Making a Difference in 2024: A Year in Review
2024 has been a whirlwind year for Wild Welfare and Wild Welfare US, filled with meaningful progress, inspiring collaborations, and groundbreaking project updates. From welcoming new team members to expanding our global reach, it’s been a year to earnestly recall. Let’s dive into the highlights and celebrate the strides we’ve made together, along with our partners and generous donors.
The Wild Welfare team meet in York, UK.
To kickstart the year we raised a toast to the fantastic dedication of Animal Welfare Field Manager, Sarah Bonser-Blake, Fundraising Manager, Victoria Fanthorpe, and Director, Simon Marsh, who each celebrated five years of being part of the Wild Welfare family. Their continued contributions keep shaping our journey in ever-positive and fundamental ways. We were also joined by our new Communications Manager, Andy Watson.
Partnership building has always been at the heart of what we do, and 2024 was no exception. Early in the year, we teamed up with The Civet Project Foundation to tackle the growing issues surrounding Civet welfare, especially linked to the growing Kopi Luwak coffee production and tourism sector. Together we have helped to champion the welfare of Viverrid species across Southeast Asia and look forward to paving the way for more action and change into 2025.
Cikananga Wildlife Rescue Centre team photo with certificates after 5-day training course.
Our training initiatives and online education resources have continued to take center stage as we work around the world to up-skill animal caregivers and auditors. Our online resources have now been accessed in over 85 countries around the globe since their launch in 2012. From Al Ain Zoo in the UAE to Australia and Brazil, we’ve conducted impactful workshops that combined practical skills with critical thinking building. A particular standout moment was in Indonesia, where we partnered with the Cikananga Wildlife Rescue Centre to deliver a bilingual program blending theory with hands-on sessions. Over 250 of their rescued animals have gone on to benefit from this collaborative event.
Reboot of the popular Animal Welfare online training course.
Meanwhile, our digital learning program, Wild About Welfare, reached new heights. With over 26,500 downloads across six supported languages, it is helping to bridge knowledge gaps for animal caregivers on a truly global scale. This year, we added fresh new English-language materials, interactive quizzes, and updated videos to the program. We’re excited to announce that we are gearing up to launch the program in Hindi in early 2025, with further updates for our current languages also in the pipeline!
Our team has attended many international conferences throughout the year, several of which we’ve had the opportunity to present and host workshops at. In June, Simon and Sarah attended the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum to share expertise on practical applications of animal welfare assessments and to build connections with animal care professionals from across Europe. WWUS attended zoo and sanctuary conferences presenting on our collaborative works enhancing welfare, training auditors, and project expansion.
Wild Welfare and Wild Welfare US, together collaborated with IFAW to support more than 20 Ukrainian wildlife organizations with translated online resources and live webinars. This project helped provide guidance on animal trauma recovery and how to elevate levels of animal care and welfare across the war-torn country.
In October, our Founder and Field Director, Dave Morgan, along with Trustee, Mark Penning were recognized on the Blooloop 50 Zoo & Aquarium Influencer List 2024. This prestigious accolade celebrates individuals who are driving innovation and positive change within the zoo and aquarium sector.
Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Elephant care team working on training and blood draw techniques.
Our partner projects have also seen some key milestones in 2024. In Malaysia, we celebrated a landmark at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park with the park’s second voluntary elephant blood draw conducted by the park’s dedicated animal care team. The Wild Welfare US team has been hard at work establishing and training the park’s Elephant care team such that they can deliver comprehensive elephant care including enhanced veterinary access and the establishment of a foot care program. This process involved the introduction of Protected Contact tools and tenets which relies on Positive Reinforcement Training to enable the staff to successfully care for the elephants in a more welfare friendly manner. The work of Wild Welfare also extended to Lok Kawi’s other species including, introducing the park to modern animal care concepts, husbandry and environmental enrichment practices. Wild Welfare hopes to help make a positive difference to the lives of many species at the park, including sun bears, binturongs and multiple species of birds within their extensive aviaries.
Wild Welfare stand at Keeperfest 2024.
In Brazil and Southeast Asia respectively, Wild Welfare and Wild Welfare US collaborated with SEAZA (Southeast Asian Zoos and Aquariums Association) and Wild Welfare US will now continue working with AZAB (Brazilian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) to enhance welfare auditor training. These partnerships ultimately combinated in each receiving (along with the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums) an award from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums for achieving the Animal Welfare Goal 2023.
Wild Welfare US was thrilled to partner with Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) in our first return to China since 2019. At the invitation of the Chinese Zoo Association (CAZG), we delivered a workshop on elephant care, training, and enrichment hosted by the Qingdao Zoo. This workshop was supported by AAF, delivered by Wild Welfare US and two of our technical advisors, Gail Laule and Debbie Ng, and included support from Mandai Nature. A second workshop was given to the Nanjing Zoo staff with the focus on animal behavior management, elephant foot care, and animal welfare. Through our long-term partnership with AAF and CAZG we are seeing considerable advancements in animal care and welfare throughout zoos in China and look forward to continuing these partnerships.
47º Congresso da Associação de Zoológicos e Aquários do Brasil (AZAB) 2024
Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredible support of our community. This year’s fundraising efforts truly went the extra mile – sometimes quite literally! From marathon runs to online sponsored events, our supporters have shown dedication, raising vital funds to fuel our mission. Every step has helped to make a real difference to animals around the world, and we’re truly grateful for your amazing and kind support.
One of our most exciting achievements in 2024 saw the finalizing of our ambitious ‘Every Animal’ strategy. This comprehensive framework will guide our organization through to 2030, ensuring that we continue expanding partnerships and drive systemic change for captive wild animals worldwide.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who’s been part of this journey. Whether you’ve donated, volunteered, or simply followed our updates online, you’ve helped make 2024 an unforgettable year. Together, we’re creating a world where every captive wild animal can thrive and experience a life worth living. Here’s to a prosperous 2025 and beyond!
WARN Asia Conference 2024 presented by Free The Bears
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