Four Paws (stylized FOUR PAWS) is a global

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

organisation based in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria. It focuses on improving the living conditions of animals under direct human influence, by revealing suffering, rescuing animals in need, and protecting them.PDF; 5,8 MB
Annual Report: Organisation

History

Four Paws was founded on 4 March 1988 by Helmut Dungler to protect animals from being farmed for their fur. In 1989, the first charges were brought against a number of fur farms in Austria. Furthermore,

Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian or AUA, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of Lufthansa, the flag carrier of Germany. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where i ...

and

Lauda Air Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH, branded as Lauda Air, was an Austrian charter airline headquartered at Vienna Airport in Schwechat. It was owned by Niki Lauda (1949–2019) during much of its existence, later becoming a charter airline subsidiary fo ...

stopped the transport of captured exotic birds. In 1991, Four Paws demanded the mandatory labelling of eggs and a total ban on battery cages for egg-laying hens. In 1998, the organisation opened the first sanctuary for bears in

Arbesbach Arbesbach is an Austrian municipality in the district of Zwettl in the Austrian state of Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major c ...

, Austria. In 1999, the foundation brought about the closure of Austria's largest

battery cage Battery cages are a housing system used by factory farms for various animal production methods, but primarily for egg-laying hens. The name arises from the arrangement of rows and columns of identical cages connected, in a unit, as in an artill ...

egg producer. In 2000,

Bear Sanctuary Belitsa Bear Sanctuary Belitsa (formerly "Dancing Bears Park Belitsa")

opened in Bulgaria, and the first three former dancing bears moved in. In 2002,

entered Germany's

basic law A basic law is either a codified constitution, or in countries with uncodified constitutions, a law designed to have the effect of a constitution. The term ''basic law'' is used in some places as an alternative to "constitution" and may be inte ...

, and Federal Minister

Renate Künast Renate Elly Künast (born 15 December 1955) is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens party. She was the Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture from 2001 to 2005 and subsequently served as chairwoman of her party's parliame ...

thanked Four Paws by name. In 2005, the ''Federal Animal Welfare Act'' came into force in Austria and banned both fur farming and the use of wild animals in circuses.Vier Pfoten: Spotlight on Al Ma'wa Wildlife Rescue Centre in Jordan
, Eurogroupforanimals.org, 27 August 2018 In 2008, the Lionsrock big cat sanctuary opened in

Bethlehem, South Africa Bethlehem is a city in the eastern Free State province of South Africa that is situated on the Liebenbergs River (also called Liebenbergs Vlei) along a fertile valley just north of the Rooiberg Mountains on the N5 road. It is the fastest growi ...

. Helmut Dungler was awarded the Silver Order of Merit for Services Rendered to the Republic of Austria. In 2010, Four Paws started a collaboration with the Princess Alia Foundation of Jordan, with the Al Ma'wa for Nature and Wildlife project. In 2012, an EU-wide ban on conventional battery cages for hens came into force.Mondelez now uses cage free eggs in Toblerone
/ref> In 2014, the

Bear Sanctuary Prishtina The Bear Sanctuary Prishtina () is a sanctuary for rescued brown bears in Kosovo at around close to the city of Prishtina. The sanctuary is located near the Badoc Lake. Background For many years, there was no law against keeping brown bears ...

in Kosovo was opened. In 2015, Four Paws initiated a campaign against canned lion hunting, which attracted 281,000 supporters.'Canned hunting': the lions bred for slaughter
Theguardian.com, 3 June 2013 In 2018, the organisation rescued lions and bears from "Europe's worst zoo", in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, Albania.Three lions, a bear and seven other animals rescued from "hellish" zoo
Newsweek.com, 29 October 2018 The same year, the first International Animal Welfare Summit was organised by Four Paws in Vienna, with famous guests that included Chinese artist

Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei ( ; , IPA: ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been ...

.Four Paws: 300 mark 30 years of Four Paws at 1st International Animal Welfare Summit 2018
Eurogroupforanimals.org, 2 May 2018 On 17 January 2018, Switzerland took a step against anonymous pet trafficking on the internet. From 1 March 2018, online traders have had to provide their full name and address as well as the country of origin and breeding of the dogs offered for sale.Switzerland bans the anonymous online trade of dogs
, Carodog.eu, 17 January 2018 On 5 January 2020, Four Paws founder and president, Helmut Dungler, died unexpectedly. In January 2020, Four Paws rescued sick lions at a zoo in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

, Sudan, after worldwide outrage following concerning reports of the animals' condition. On 4 September 2020, the organisation, together with veterinarians Amir Khalil and Frank Goeritz from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research examined and approved "the world's loneliest elephant",

Kaavan Kaavan (; born 1985) is a male Asian elephant known as the "world's loneliest elephant" since his partner, 22-year-old Saheli, died in 2012. Kaavan was gifted by the government of Sri Lanka to Pakistan in 1985. He remained at the Islamabad Zoo u ...

, for travel from the

Islamabad Zoo Islamabad Zoo (), previously Marghazar Zoo, was an zoo in Islamabad Capital Territory. It was opened in 1978, and was under the administration of Capital Development Authority (Islamabad), Capital Development Authority of Pakistan before its clo ...

in Pakistan to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. The relocation to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, at the end of November 2020, was supported by singer

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

's NGO Free the Wild and by businessman Eric Margolis. In January 2021, Four Paws published the Austrian edition of the ''

Meat Atlas ''Meat Atlas'' () is an annual report, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Friends of the Earth Europe, on the methods and impact of industrial animal agriculture and the meat industry.Damien McGuinness"'Meat Atlas' charts a changing ...

'', in cooperation with the

Heinrich Böll Foundation The Heinrich Böll Foundation (German language, German: ''Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Eingetragener Verein, e.V.''; Abbreviation: HBS) is a German legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with Alliance '90/The Greens, Alliance 90/The Gr ...

and the environmental protection organization Global 2000. In March 2022, four tigers were rescued from Argentina to find a new home in South Africa. It was the organization's first rescue in South America.4 Circus Tigers Sent to Animal Sanctuary After Spending 15 Years in a Cage
Newsweek.com 18 March 2022

Controversy

On 16 April 2020, claims by Four Paws in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' stated there had been a surge in consumption of dog and cat meat in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

as a result of

fake news Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...

suggesting it would cure

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Four Paws' head of stray animal care in Asia, Katherine Polak, was quoted as saying she strongly suspected doctors were now recommending cat and dog meat to treat COVID-19. However, on 24 April 2020, fact-checking nonprofit

PolitiFact PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times ...

rated the claim as false. Reporter Tina Nguyen called it mind-boggling and a nasty racist attack. In May 2020, Four Paws responded with an official statement defending their claims.

Objectives

The organisation is positioned as "a strong, global, and independent voice for animals under direct human control" by offering sustainable solutions for animals in need, changing

consumer behaviour Consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organisations and all activities associated with the Purchasing, purchase, Utility, use and disposal of goods and services. It encompasses how the consumer's emotions, Attitude (psy ...

, driving legal change, and building partnerships. The purpose of Four Paws is to inform the general public about animal welfare. The organisation also supports a ban on farming animals for fur, strict limitations on keeping wild animals in private captivity, and a ban on wild animals in circuses.

Projects

Four Paws projects include the following: * Bears: Four Paws rescues bears forced to live in poor conditions in circuses, zoos, or in private hands. The organisation has projects in

,FOUR PAWS ends bile bear keeping in Ninh Binh province
Tinmoitruong.vn, 27 April 2018 Austria,Bärenwald Arbesbach
Digitaljournal.com, Waldviertel.at, retrieved 1 August 2019

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

,Saddest Bear in Europe Meets Love of His Life at Bulgaria Bear Park
Insideedition.com, retrieved 1 August 2019

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, Ukraine,Four Paws: Pet food maker Royal Canin sponsoring bear-baiting
Digitaljournal.com, retrieved 23 July 2013 and

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

.Kosovo moves against restaurants holding wild bears
Reuters.com, retrieved 1 August 2019 Wikipedia INT-b%C3%A4ren 2016-03-16

* Big cats: Four Paws has established sanctuaries and projects for

big cats The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus ''Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. All cats descend from the ''Felidae'' family, sharing similar musculature, c ...

in South Africa,From king of the jungle to traded skeleton
Four-paws.org, 8 August 2018Animals Rescued From the 'Worst Zoo in the World' in Gaza
Theatlantic.com, 25 August 2016 Jordan,
Independent.co.uk, 11 April 2017 and the Netherlands,Felida Big Cat Centre
retrieved 13. April 2019 in Felidabigcats.org The organisation also cooperates and works with several partner organisations within the welfare sector. * Stray animals: Four Paws creates solutions to prevent outbreaks of disease and uncontrolled levels of reproduction among strays in places such as Myanmar,
, retrieved 1. August 2019 in Mmtimes.com Romania,
Huffingtonpost.co.uk, 7 December 2013

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

,Help for forgotten dogs of Chernobyl
Vettimes.co.uk, 22 August 2017 and Cambodia In addition, the organization is working to sustainably end the dog and cat meat trade. * Horses: The organisation protects Europe's last populations of horses living in the wild

Danube Delta The Danube Delta (, ; , ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. Occurring where the Danube, Danube River empties into the Black Sea, most of the Danube Delta lies in Romania ...

in RomaniaWatch what happens next when a kind vet rescues a shackled horse...
Express.co.uk, 3 March 2016 and in the Jordanian city of

Petra Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...

. * Orangutans: Four Paws looks after orphaned orangutans and prepares them to live independently in the wild.Watch these orphaned orangutans learn the ropes at forest school
Treehugger.com, 20 August 2018 Furthermore, the organisation funds a

forest school Forest school is an outdoor education delivery model in which students visit natural spaces to learn personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular o ...

in Indonesia's

East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo/Kalimantan. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the cu ...

.Orangutan forest school in Indonesia takes on its first eight students
News.mongabay.com, 21 June 2018 * Fur farming: Four Paws supports a ban on farming animals for fur, a legal obligation to label all fur products and, in the long term, a Europe-wide ban on importing and selling all fur products.Down smackdown: The North Face v Patagonia on ethical feather standards
Theguardian.com, 22 August 2014
Independent.co.uk, 19 October 2014 In August 2018, Four Paws joined the Fur Free Alliance to launch a new campaign urging fashion brand

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding ...

to adopt a fur-free policy like

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

Donna Karan Donna Karan ( ; born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life and education Karan was born to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabinow ...

, and

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

.Prada backlash spreads to Australia
Ragtrader.com.au, 25 September 2018 In February 2021, the organisation published a statement on the assessment conducted by the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

of the United Nations, the

World Organisation for Animal Health The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), formerly the (OIE), is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1924, coordinating, supporting and promoting animal disease control. The primary objective of WOAH is to control epizootic dis ...

, and the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...

in animals used for fur farming, demonstrating high risks for public health. * Assistance for animals in distress: The organisation rescues animals after

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

s and helps local people whose livelihood depends upon the animals.Rescuers arrive in Lombok to help animals after devastating earthquakes
Dogsmonthly.co.uk, 24 August 2018 * European Union: The organisation has urged the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

to call for stricter regulation on the trade in live wild animals, a clear commitment to step up efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade, as well as EU and member states' financial support to wildlife rescue centres and sanctuaries. Moreover, the organization has criticized the EU Council's decision on the signing of the

Mercosur The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...

agreement between the EU and the United States concerning "high quality beef".''Trade policy review including WTO reform initiative''
from 14. July 2020 in Ec.europa.eu

References

External links