Firstly, I’d like to say thank you.
Our members are just as precious to us as the animals we have the privilege to rehome.
Your support is more than just about money. It’s letting us know that we’re on the right track and that people in the community understand and support the work we are doing. That really does mean a lot when you’re starting something new and trying to create a pathway for animals that hasn’t existed before.
If you’d like to know more about any part of our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, my email is listed below.
But I thought I’d just say a few words here about the ways in which we are making a difference…
Rehoming animals: we have rehomed around 420 animals from research, which involves managing relationships with research establishments; transportation; screening adoptive and foster homes; follow ups after adoption; and working with small animal sanctuaries and rehoming groups.
Reaching out to research establishments: we have rehoming agreements in place with several large research establishments and continue to reach out to others through their management and Animal Ethics Committees, as well as governments; and make presentations at meetings and industry events.
Advocating for rehoming: we are very active in raising awareness of the benefits of adopting and caring for animals from research; recruiting volunteers; answering enquiries; managing our website and social media platforms; and speaking to media and other interested groups and supporters.
You may not realise that Liberty Foundation is unique in several ways. Yes, we are the first organisation in Australia to rehome the full range of animals from research as pets and companions.
But, we are also different from other animal rehoming or rescue groups. For every animal that comes into our care, there are days and sometimes years of work behind the scenes. Unlike other small animal rescues who take orphaned, abandoned and abused animals and are often overwhelmed in meeting the demand, we can sometimes work with a research establishment for several years before we receive a single animal.
That means we have to do a lot of research, meetings and advocacy work to encourage research establishments to work with us for the betterment of animals.
While the funds we receive go directly towards rehoming our animals, we also spend a lot of our time and energy working with the research community, governments and the general public. This is unpaid but very rewarding work.
You can see here our latest submission to government on the benefits of rehoming animals from research establishments. This is just one example of the advocacy work we do everyday.
If it’s important to you that someone is doing this work, then please consider renewing your membership for another year or two. We have a new membership platform on our website that will give you all the details.
Thank you for all your support. It really means the difference between life and death for animals in research and there are thousands more that could be coming out. We believe with enough money and resources that one day, we’ll get them all out and it’s people like you who will help us to get there.
So, on behalf of myself and my fellow Directors, thank you.
Best Regards,
Paula Wallace
Founder & Director
Liberty Foundation Australia
paula@libertyfoundation.org.au
PS. You can also read our latest Annual Update here for more information on what we have been up to!
