50 years of animals and people thriving together

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A Message from our CEO

When a group of activists first witnessed newborn seal pups being slaughtered on the ice floes in East Coast of Canada, every one of them asked the same question:

What can I do about it?

They answered that question by founding IFAW in 1969. During those early years, IFAW was committed to one problem threatening one species in one part of the world. And in 1983, with the European ban on whitecoat Harp seal products, we saved more than one million seal pups in the process.

Since then, we’ve taken on more problems threatening more species, including our own, in more than 40 countries. Today, we are rescuing more animals and conserving more habitats, on land and at sea, than at any other point in our history. And it almost always starts with one person or one community asking that same question:

What can I do about it?

CEO

Azzedine Downes

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Flying foxes are a keystone species, critical to the survival of trees, koalas, and ultimately humans. So when they began dropping to the ground due to a prolonged December heatwave in Queensland, Australia, local wildlife rescue groups knew they needed to act. We supported several of these groups with items such as fruit, supplies, and aviaries to aid in the emergency rehabilitation of the heat-stressed animals. Although the rehab process is lengthy and resource-intensive, we're happy to say that hundreds of flying foxes have since been released back to the wild where they can continue to contribute to the health of their ecosystems. - Photo: © Dave Pinson

A post shared by ifaw (@action4ifaw) on Apr 6, 2019 at 9:05am PDT

Support #LifeUnderWater and #DoOneThingToday to protect our oceans. Here are some ideas:
🐠 Say no to plastic straws.
🦈 Use reusable water bottles & shopping bags.
🐡 Reduce your energy consumption. Bike or carpool & turn off lights in empty rooms. https://t.co/wEaSAeDQ0O pic.twitter.com/IUs1NzzhSP
— ifaw Australia (@ifawAU) March 1, 2019

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Elephants are a keystone species, maintaining the balance of all other species in the ecosystem. They pull down trees and break up thorny bushes, which left unchecked would cause the grassland to disappear due to lack of sunlight. These remarkable animals require a large habitat to live in and humans have become their direct competitors for space. To protect elephants and other wildlife, we must protect wild spaces. Around the world, we're empowering people to invest in the land. Through implementation of community conservation projects and nature-sourced livelihoods, we can align our own economies with the environment and give all beings a habitat they can safely call home. - Photo by @donalboyd

A post shared by ifaw (@action4ifaw) on Apr 1, 2019 at 2:19pm PDT

every problem has a solution, every solution needs support.

The problems we face are urgent, complicated, and resistant to change. Real solutions demand creativity, hard work and involvement from people like you.

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