2020 RETROSPECT
WOA FOUNDATION
2020 began with a bang and kept on banging.
The lockdown in Wuhan during Chinese New Year, left thousands of animals abandoned due to people traveling to family homes for the holiday and unable to return. 40,000 animals were locked in homes with no one to care for them. Kind people shoved food and water under doors. Some were reclaimed, most were not.
Some of our partner shelters like Rong’s Sanctuary were unable to get kibble delivered and were left with only one worker to take care of all the animals. More arrived every day. It was quite a scramble and many of our animal rescue partners were struggling even more than usual. They got through the “76 days of hell,” as they call it.
Then came the flood.
The worst flood in 80 years fell upon the Anhui Province and shelters across the area suffered. WOA Foundation had received a grant to help Rong’s Sanctuary get a new drainage system, just in time. But, there were several emergency actions taken by us to help three shelters in the area recover from the disaster in Anhui, Shimeng, and Inner Mongolia. The Inner Mongolian shelter was Ruiyun’s which we continued to help secure construction even after torrential rains tore away her fencing.
“Business as usual,” nothing stops the dog meat traders continuing their dark work.
We sponsored several dog meat trade rescues this year. So many sick, traumatised, injured, broken legs from rough handling by the traders. Often, we had to cut wire they put around their necks they used as a kind of collar. Many of these dogs required medical care prior to housing them in a safe shelter. They are being cared for by partner shelters across China.
The white knuckle express roller coaster ride continued through the year.
Not one, but two rescuers were pushed up against the wall by the government threatening to seize their dogs and place them in the pound. WOA had 24 hours with both of these shelters to make a decision.
We decided to create a shelter of our own and save 170 dogs from imminent death in a government pound. We moved Shunjie’s dogs in and now we have 200. We established a transition house for the injured, special needs, and dogs to be adopted in the USA. 30 dogs will be living in a home atmosphere recovering or awaiting adoption in China or the USA.
Because we are renting our space from a boarding facility, WOA Foundation has started negotiations on a new property so we can have greater control on the operations and construction. We want to create a model shelter with the highest standrds.
Still, with all we were up against this year, our accomplishments were many.
Thanks to all our volunteers, our partners, and the support from our donors, we have accomplished what we set out to do this year and more. We are poised for even more positive change in 2021. Below, you will find some of the highlights of this year:
Shunjie’s Dogs:
After the untimely death of a fellow rescuer, the animal rescue community in China got together to save Shunjie’s orphaned animals. WOA took on the care of 67 of her dogs. They are now living in WOA’s Shelter.
WOA’s Adoption Program:
We established an adoption program to fly dogs from China to the USA.
We have begun the transport process for several dogs under our care.
We expect to start transporting 10 dogs a month coming in January 2020
We featured many of these dogs stories on our Facebook page.
Grace the Golden Retriever who was discovered starving to death on the streets of Shanghai who ended up being fostered near Beijing was a favorite of all.
TNR 100 Spay/Neuter Project:
WOA established a project to address the pet overpopulation problem in China through a trap, neuter, and release model for stray dogs and cats in Beijing.
We created a network of volunteers and 25 animal hospitals to participate.
We created a voucher system to help neighborhood volunteers pay for the entire surgery and after-care of the stray populations in their neighborhoods.
A tremendous success, we have been able to meet and go beyond our goal of 100 animals a month. Since the end of September when we started the program we have sterilized 400 stray animals across Beijing.
Dog Meat Trade Rescues:
We sponsored 3 Dog Meat Truck Actions this year with approximately 200 dogs saved from becoming food.
We also sponsored many individual dog meat rescues, some from restaurants where they were a hair's breadth away from being on the menu.
We continue to aid rescues who regularly rescue dogs and cats from the meat trade, helping with their after care, veterinary costs, and spay/neuter surgeries.
Partner Shelter Construction:
We built 3 new shelters for: Erniu, Ruiyun, and Shiaoyu.
WOA Shelter:
We established a shelter of our own to house 170 dogs.
We created a transition and special needs house for 30 dogs to recover, special needs cases, and dogs learning how to live in a home prior to adoption.
We want to thank you for your support and continued donations for our work. We have a ton of exciting plans for the future and we look forward to sharing them with you. Happy New Year!