2017 Annual Report
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2017 ANNUAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS iv 2 3 LETTER FROM RESCUE & CARE AT ANTI-FUR CEO & GENERAL COUNSEL THE BORN FREE USA CAMPAIGN PRIMATE SANCTUARY Compassion is Baboon Rescued Always in Fashion “Gilligan’s Island” Completed Fur for the Animals Enriching Lives of Primates Give it Back! (Pri)mate Campaign Educating the Public About Fur 7 8 9 WILDLIFE WEST & CENTRAL CANADIAN TRADE AFRICAN PROJECTS PROJECTS Elephant Ivory Legislation CITES Identification Guides Wolf and Coyote Protection State Wildlife Trade Bills Shark Fin Awareness Stopping Wildlife Culls Ending Trophy Hunting Listing of Lion, Giraffe, Chimpanzee, and Saving Snapping Turtles Investigation into International Wildlife Leopard Species in CMS Conservation Council Threat Assessment Missions Protecting Species with the CITES Standing Committee 13 14 15 CIRCLE OF COMPASSION CORPORATE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL PARTNERS POSITION TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 5 6 ANTI-TRAPPING ANIMALS IN DEFENDING CAMPAIGN CAPTIVITY CAMPAIGN THE ENDANGERED Important Federal Legislation Important Federal Legislation SPECIES ACT State Trapping Bills New York City Bans Wild Animals in Challenging Efforts to Gut the Endangered State Trapping Circuses Species Act Report Released A Win in the City of Toronto Victory for Gray Wolves Anti-Trapping Coalition Law to End Captivity of Whales and Investigation into Exemptions under the Dolphins Endangered Species Act Restricting Exotic Pet Ownership Reaching Millions Through Social Media 10 11 12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELSA’S LEGACY FOUNDATION & & STAFF WILDLIFE CIRCLE GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Board of Directors (as of 12/31/17) 16 17 18 STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES STATEMENT OF FUNCTIONAL REVENUE & EXPENSE EXPENSES AT-A-GLANCE Dear Friends, I am pleased to share Born Free USA’s 2017 Annual Report with you. With all of the positive changes we have accomplished for wildlife this year, it is evident that our hard work is paying off. We are committed to rescuing/caring for animals, advancing legislation, educating the public about issues facing wild animals, and collaborating with other organizations through coalitions, workshops, and meetings to ensure a brighter future for animals worldwide. Animal rescue remains a crucial part of our mission to help individual animals in need. This spring, our Primate Sanctuary welcomed a new resident – and changed her life forever. Betsy, a 34-year- old Guinea baboon, was kept as a pet for more than 30 years in a tiny cage in someone’s backyard. At only 18 months old, she had her tail and part of her foot amputated due to self-injury. Until her rescue by Born Free USA, Betsy had never seen another baboon. Now, she socializes with an elderly hamadryas baboon named Bruce! This beautiful animal enjoys greater space, a varied and healthy diet, and the more natural life that she has always deserved. In the Fall, we released our 2017 Trapping Report, which concludes that most state laws are inadequate for protecting animals from trapping. Its accompanying Trapping Report Card assigns a letter grade to each of the 50 U.S. states based on the existence and effectiveness of the state’s animal trapping regulations on animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and public safety. Sadly, only four states – California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Washington – received an “A” grade or higher; we need to continue working at the legislative level to ban trapping across the country. This year also has been marked by significant steps to end the use of fur in fashion. Our Fur for the Animals campaign aims to bring fur back where it belongs: with the animals. We spent 2017 sending out more than $4 million worth of donated furs to wildlife rehabilitation centers nationwide to comfort injured, orphaned, and rescued wildlife. And when the new Administration announced policy decisions that would make it easier for hunters to bring imported trophies from certain African countries (i.e., the heads and other body parts of endangered and threatened species), we took steps to investigate the various actions taken by the Administration, setting up multiple lawsuits against the Administration to prevent the barbaric act of trophy hunting. On the global front, Born Free USA participated in the 69th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee. We advocated for increased protection of pangolins and African lions, and supported measures to fight wildlife crime and stop the trafficking of species like cheetahs and gray parrots. We could not have had such an impact for wildlife this year without our valued Members and supporters. I am sincerely thankful for their dedication to helping wild animals with us – and I look forward to the life-changing progress we will continue to achieve for wildlife together. For the animals, Prashant K. Khetan, CEO & General Counsel iv | BORN FREE USA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT helped animals across the globe in 2017! We advanced federal legislation to protect animals from the brutality of trapping; distributed donated furs to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facilities nationwide; released a trapping report that details state laws and regulations; defended the Endangered Species Act proudly and publicly; worked to curb wildlife crime in West and Central Africa; prevented numerous wildlife culls in Canada; fought for a bill to ban wild animals from all circuses coming to New York City; enriched the lives of monkeys living at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in Texas; and much more. BORN FREE USA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 1 RESCUE & CARE AT THE BORN FREE USA PRIMATE SANCTUARY Baboon Rescued Enriching Lives of Primates In April, we rescued Betsy, a 34-year-old female We renovated our enrichment program for the Guinea baboon, from a 10’ x 4’ x 6’ cage, where she primates with an eye towards increasing the number was kept as a pet for her entire life. At the Sanctuary, and variety of items offered. We held our first Betsy lives a more natural life, eating a varied “Enrichment Build-Off” and volunteers constructed and healthy diet, and socializing with an elderly numerous items for the monkeys. With a large stock hamadryas baboon named Bruce. This is just one of of puzzle feeders, rope ladders, and forage items, we the successful primate pairings that the Sanctuary are able to provide the monkeys with ever-changing orchestrated throughout the year. These pairings are enrichment that keeps them engaged and allows a main emphasis in our quest to improve the quality them to express their natural curiosity. of life and social wellness of the primates. (Pri)mate Campaign “Gilligan’s Island” Completed From November 21 – January 2, Born Free USA We finished building a new 1,600 square foot spotlighted 20 primates from the Born Free USA enclosure for Professor and Mary Ann, two Rhesus Primate Sanctuary via the fictional (Pri)mate macaques who were retired from a medical research “adoption service,” providing information, insight, facility last December. The enclosure features three and background on each monkey to help our sections connected by shifting doors, climbing supporters find their perfect adoptable primate structures, and a misting system for hot summer matches. We asked animal lovers and compassionate days. conservationists to “make a holiday love connection” by “adopting” one (or more) of the Sanctuary’s primates. “…it is evident that our hard work is paying off.” —Prashant K. Khetan 2 | BORN FREE USA 2017 ANNUAL REPORT ANTI-FUR CAMPAIGN Compassion is Give it Back! Always in Fashion In January, Born Free USA and the Ian Somerhalder Foundation collaborated for our first joint animal 2017 was a great year for luxury designers to say no welfare event: a youth initiative called “Give it Back!” to fur. Born Free USA is a leader in the international at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove, Fur Free Retailer program, which urges retailers and Georgia. The program is part of Born Free USA’s fashion designers to go fur free in their collections. successful Fur for the Animals campaign. At the This year, several new members have taken the fur “Give it Back!” event, nearly 20 children, ages five to free pledge, including Gucci, YOOX Net-A-Porter, 17, learned the truth behind fur fashion. Then, with and Michael Kors Limited. We hope that this signals a the help of adult volunteers, the children sewed and shift away from fur in fashion, and we are beginning to crafted cushions and pillows from donated fur coats, see more designers and other industries (e.g., banks) hats, and more for the resident wildlife at Noah’s refuse to do business with retailers that continue to Ark Animal Sanctuary. The children were then able promote the use of fur. to witness professional animal caretakers deliver the furs to the foxes, primates, tigers, lions, and bears. Fur for the Animals Launched in the Spring of 2014, Born Free USA’s Educating the Public Fur for the Animals campaign continues to provide About Fur fur items to animals in need. Fur for the Animals is an annual donation drive to collect coats, hats, Born Free USA worked with the Fur Free Alliance to and other accessories made from animal fur. After raise awareness about Canada Goose: a company the drive ends, we send the donated furs to wildlife that notoriously uses real coyote fur for its coats. rehabilitation centers and animal sanctuaries across We utilized footage from our Victims of Vanity II the country, where they provide familiar comfort, investigation to educate the public about the cruelty warmth, and enrichment to injured, orphaned, and of fur in fashion. We also have partnered with rescued wildlife. Our 2016 drive resulted in thousands other advocacy groups to utilize footage from this of donated fur items (valued at more than $4 million), investigation in their efforts to educate the public which we spent much of 2017 sending to facilities about fur.