The Philippines is blessed with people who care for animals. Volunteers have established welfare foundations and groups in the country to make it a safer place for animals. Here are some of them.
Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
PAWS drafted Republic Act 8485 or the Philippine Animal Welfare Bill. It promotes adopting instead of buying pets in the Philippines, which increased the number who actually did.
As a member of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, it rescued abandoned and injured animals from a village ravaged by a landslide.
Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART)
PART has a four-hectare farm in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, where 500 homeless dogs, cats, turtles, chickens, turkeys and goats roam freely.
As the first and only “no-kill” animal rescue organization in the country, it aims to cease killing animals that are not suffering from any ailment.
CARA Welfare Philippines
CARA employs a trap-neuter-return program to control street animal population. They also manage a sanctuary for pitbulls rescued from a dog-fighting syndicate.
Animal Kingdom Foundation, Inc. (AKF)
AKF has rescued thousands of slaughter-bound dogs and jailed numerous dog traders. Together with the Philippine National Police, they raid slaughterhouses and establishments where dog trading and meat selling happen.
Rescued animals are then sent to AKF’s rescue center in Capas, Tarlac. One dog they rescued, Sweet, was brought to a pet hospital for treatment and recuperation in 2002. Two years later, Sweet became the United Kingdom’s Dog of the Year for 2004.
Happy Animals Club
Nine-year-old Ken Amante’s dream was to keep stray dogs and cats off the street. It quickly became a reality when photos of him feeding animals on the street went viral on social media.
Donations started pouring in from around the world. His father told him it would take him 20 years to get a shelter. But now, the Happy Animals Club leases a 1,000-square meter lot, which has two large pens, two apartments, and an annex. It also rescues dogs from the city pound to avoid euthanasia.
People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) Asia
PETA Asia believes animals should not be consumed, worn, experimented on, or used for entertainment. They focus on where animals suffer most: factory farms, laboratories, fashion, and the entertainment industry.
PETA Asia gave over 35,000 vegetarian starter kits in the Philippines. They also partnered with PAWS in 2012 to rescue animals affected by tropical storm Haikui.
Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC)
Established in 2006 by other animal welfare groups, AWC focuses on proper pet care, animal control, and the dog meat trade.
AWC was one of the groups that helped restore the snout of Kabang “the hero dog”, who jumped in front of a motorcycle to save the life of two children in 2011.
Philippine Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA)
Organized in 1904 and enforced through Commonwealth Act 1285, the PSPCA is one of the oldest organizations in the country. Its clinic in Quiapo, Manila, can accommodate checkups, provide medicine, become a shelter, and give daycare and grooming services for animals.
If you want to save the animals but you don’t know how to start because you lack finances, visit Teetalk.ph. You can raise funds there by selling shirts, stainless straws, bamboo pens, etc., for your next project.
Sources:
- Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS): https://www.paws.org.ph/
- Philippine Animal Rescue Team (PART): http://www.philanimalrescue.org/
- CARA Welfare Philippines: http://www.caraphil.org/
- Animal Kingdom Foundation, Inc. (AKF): http://animalkingdomfoundation.org.ph/
- Happy Animals Club: https://www.happyanimalsclub.org/
- People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) Asia: https://www.petaasia.com
- Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC): http://animals.tukcedo.nl/?p=126
- Philippine Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA): https://www.facebook.com/pspcaPH/