Thanks to your support, World Animal Protection was able to change the lives of so many animals this year!
All of us at World Animal Protection are so incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish in 2023 thanks to your boundless support. From the streets of New York City to the Amazon Rainforest in South America, World Animal Protection was there rewriting the story for animals!
Here are some of our favorite highlights of this year.
Mundi Is Rescued
Back in May, World Animal Protection alongside Elephant Aid International and The Wildlife Sanctuary helped rescue Mundi from the only zoo in Puerto Rico following its closure. Before her freedom, Mundi spent almost her entire life isolated in a small enclosure, forced to perform tricks.
Our Executive Director, Lindsay Oliver, was on the ground when Mundi arrived at the Jacksonville Airport in Florida and was transported to her new forever home at Elephant Refuge North America in Georgia. She is now spending her days roaming 850 acres, enjoying the company of other elephants, and thriving in the natural, protected environment of the sanctuary.
Read more about Mundi’s rescue journey.
Another Global Travel Company Protects Animals
Following our newest Tracking the Travel Industry report, which received an incredible profile in National Geographic, the global online travel marketplace Klook ended sales to most exploitative wildlife attractions in August. The company received a dismal 4% score in the ranking report.
Klook attended our animal-friendly travel webinar in the spring and was one of the companies named in our travel company boycott that had collected more than 20,000 signatures from World Animal Protection supporters by the time of its announcement. Klook’s progress makes lagging companies like Groupon and GetYourGuide appear all the worse for continuing to sanction animal cruelty.
IHOP Adds Plant-Based Proteins
After years of urging IHOP to add plant-based options to its menu, the company agreed to serve plant-based Impossible burgers and sausages at all of its restaurants nationwide.
Thousands of World Animal Protection supporters signed our petition urging the company to make this positive step—and they followed through after the release of our 2022 Moving The Menu report, where IHOP ranked among the lowest for not offering any plant-based proteins at the time.
Fighting for Baloo’s Freedom
Baloo the bear languishing in a fenced enclosure in Romania.
This fall, World Animal Protection launched a global petition to free Baloo, a bear who has been locked away at a ski resort in Romania for 23 years. 35,000 supporters from around the world are joining forces to rescue him.
Throughout his life, Baloo has been fed alcohol and cornflakes, bullied by visitors, and poked with sticks in an inadequate, dilapidated enclosure. While it’s illegal for private individuals to possess bears in Romania, Baloo remains in captivity.
We’re calling on the Romanian government to take action and transfer him to our partner sanctuary, Libearty, where he can enjoy life as a bear should while still receiving the human care he requires. We will continue to fight for Baloo’s freedom until the Romanian government enforces its laws and Baloo is no longer suffering.
Giving a Cluck
For the second year in a row, we took over Climate Week NYC to highlight the significant link between factory farming and climate change. At Washington Square Park, we urged New Yorkers to give a cluck about climate, serving over 500 delicious animal-free bao bun sandwiches provided by Meati. The team at PLNT Burger also joined us and offered coupons for their restaurants and giveaways to help anyone wanting to eat less meat.
In addition to our food truck, we led a panel discussion at Columbia University focusing on how multinational meat producers are responsible for land encroachment, deforestation, and wildlife degradation.
In addition to climate week actions, World Animal Protection attended the United Nation’s crucial meeting on preventing the next pandemic—which is likely to come from factory farms. We advocated for an end to wildlife exploitation and factory farming to protect animals, humans, and our planet.
Art for Animals
Our Climate Week wild postings around NYC.
World Animal Protection worked with New York-based artists a number of times this year to draw attention to the plight of animals. During Climate Week, we launched “Climate Crimes,” urging Manhattanites and tourists alike to figure out who killed wild animals like jaguars, anteaters, sloths, and monkeys. Posters were set up in 250 locations and crime scenes were installed at four, with QR codes linking to our website to educate the public on how meat companies are killing animals and destroying habitats.
In December, we worked with Praxis, a NYC-based animal rights artist to create stunning artwork urging Petco to end animal sales. His installations can be seen around Petco’s flagship store in Union Square.
Posters around NYC urging Petco to end animal sales.
Lending a Paw
Throughout 2023, we worked with a number of grassroots and national organizations to pass legislation to protect animals throughout the country.
In April, we worked with Voters For Animal Rights to pass a bill in the New York City Council banning the sale of guinea pigs. Our Senior Campaigns Manager, Liz Cabrera Holtz, provided evidence during the bill’s hearing of the alarming conditions of guinea pig mills—where they’re bred in stressful, inhumane conditions. In December 2023, the city of Boston followed suit.
You may recall that with help from thousands of our supporters The Big Cat Public Safety Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Biden in December of 2022. This year we saw the first charge under the act in Texas. A couple tried to sell a baby jaguar and a margay cub—and are now facing five years in federal prison and a possible $20,000 fine.
In our continued effort to end the global wildlife trade, we joined the coalition supporting the Mink VIRUS Act, which would prohibit mink farming. The Act will protect these animals from cruel exploitation and people from the risk of animal-borne viruses like COVID-19 by ending loan forgiveness and compensation programs to mink farms.
Outlawing Cruel Crates
Pigs in gestation crates on a factory farm.
Farmed animals saw incredible wins made possible by coalitions this year—and we were proud that our supporters helped make a crucial difference in their lives.
New Jersey banned the use of cruel crates for mother pigs and baby cows in July 2023, making it the ninth state to pass a crate-banning bill. Thanks to World Animal Protection supporters in New Jersey contacting their legislators and governor, this legislation finally passed and was signed into law after several years of work and vetoes by former Governor Chris Christie.
This year also saw the US Supreme Court uphold California’s anti-confinement law and state-wide ban on selling products from confinement-based farms. In 2018, World Animal Protection joined numerous organizations to pass the landmark legislation, which faced years of baseless challenges by major meat companies.
Xamã Is Rescued
Xamã.
After being rescued in 2022 and recovering with our partner care providers, Xamã was moved to a rehabilitation facility this year where he will be supported in learning basic behaviors such as hunting and defense, skills he did not have the opportunity to receive from his mother.
Xamã will be the first rescued male jaguar in Brazil to be successfully reintroduced into the Amazon, and once he is ready to be on his own, will be released into a suitable and safe wildlife area.
Taking on Miami Seaquarium for Tokitae
In August, the world lost Tokitae (also known as Lolita), who suffered for more than 50 years in the smallest tank in North America at Miami Seaquarium and passed away before she was able to be moved to a seaside sanctuary.
While Tokitae wasn’t the first animal to die at Miami Seaquarium, she likely won’t be the last. After Tokitae’s death, World Animal Protection launched a petition demanding the venue shutter its doors and send the remaining animals to sanctuaries. Join thousands around the world demanding the US’s oldest dolphinarium, rife with endless animal welfare violations and rampant animal cruelty, be shut down. Forever.
Make 2024 The Year For Animals
We are so incredibly grateful to all of our supporters for the actions you take to protect and care for animals each and every day. Without you, this work would simply not be possible.
Through December 31 your gift will be doubled, up to $25,000, to help put an end to the abuse and exploitation animals face around the world. Double your impact for animals today.