With knowledge of animal sentience comes a responsibility to respect it. Ending animal suffering on the immense scale it exists won’t happen overnight. It takes people who are fuelled with a resolute belief and downright determination. And it takes money.

  We have moved mountains before and we will do it again. But this requires a united front and a belief that change can and will happen. The seemingly impossible has been made possible countless times before, and we will continue to do this. For the sake of the animals we represent, how can we not?

  “Being an idealist is not being a simpleton; without idealists there would be no optimism and without optimism there would be no courage to achieve advances that so-called realists would have you believe could never come to fruition”- Alisa Steinberg 

Lola Webber

CFAF

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Improving equine welfare: seek first to understand

Traditionally, projects run by charities to help horses and donkeys in developing countries have focussed on providing access to veterinary treatment that would otherwise not usually be available. Typically static or mobile clinics are set up so that owners can take their animals for veterinary treatment and also prophylactic care such as worming and vaccinations. Common issues are lameness, colic and harness wounds. However, the past ten or so years has seen a movement away from this approach because it does not address the cause of the problem, but treats the symptoms, and as such doesn’t prevent suffering or improve the day-to-day lives of the animals. All the major equine welfare organisations have now moved towards community-based approaches to improving animal welfare by engaging with equine owners to explore the difficulties they face and to test potential solutions that will result in improvements for the animals.  And it is working.

  For example, the Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) supports the Cambodian Pony Welfare Organisation (CPWO) who have been working with pony-owning communities since 2007. The CPWO team takes time to get to know the owners and the issues they face trying to earn a living, feed their families and look after the ponies upon which they rely. CPWO facilitate community discussions and activities through which information is shared and changes planned. There have been steady changes in the way the owners are working and caring for their animals – for example in 2007 it was very rare for ponies to be given access to water when stabled but in 2014, in the communities CPWO has been working in the majority of ponies have access to water when stabled. The owners have great pride in the changes made and a real desire to share their knowledge. CPWO is currently undertaking an impact assessment and documenting the changes, and results are so far very encouraging. By working with communities, rather than condemning them, the lives of ponies across the country are improving.

  CFAF’s partnership with the CPWO rewards the owners who make changes for their ponies by funding a scheme whereby they can receive certificates as a pledge of their ongoing commitment. In addition, more significant changes to the pony’s welfare are rewarded with small useful items such as hoof picks, fly fringes, brushes and buckets (only very basic items but each cost more than a day’s earnings for many owners).

  However, you don’t have to travel to Cambodia, or any other developing country, to find marginalised horse-owning communities with animals that are suffering. Here in the UK there are significant welfare issues for horses across all sectors of society. High-value competition horses are often stabled all the time, deprived of the ability to socialise with other horses, or perform fundamental behaviours such as grazing. And there are impoverished communities who, due to both cultural traditions and lack of resources, are responsible for equine welfare problems.

  An innovative project in Wales has recently been launched that truly engages communities to improve equine welfare in a collaborative effort involving a variety of stakeholders. The Cyrenians Horse and Pony Scheme (CHAPS) works with communities in South Wales to improve welfare standards and best practice. In this area of Wales over-breeding, fly grazing and lack of veterinary treatment are the main causes of welfare problems for the urban horses and ponies living here. They are typically owned by impoverished communities who traditionally trade horses and keep them for recreational purposes. But with the decrease in demand for horses, the economic downturn, and available land for grazing in decline, communities are left struggling as their traditions and livelihoods seem in conflict with modern life.

  The communities are aware that they need to comply with the recent Control of Horses Act 2014, and are aware that the way they keep horses is causing suffering and is the cause of conflict with the wider community but are unclear as to what alternatives there might be and therefore appear resistant to change. Through providing informal and accredited  educational opportunities both at a static centre and in the communities themselves, CHAPS is able to help the communities apply their valuable traditional horsemanship knowledge and culture of horse ownership in a way that will work in modern society and improve the welfare for the animals in their care. One of the horse owners explained how the project has helped him and his horse “The RSPCA came out twice about my mare and I had to pay for a vet to come out. The information that CHAPS gave me about worming made me realize that I had not wormed for tape worm as I thought all wormers did the same stuff. My mare is much better now and no longer in the radar of the RSPCA she has gained weight and is looking great. This information is bloody brilliant. Thank you“.

  Other approaches have been tried, and are still ongoing, in this region. Some people who are concerned for the welfare of horses in these communities are campaigning for the communities to change their ways but rather than collaborating with them are condemning their practices. Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) believes that this is counter-productive and will set back progress for animal welfare in the long run. If we are to learn from all the projects around the world that aim to improve welfare, whether for adults, children or animals, working with the community rather against them is the way to get results. There is a saying ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood’ (Stephen Covey) that is pertinent here and CHAPS is certainly putting that into practice and as a result are being understood and horses are benefitting and will continue to benefit as this project continues and develops. We at CFAF wanted to mark the launch of this well thought-out project with this blog and hope you found it interesting.

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Why CFAF is not campaigning for regulation of the dog meat trade

Change For Animals Foundation works throughout Asia with our partner organisations to raise awareness of the inherent cruelty of the dog meat trade and the significant risk it poses to human health and public safety.

We campaign for an outright ban on the production and consumption of dog meat because regulating its production would mean endorsing the systematic cruelty the dogs endure throughout their lives and when they are brutally killed.

It is important to note that by calling for an end to dog meat production and consumption, we are not endorsing or suggesting an increase in that of other species of animals. CFAF is opposed to the intensive farming of all animals for meat because of the unimaginable cruelty and suffering it causes to hundreds of millions of animals every year. We are committed to promoting compassion towards and the humane treatment of all animals around over the world.

We can and should learn from our mistakes. Regulation has not stopped the daily abuse of hundreds of millions of ‘conventional’ livestock species around the world; in fact, in many cases, regulation has simply endorsed the systematic use of cruel farming methods. Animals are bred and reared in a system that fails to meet their basic needs and most suffer every day through legalised practices, including many permitted cruel methods of slaughter. Once animals are accepted and classified as ‘livestock’ – as a commodity produced for consumption – their awful treatment becomes accepted in society. In addition, regulating the meat industry has not stopped outbreaks of serious diseases, such as Foot and Mouth, ‘Mad Cow’ and Avian Influenza, which pose an enormous risk to human and animal health.

Authorities calling for regulation of the dog meat trade often do so in an effort to control diseases linked to the trade, or as an attempt to mitigate the environmental damage it causes. However, there is no evidence that regulating the large-scale breeding, trade, slaughtering and consumption of dogs would positively impact safety or environmental concerns. And formal regulation would not improve the welfare of the dogs involved 

But why not campaign for regulation as a ‘first step’?

The argument for regulation is completely at odds with that of banning of the trade. By calling for regulations to make cages a little bigger, transport a bit less torturous and slaughter slightly less brutal, we would ultimately prevent bringing about a legal end to a trade that causes unthinkable suffering and threatens public health. Regulation would not afford the dogs better lives, it would simply legalise what is happening now, lending legitimacy to an inherently inhumane and dangerous trade.

Once legalised, there would be no turning back from the large-scale production of dog meat, setting a dangerous precedent.

We know that governments are only prepared to consider issues like this once every several decades. We cannot miss the first opportunity we get to make sure this cruel trade is banned for good. If we focus on getting regulations introduced, which themselves would take years to come into effect, we would let down all the dogs who are depending on us to make the changes desperately needed to protect them from this brutality.

Regulation is not a step towards banning – they are completely separate legislative tools – and regulating a fundamentally cruel business is not our aim. Spending time and resources trying to win a battle where the objective isn’t our ultimate aim, is a fight we shouldn’t embark on. Our time and money is better spent bringing a complete end to the needless suffering of dogs killed for their meat. There is only one goal, and we need to focus on that for the sake of the millions of dogs who currently suffer from absolute indifference to their misery.

We don’t need to weaken our stance by getting into lengthy discussions about regulation, and nor should we have to, because what is at stake is far too important. Our position to ensure a complete ban is based on an unwavering belief that animals should be afforded respect and compassion.

The dog meat trade is a highly contentious and emotive issue in most countries where its consumption is popular. As a result of mounting national and international concerns for animal welfare, a rapidly increasing pet ownership in Asia, and a greater awareness of the human health risks associated with this industry, the opposition towards the production and consumption of dog meat has become increasingly vocal. 

Our voice is becoming louder and our determination and commitment are resolute – the tide of opinion is turning against the industry.

Whilst no country has specifically legalised the dog meat industry, a number of Asian countries, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines, (where dog meat was once a popular dish), have banned the slaughtering and the sale of dogs for human consumption.

We have an opportunity to stop dogs from becoming another species intensively farmed for human consumption. CFAF will continue to fight this trade until all dogs are saved from the cruelty being endured by millions every year.

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Doing Something is Always Better Than Doing Nothing

I’ve been working in animal welfare for a good few years now. In that time I’ve seen some truly horrendous suffering - things that still haunt me in the small hours of those sleepless nights. I’ve worked on numerous projects and campaigns that try to end the cruelty and suffering of animals in shelters, farms, markets and on the streets. I’ve been vegetarian for fewer years than I’ve worked in welfare but still a reasonable amount of time. I aspire to be vegan but fail in that regard on a regular basis. I try to do my best. I do a lot but there is still a lot more I could do and there always will be. 

There are many people like me, who care about the same things that I care about and try to do what they can to improve the lives of animals in whatever way they can. People who are at different points along the path. But then there are other people who have a tendency to sit in judgement when it comes to issues of animal welfare. I’m not talking about the ones who are perhaps ignorant of the issues and blindly go around being part of the problem and often question why people like me bother to care. Those people are the ones whose attitudes we work to change. No, I’m talking about the ones who should know better. The ones who sit on their pedestal of animal friendly perfection and judge those who try to do better with equal contempt as they judge those who do nothing at all. 

I’ll hear them say things like “They campaign against cruelty but they still eat meat”, or “Why campaign on saving dogs when 70 billion farm animals are being killed every year for food”, or “They’re vegetarian but if they knew how much suffering that cheese caused they’d be vegan”. Accusing all those that try to do something as being a hypocrite because we don’t do everything. 

Yes, of course we could all do more but it’s time to stop this castigation of everyone not meeting gold standards. Because a sanctimonious view of the world is in many ways as damaging to animal welfare as the behaviour of those we are working to change. Everyone is a hypocrite to some degree. It is the nature of being human and living in a world where we have to make compromises and risk our integrity on some level. All of us are hypocrites, none of us are perfect and without blame. Even those in their tower that’s not made of ivory or fur or meat or dairy. But I bet some 5-year-old malnourished Bangladeshi orphan helped to furnish it. 

What I have learned by working in animal welfare is that to improve the welfare of animals we need to work with people. We need to inspire and motivate them and it is incumbent upon us to attempt to see the world as they see it. If we expect them to see the world from the animals' point of view then the very least we can do is try and see it from theirs. We might not like what we see but unless we try, we’re never going to be able to find common ground and a way to change their beliefs and views. 

I’ve also learned what doesn’t work. Judgment and criticism, particularly of those who are actually already trying to do something. If it were that easy to improve the welfare of animals and end suffering we’d have done it by now. But it isn’t, and every time those that are already trying to help are criticised, it risks damaging the entire concept of an animal welfare movement. 

Unless the animal welfare movement can unite, work together and support our common goal we will never be able to do the things we set out to do. And in the end it is not us who will pay the price for this, it is the animals that will suffer in our name while fingers are being pointed at those who some believe could have done more.

Harry Eckman

CFAF

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Empty the Tanks - the campaign to end the captivity of cetaceans.

Saturday 24th May, marked the 2nd Empty the Tanks Worldwide protest where people in many locations around the world gathered to raise awareness about and gain support for the campaign to end the captivity of cetaceans.

I attended the event in Leicester Square, London, along with approximately 150 other protesters armed with banners, posters, leaflets and inflatable whales. We roamed the Leicester Square area trying to engage the public on this issue and to gain pledges to never visit whales and dolphins in captivity; queues meant ‘captive’ people so were a good place to start. One young girl had asked her mum if she could come to the event as part of her special birthday weekend treat in London – lovely to see such passion and commitment in someone so young but at the same time so sad that children are worrying about an industry that should not exist.

Most people we came across nodded in agreement when we said that whales and dolphins do not belong in captivity, which was encouraging. Quite a few people agreed that the tanks should be empty but expressed opinions that those animals currently in marine parks would have to stay there as they wouldn't survive in the wild, highlighting that there is a significant misunderstanding about the options for these animals. Some people believe that the alternative to captivity is to release the animals out into the wild and they are rightly concerned that if that were to happen the animals might be unable to fend for themselves and would die. This shows that they are unaware of the rehabilitation plans that would be involved in the retirement of these animals. They would not be subjected to a sudden change from captivity to release, rather the plan for each animal would be carefully tailored for that individual – some might be able to be fully released after a period of rehabilitation and would rejoin their families whereas others might never be able to be fully released and would require some human input for the rest of their lives.

The next day the results of a poll were announced – an independent survey of 2,050 people revealed that a staggering 86% would not wish to visit a marine park to see whales and dolphins as part of an overseas holiday. Respondents were asked the same question at the beginning of the survey and again at the end, after having read a short statement setting out facts about wild and captive whales and dolphins. When first asked, 61% responded that they did not wish to visit an overseas marine park to see whales and dolphins. Of those who declared that they would visit, 64% changed their minds after reading the factual statement. The survey will be useful in the campaigns against captivity as it counters the claim often made by tour operators that demand hasn’t changed.

Empty the Tanks is an annual event and growing, and together with the results of the poll, reflects the increased focus on this issue and the growing movement of people taking a stand against keeping cetaceans in captivity. 

Suzanne Rogers

CFAF

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Hope in South Korea - steps towards an end to the dog meat industry

Last week, Change For Animals Foundation was in Seoul with the wonderful Jill Robinson and Irene Feng from Animals Asia. Having worked on the anti dog meat campaign in South Korea for the last several years, it was exciting for me to host a meeting with the local animal protection groups- those leading the ever-growing movement- to discuss ways on how we can work collaboratively to reach our goal- our dream- of ending the dog meat industry in South Korea. Change For Animals Foundation works on a number of projects committed to ending the inherently cruel dog meat trades in Asia.. But South Korea is where it all began for me… On my first visit to Korea, I visited the infamous Moran Market- South Korea’s largest dog meat market where an estimated 40- 60% of dogs traded for the meat industry pass through… It is a painfully sad place… the helplessness of the situation is overwhelming.. and when you lock eyes with one of the dogs  through the bars, knowing where they have come from and what they have yet to endure,  walking away is the hardest thing I have ever done… It is where my pledge to end the dog meat industry in South Korea was made…

The dogs I have seen in Korea still haunt me… the seemingly indifference to their suffering is incomprehensible…  But there is hope… And that hope is in the form of the ever-growing animal protection movement in South Korea, where animal rights has become the fastest growing civic movement.  Our meetings, co-sponsored by Animals Asia, the Humane Society International and Animal Guardians, hosted those at the forefront of this movement- those who have committed their lives to raising public awareness of the plight of animals in Korea.. and the dog meat debate is one of the most emotive and contentious issues. As I was once told by one of those very special people- one of an ever growing number of South Koreans who commits every day to raising awareness of, and gaining support to end, the unimaginably cruel dog meat industry-  “until we can gain support for a dog meat ban, what hope do we have for other animals”.

And people do care.. Hugely… and passionately... and in increasing numbers.  The groups we met with- many founded, and led, by volunteers- spoke of their inspiring work to reach our goal of a permanent dog meat ban. Their commitment to the cause is clear and their passion is tangible.

It is a difficult campaign- one that requires the socio-legal status of dogs to be redefined- but it is achievable, and I have never felt more inspired than I did leaving Seoul last week.

The meetings also benefited from a very special guest- the wonderful Django! Django- rescued from a dog farm a couple of months ago- is classified as a ‘meat dog’ in South Korea- a dog whose only value is measured on scales… in the form of ‘guns’- the measurement used to weigh dogs destined for human consumption… When rescued, he was dangerously underweight and suffering from a variety of skin conditions, and his body had scars revealing the pitiful conditions of his life in a cage on a dog meat farm- a place where there is no compassion or hope…

But Django showed us that his spirit had not been broken or his soul destroyed, as he bounced up to everyone at the meeting to greet them in his own special way- a big lick! His willingness to forgive and trust humans again is astounding… and his wonderful spirit shines through as he acts in the mischievous way all puppies should!

Our meetings reignited our hope for a cohesive campaign- together, we will fight as one united voice, a voice that will become so loud that it can no longer be ignored- sending a clear message that people are turning their backs on the dog meat industry- an industry that has no place in today’s society where there is mounting concern for, and compassion towards, animals and their welfare.

As Jill explains, "The energy in the conference room was electrifying - with a positive intent in collaborating together to end an industry that has seen millions and millions of dogs dying in agony over the years and the meat of horribly diseased animals entering the food chain South Korea. Pet dogs, working dogs and meat dogs cannot be separated in to two categories as the traders claim - a dog is a dog is a dog - and they help to secure the safety of the country's people as they work side by side with the Police and Customs departments today. 

Huge congratulations to all the groups there who began a collaborative journey to be a resounding voice together against the consumption of dogs and cats in Korea. And while the gorgeous Django was on a relentless mission to lick us all to death, there is no doubt that he too represents a whole species that live and lose their lives to help ours, and make our family homes happier and safer too."  

Django may just be one of the estimated 2.5 million dogs raised and slaughtered for meat in South Korea each year- but he is hope… And he represents why we will never stop until the last cage has been emptied.

Lola Webber

CFAF

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Why do you work in animal welfare?

Over the past several weeks I’ve had a number of conversations with friends and colleagues about how often we are judged on our choice to work in the field of animal welfare. And how, as a consequence, we often feel the need to defend that choice. 

Now let’s get something straight here, I’m not talking about defending extreme or illegal actions nor am I talking about the chastisement of others for their views. I am simply talking about my choice to work in animal welfare and my reasons for doing so.  When I tell people what I do I’m met with a variety of responses. I won’t bother to go into them all here as I’m sure you can imagine the array of views and opinions others might have about my work and beliefs.  What I’m talking about in particular is when I’m required to defend myself against those who question my priorities and my sense of compassion.  When I say that I work in animal welfare I often hear the response, ‘How come you only care about animals? Don’t you know there are children being abused… entire nations starving… old people having their dignity violated… homelessness, poverty, cancer, heart disease and on and on.  In their eyes does me choosing to work on one thing preclude me from acknowledging and caring about the others? And when did there suddenly become a right or wrong thing to care about? It’s not like we wake up each day with an allotted amount of compassion. “I only have enough caring inside of me for these things today; everything else is just going to have to wait until a space opens up.” And it’s not like my caring about animals causes more suffering in other areas. A child doesn’t die of malnutrition because I’m rescuing a dog.  But this is exactly my point. Why do we still feel the need to defend ourselves? Why is my default position to try and justify that I actually care enough about something that I am prepared to dedicate my life to it? How did that ever become something that required defending? I don’t understand why animal welfare is so often seen as the poor relation to other realms of compassion? If I were as dedicated to child poverty I can’t imagine people coming up to me and questioning my choices then.  I find that those who would question my choices the most are not those who have made a choice elsewhere but those who have made no choice at all. What do you care about? Does belittling my beliefs make yours stronger? Are your moral values better than mine? Instead of judging me for my choices, why don’t you tell me what you’re actually doing to address the things that you’re so clearly worried about.  Compassion isn’t something you should have to pick and choose. Everything is important. We don’t spend Saturday mornings wandering around the morality section at IKEA deciding how we should furnish our lives so we can sleep better at night. We make sacrifices and compromises every day because in the real world we have to. We can’t save everything and everyone but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. There’s a difference between what is right and what is easy.  If our aim is to end suffering, in whatever form it comes, human or animal, then we should never feel the need to defend ourselves. It is people who question and criticize the need to help and show compassion that should have to defend themselves.  The question isn’t why do I care but why do you not!

Harry Eckman

CFAF

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Animal welfare in Portugal – building on success

From 25th to 28th May I returned to Portugal to work with CFAF’s partner organisation, Animais de Rua (AdR) to provide 22 of their volunteers with TNR training and to work with the organisation to help them build further on their already substantial success.

CFAF has been working closely with AdR since we began and I had been working with them for several years before that, during my days at WSPA.

Animais de Rua (which means ‘animals of the street’) was born in 2005 when a group of friends in Porto saw a colony of feral cats living in precarious and pitiable conditions and decided that they needed to do something to help them. It quickly became clear that there was little help available, as back in 2005 helping feral cats was not an issue being worked on much in Portugal. Rather than get discouraged, they searched the internet to look for ideas, and found information about TNR projects and how they were being used elsewhere to successfully help feral cat colonies.

The friends planned out what was required to undertake such a task themselves. They contacted local vets and raised money through friends and family to catch, neuter, treat and release the entire colony of 45 cats. After seeing how the lives and welfare of these cats had been so improved by what they had done they decided that they could not simply stop there, and so looked for other colonies that they could also help. Today, 8 years later, Animais de Rua has sterilized and treated over 11,300 animals across Portugal!

From these humble beginnings AdR has become one of Portugal’s most recognised and respected animal welfare organisatons. TNR is still at the core of what they do but they have become so much more than that. They lobby for change and work with local authorities, veterinarians, communities and NGOs to address cat and dog cruelty and welfare problems throughout Portugal. They run successful fostering and adoption programmes as well as school education programmes and public awareness campaigns.

AdR’s CEO, Maria Pinto Teixeira, is one of those original friends that founded the organisation. She has been the heart and soul of the organisation and their guiding star. Her dedication, unfailing belief in the cause of animal welfare and ability to inspire an exceptional group of volunteers has been central to their success.

It was with Maria and a core group of AdR’s fantastic volunteers that I spent four days in the beautiful and tranquil surroundings Quinta Das Aguias, in northern Portugal, to work with them on training and support.

AdR is now a national organisation and has groups not only in Porto but in Lisbon and the Algarve. They even work in the Azores! The volunteers came from all these places to attend the workshop and their enthusiasm and commitment was palpable and infectious.

I have often thought that the term ‘volunteer’ does a disservice to people who frequently work far harder and more passionately than those who are paid for a task. Never has this been more the case than with the volunteers of AdR.

We spent the four days looking at every aspect of the work they do - from the practical side of TNR to the structure and development of the organisation itself. We explored areas including fundraising, the growth of their educational programmes, policy development and expanding their adoption programmes.

One of AdR’s great successes is their adoption programme, which has evolved organically over several years. AdR use a network of fosterers and volunteers along with websites and social media to find new homes for animals without them ever needing to spend a single day in a shelter. There are comprehensive and stringent checks and processes in place to ensure the animals find the best possible home and as a result, last year they were able to find permanent, secure and loving homes for over 300 animals!

The four-day workshop was intensive and incredibly rewarding. So much ground was covered and many plans were made to build upon. AdR has achieved so much in a relatively short space of time and based on the passion and dedication of those attending the workshop, it will continue to make substantial and real improvements to the lives of animals in Portugal and beyond. And CFAF will be working alongside them every step of the way.

When I was back in Porto, I was taken to visit that original colony of cats from back in 2005. After 8 years, there are only 10 of the 45 cats remaining but as a managed colony they are healthy, happy and cared for. They are a living testament to the work of AdR and what they are able to achieve.

Thank you to all the AdR volunteers (those I have met and those I have yet to meet) for your hard work and dedication. Thank you to Ivone and Joep for their incredible hospitality and truly wonderful vegan food! Thank you to our friends at International Cat Care for helping fund this workshop and thank you to Maria Pinto Teixeira, for your unwavering professionalism, commitment and belief.

I speak for both myself and CFAF when I say how privileged we are to be working alongside AdR and to be able to call them partners. They represent everything that is great in animal welfare and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

For more information about Animais de Rua, you can visit their website or facebook page.

Harry Eckman

CFAF 

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'Looking' into human-animal relationships

I recently attended the British Animal Studies Network (BASN) seminar in Glasgow. As someone with a strong scientific background I have attended countless seminars on behaviour, welfare, and the biological sciences. This was the first event I have attended aimed at academics from the other side - the humanities side of animal studies and it was something of an eye opener for me. It was a reminder of the need to change people's perceptions and ways of looking at animals in order to drive positive change for animals, and highlighted the role that the humanities and arts have in this change. 

The first talk by Vinciane Despret was about her work studying the people who study animals. As a scientist I am familiar with the way ethologists (people who study animal behaviour) conduct their research and the discussions and interpretations that follow on from field work. Despret was interested that different ethologists 'see' the same behaviours in Arabian babblers (birds) but interpret them differently in the scientific literature. And that the different methods of observation affect the behaviour of the birds themselves.  She also noted that interpreting animal  behaviour in terms of human emotions and intentions has long been criticized in ethology but scientists can be less aware of being 'academico-morphic' or 'science'morphic' - interpreting animal behaviour in terms of an academic theory or focus of research, which although at first seems against the essence of scientific principles, is undeniable when you read the different theories for why animals perform certain behaviours and how the scientists can see the same behaviour and interpret it according to those different theories. A quote that struck me was "Scientists use food in their experiments into animal learning and cognition because then they don't have to ask why the animals do something - they say its 'for the food'. To ask more deeply about animal's interests and motivations would raise so many questions that studies steer clear of this but there is so much more that needs to be considered". As a scientist, I know why food is used so often but I agree that it does shut off interesting avenues that need to be explored before we will have a better understanding of animal behaviour. Her talk is nicely summed up in her quote "the behaviour of animals is the product of the observer's gaze" and it was the perfect start to the seminar theme of 'Looking'. 

Amelie Bjorck from Lund University studies photographed animals and presented a comparison of ways that primates are photographed and how the different presentations affect the viewer. She recounted that when photographs of children in different negative emotional states were used alongside captions against the Bush administration in the USA there was outrage that a picture could be taken of a child having a certain negative experience (in most cases their response when sweets were taken away) and be labelled as another (outrage against the Bush administration). Bjorck suggested that we do this to pictures of animals all the time and there is no outrage and considered this issue of 'contextual disturbance'. If public understanding of the body language and expression of emotion in animals could be improved we would probably see a movement against inappropriate labelling of pictures of animals but a visit to a card shop with the endless 'funny' captions on cards depicting animals that to the trained eye are at best non-plussed and at worst incredibly fearful I am not confident that this change in understanding is imminent.

Alastair Hunt's presentation followed on from this as he explored what he termed 'the moment of wild surmise' - the moment when people suddenly understand/realise something that goes against their previous knowledge and core values. He used the moment in the popular film 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' where a chimpanzee for the first time says 'No!' (or more accurately 'Nooooooo!') to his human imprisoner and instills in witnesses a moment of jaw dropping suprise to illustrate the concept. Hunt explored this in terms of the need for legal equality of rights for animals and humans in a fascinating and humerous presentation.

The highlight of the seminar for me was a talk by Sarah Franklin entitled 'Watching Sheep with the sheepwatchers'. Like Despret she studies people who study animals, in this case Thelma Rowell and her work with sheep communication. Did you ever wonder how a group of sheep decide to suddenly get up and move, as a flock, to a new location? At first one sheep looks pointedly in one direction, others might look pointedly in other directions. The sheep look in a direction and then look around to see if any others are looking the same way. Eventually many sheep look the same way and one will get up and be followed by others but only after the lengthy conversation in head gestures. The discussion session after this talk considered whether the sheep are interested in the person watching them! If not are we the only species interested in what other animals are interested in? We suggest not but these sorts of questions have not been fully explored. 

  A talk by Lourdes Orozco considered the use of animals in the theatre. "Animals bring a lot to the theatre, theatre brings very little to the animal" she said. In her many observations of different productions involving animals she noted that animals generally tried to leave the stage and humans generally try to keep them there! And to keep them there requires much effort into ways of treating the animals using food rewards in a way that the audience doesn't see this being done. The presentation explored how people are captivated by animals appearances in theatre productions because of their improbable presence - they don't belong there. She also highlighted the gap between public interest and policy - in countries with high emotive bonds with animals why are crowds still drawn to animals being used in ways that are not positive experiences for the animals?

  Other talks explored the history of animals in circuses, studying deer stalkers, the behaviour of farmers in relation to take-up of disease surveillance systems and an analysis of the different ways that people 'look' at displays and artwork of animals.

  The meeting considered how humans 'look' at and 'see' animals - whether researching their behaviour, watching them in art, theatre, films, zoos or circuses, humans 'see' what they want to see based on their attitudes and core values relating to animals. However, these vehicles of 'looking' can also provide us with routes to reach people and to change their attitudes and relationships with animals, something that is a vital part of our work at CFAF.

  Suzanne Rogers

  CFAF