Our Blog - Ways to help animals

 
 
 
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  1. Want to do a fundraiser for your favourite charity and have a challenge?

    If you love trekking challenges and getting outdoors, and you want to raise money for your favourite animal charity, take a look at the Peak District Challenge!

    Fundraise by taking part in a charity challenge!

    It’s taking place on the 17-18 September 2021 and it’s an exciting series of team trekking challenges based in the Peak District National Park!

    Find out more about the Peak District Challenge


    They all have easy access to public transport from Sheffield and Manchester.

    Competitors are against the clock to try to complete the Back Before Dark 10km run, or longer trekking challenges: Copper (25km), Bronze (50km), Silver (75km) or Gold Ultra (100km + 3000m of ascent).  Phew!

    Here’s how the fundraising bit works:

    Every challenger pays an entry fee to cover their own costs (from £21-71 depending on the distance chosen), with all money raised through sponsorship going directly to your charity. There is no financial cost to your charity, ever.  In 2015-2020 over £250,000 was raised in total.  The organisers work with you to make the process of registration for you and the participants as easy as possible.

    Charities!  This could be a fundraiser for you!

    This is a great free fundraising opportunity for charities, with NO cost to the charity and NO deductions from any sponsorship income.  Entrants pay the costs directly. 


    Find out all about this charity challenge

    It’s also a chance for animal charities to promote this fundraiser and recruit them.  Entrants pay the costs; charities just need to go and recruit fundraisers! 

    The organisers are looking forward to having fundraisers along for the challenge.

    Find out more here

     

     

  2. There’s great news from World Horse Welfare!

    World Horse Welfare's mission is “to work with horses, horse owners, communities, organisations and governments to improve welfare standards and stamp out suffering in the UK and worldwide.”  They have been helping horses for 90 years now.

    They are also a rescue and rehoming organisation, taking in horses and ponies who need loving care.  Many go on to new homes – often to homes of the charity’s supporters.

    And their great news...

    They rehomed a record-breaking 356 horses and ponies in 2020 – despite everything that was going on in the year!  The previous record was 350 in 2015.

    World Horse Welfare say that this amazing news is testament to the incredible supporters who continued to offer their horses loving homes throughout and also to their very dedicated farm teams who looked after the horses and ponies during all the covid restrictions.

    Join in and help World Horse Welfare help horses and ponies in 2021Join in and help World Horse Welfare help horses and ponies in 2021
    Image © World Horse Welfare
     

    As every rescue knows, just as one horse or pony is re-homed, so another one comes into the rescue’s care – so you can be a part of more successful rescue and rehoming in 2021 by supporting World Horse Welfare!

    They always need donations or how you could look at other ways to give World Horse Welfare your support.

    Meantime, World Horse Welfare has a brand new rehoming site, why not canter off to see it for yourself and see how you can help?  

     

     

  3. Gordon Buchanan presents Cheetah Family and Me on BBC2, Tuesday 5 January and Wednesday 6 January 2021 at 9pm.

    Twenty years ago, 100,000 cheetahs lived in Africa, give or take a cheetah or two.

    There now barely 7,000 cheetahs in Africa

    Gordon visits cheetahs in the Kalamari.  He follows mum Savannah and her four cubs in the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, and mum Chili and her five kittens.  Chili and her offspring live in the Great Karoo Wilderness. And the two episodes show us the dangers these animals face.

    Most wild cheetahs live outside protected areas and so they come into conflict with the people they share the land with.   The cheetah is the most endangered big cat in Africa.

    To help and spread the word, visit these charities working to help cheetahs:

    Cheetah conservation charities

    The Cheetah Conservation Fund UK undertakes innovative conservation methods, which take the needs of both cheetahs and people into account.  You can support the Cheetah Conservation Fund in a number of ways:



    Sponsor cheetah Bella with the Cheetah Conservation Fund
    Sponsor cheetah Bella with the Cheetah Conservation Fund
    image © Cheetah Conservation Fund

    • Sponsor a cheetah - there are a number to choose from!  The Fund cares for a number of chetahs who are orphaned, old or injured - they can't be released back into they wouldn't survive.  Sponsor one of these cats and you can help cover the costs of caring for them.  Sponsorships start at £3 a month. 

    • Sponsor a livestock guarding dog.  The dogs are trained to protect livestock - they use their presence and loud bark to warn off predators such as cheetahs and that stops farmers from shooting or trapping them.   There is a four year waiting list for these dogs.  

    • You can treat yourself to an item of clothing from the Cheetah Conservation Fund and there are also drawings and prints and photo cards you can buy.


    Sponsor a Livestock Guarding Dog

    There is also the Cheetah Conservation Botswana which addresses threats to the long term survival of the national cheetah population.  It promotes co-existence between cheetahs and people affected by conflict with carnivores.  It works to help cheetahs in four ways:  scientific research, farming for conservation, engagement and awareness and communities for conservaiton.  

    The African Wildlife Foundation  works to solve the problems facing the cheetah:  habitat loss, illegal trade and human-wildlife conflict.   Its solutions are to work with local communities, and to minimise human-conflict - one of the things they do is to construct bomas which are enclosures for livestock that protect them from big cats like cheetahs.  They also provide consolation funding for farmers who have lost livestock to big cats - which ensures the farms don't retaliate against cheetahs. 

    The Range Wide Conservation Programme for Cheetah and African Wild Dogs is funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation with support from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Wildlife Conservation Society.  It aims to support, co-ordinate and implement products, strategies and ideas that will promote the conservation of cheetahs and African Wild Dogs. 

    International Cheetah Day is held on 4 December 2020. Visit the website to find out more on any day of the year!