IFAW Inaugurates First-Ever Global Center of Excellence (CoE) to Significantly Expand Animal Rescue Field

Key Support Provided by The Suzanne McGraw Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC, August 09, 2022 — To advance the animal rescue field and to respond to the sharp rise in animal-related emergency responses globally, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has opened its first-ever Center of Excellence (CoE) on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Building upon decades of experience responding to emergencies ranging from mass strandings to natural disasters to climate change, the IFAW CoE will provide fee-based intensive training to professional and volunteer field rescue personnel in all aspects of animal rescue. A scholarship fund will also be available for eligible participants. Housed within IFAW’s International Operations Center, the CoE will combine a unique curriculum of both in-person and virtual learning conducted by professional rescue personnel from IFAW.

Rescue experts from the IFAW CoE will demonstrate best practices honed through their work and that of other professionals, helping ensure expansion of IFAW’s global action network to further amplify impact on the lives of animals. In just the past five years, IFAW has trained over 7,000 individuals across 35 countries and will now enhance its efforts with a generous grant provided by The Suzanne McGraw Foundation through a three-year pilot project. It is estimated that this expanded programme will help save between two to three times as many animals worldwide.

According to IFAW’s Deputy Vice President of Animal Rescue Katie Moore, “The call for IFAW rescue expertise has more than tripled in just five years. Whether from human-induced threats or natural events, the demand is immense and escalating. With over 650,000 animals rescued worldwide over the past two decades alone, IFAW is uniquely positioned to launch this innovative center and deliver best practices in animal rescue to a global audience.”

The global rescue field faces a key challenge of scale to meet the growing need to save more animals. As a result, the IFAW CoE itself acts as an information—and action—hub, also providing a starting point for collaborative research initiatives meant to improve the welfare and outcomes for animals. By offering mentoring and a certification programme, the CoE will lay the groundwork for additional rescue programmes internationally.

For additional information related to the IFAW Center of Excellence, programme participants should visit www.ifaw.org.

For images pertaining to IFAW’s rescue work and the Center of Excellence, see Hightail link here.

To coordinate interviews with IFAW personnel please reach out to press contact below.

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare):

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate, and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organisations, and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org.

Press Contacts:
Rodger Correa
Communications Director, Americas
Email: rcorrea@ifaw.org
Mobile: (202) 834-6637