“Our mission is to be the strong, global and independent voice for animals under human control.”Quoted by Adam Rahman – Four Paws Team. FOUR PAWS was founded in 1988 in Austria to campaign against fur farms and against battery farmed eggs.
Closing down numerous fur farms, stopping two airlines transporting wild birds and generating awareness about the suffering of bears at tourist attractions, ensuring and creating sustainable solutions for animals in need, touching hearts, changing consumer behavior, driving legal changes, and building powerful partnerships.
Not only have Four Paws taken on incredible challenges, but they have also changed wildlife, sharing their excellent work and they continue to grow.
Four Paws is an international charity to help protect and support all kinds of animals. This charity allows you to sponsor an animal and join in with fun campaigns supporting wild, farm, and furry companions i.e. home pets.
The charity organizes events all year round, including fundraising awareness and has grown their charity globally. Offices are located in
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Belgium
- Germany
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Romania
- Switzerland
- South Africa
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- USA
“In 1994 FOUR PAWS started to work internationally and today has offices in thirteen countries. This international approach allows FOUR PAWS to lobby and campaign more effectively, improving animal welfare and thousands of animals’ lives each year.”
Quoted by Adam Rahman – 4PAWS.
I have such an admiration for this charity, the good they have done, the awareness they have gained and the team they have created., I was delighted when they took some time out from their busy agenda to answer some questions.
Hello there, and thank you for taking the time to read this; what do you hope to accomplish and why do you want to involve others? “Our vision is a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. We try to do this through our projects and campaigns, which give animals in need both short-term and long-term help. We are keen for people to get involved in our work in any way that they can.
All of our work relies on public support, whether it be through donating money, adding their support to petitions and other campaigning asks or offering their time through volunteering or fundraising on our behalf.”
I think that is fantastic! There are so many animals in need and you are changing that! What happens to the donations you receive, what part of the charity/foundation does this go to? How will the charity use my donation? “FOUR PAWS UK is 100% funded by voluntary donations and receives no government funding.
All donations go towards our projects and campaigns both in the UK and internationally, and help with the ongoing costs of running our animal sanctuaries worldwide, as well as ensuring the smooth running of the organization as a whole.”
“What’s the most important lesson you have learned as a charity in the past year?” It is not really possible to answer this on behalf of the whole charity as we have many departments and our work is very broad, so the lessons learned will vary a lot across the different areas of our work.
How are you collaborating with similar charities on a local, regional, or national level?“ We collaborate with several like-minded charities both nationally and internationally. For example, we collaborated closely with the Jordanian organization Princess Alia Foundation on the rescue and rehoming of Gaza Strip animals. We are currently working together to build a new wildlife sanctuary in Jordan.
We are also a member of the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of animal welfare organization working to end the use of real fur in the fashion industry. In the UK, we are working with numerous animal welfare and veterinary charities such as the RSPCA, BVA, One Kind, CAPS, Born Free Foundation and Wild Futures on a campaign to ban the keeping of primates as pets in this country.
We are also working together with Born Free, Lion Aid, the Save Me Trust and IFAW on an upcoming march against the import of lion hunting trophies into the UK, where we will join a delegation handing over a joint letter to the Prime Minister on this issue.
These are just a few examples of our work in collaboration with other nationally and international charities.”
Wow, you are so active and great to know you are collaborating with other charities in the area. What are the main obstacles that inhibit the fulfilment of your mission? How are you planning to overcome them? “It varies depending on the topic but there is generally a lack of awareness about a lot of animal welfare topics and a lot of misconceptions.
We plan to overcome this through continuing our awareness-raising and educational work and providing realistic solutions to existing problems.”
What are the greatest challenges that the charity is facing?” Again lack of awareness and education on animal welfare issues broadly is quite a challenge.
Additionally, many poor animal welfare practices are ingrained within certain cultural/industrial environments so it can be difficult to achieve change.”
Fantastic, well you are most certainly doing that! What outcomes and progress has this charity seen through its work? “Again, this varies quite a bit across the different areas of our work. While a lot has been achieved and we have rescued many animals from inappropriate conditions, as well as bringing about several significant political and social changes, there is still a lot to be done.”
What plans are there in the pipeline and how do you see the future? “FOUR PAWS have made 2016 the year of the bear. Our President & Founder Heli Dungler recently signed an agreement with the Albanian Government to address the issue of the mistreatment of bears in private captivity in the country.
In terms of the longer-term future, we will continue to deliver our existing projects and campaigns and help animals in need wherever we can.”
Amazing interview, thank you so much for taking the time, so emotionally empowering! Check out their site for the latest events and get involved! Go on – you know you want to sponsor an animal! I know I just have!
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