Robin Hood wishes you all a happy 2020, good luck in animal welfare and lots of health and satisfaction. And specifically also good luck to all the animals on our planet, so that they are finally able to live a better life. We hope for a drastic decrease in meat consumption, as well as in the general usage of animal products. We wish for the upcoming of a general realisation that we have to save this planet. It’s obvious that many paths have to be taken there, but one of them and technically the easiest one is living a vegan life. When the watch hand hits midnight tonight, the hand of our planet has travelled much further. We have to stop it, we have to save our small, blue planet and all its inhabitants. I wish our earth and all residents a year 2020 that gives us hope. But only we can fuel this hope. Please be a part of this hope too. Following, you can find Robin Hood’s annual report of 2019. I’m certain I have forgotten to mention quite a lot, as a lot is happening and coming our way each year. You are the key to us being able to continue to help in 2020, even in those regions, where animal welfare and animal rights work has no name yet. Robin Hood gives a name to it – with your help. Thank you.
2019 was once again a busy year. Robin Hood was able to help many animals, walk new paths and plan future options for helping.
In Austria, our missions helped animals that would have had to continue to live under unbearable circumstances or even have died without us.
Pauli: Our sweet boar, who was found sick and half-starved in a dark cell in a so-called farm. The responsible veterinarian was able to convince the owner to leave him in the hands of Robin Hood. We took Pauli to the animal sanctuary Pfotenhilfe, where he can now live a life like in paradise.
Cattle: The owner of Pauli was also keeping three bovines, which Robin Hood fed for months, thus ensuring their survival. Our offer to help with the building of a shed on the pasture was denied and the cattle were sold.
Sheep, goats and birds: Sheep, goats and birds had to live under indefensible circumstances not far from Melk, Lower Austria. Our report to local authorities caused an end to this. The animals even made it to the cover page of the local newspaper NÖN. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to rescue these animals.
Wild animals: Robin Hood supported the wildlife station Gföhl with money for food and transport cages again this year.
Fiacre horses: In 2019, Robin Hood campaigned for improvements in the keeping of fiacre horses again. Together with other associations, we were able to achieve more controls and even “heat-free” at more than 35 degree Celsius. We are aware, that this is not sufficient and are going to continuously fight for the horses in 2020. Our goal is to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city centre. A general ban would obviously be the ideal option.
Beavers: Beavers should have been killed at a bathing pond in the Pielachtal. Although they are under nature protection, the local municipality obtained a permit to shoot them. Robin Hood talked to local authorities and tried to lure the beavers away from the pond back into the Pielach by painting bushes and trees. Unfortunately, one beaver was shot by hunters, the others apparently found their way back outside of the bathing area.
Demonstrations: Of course Robin Hood is also a part of demos for animal rights and against fur and animal transport.
Seminar: In October, Robin Hood held a workshop on the topic of “Active against cruelty to animals”, where we advised other associations on how to correctly write reports, apply animal rights legislation and how we together can combat cruelty to animals. We also invited a solicitor who supported us and gave valuable advice.
Armenia: There is a small Robin Hood- animal shelter in Armenia. There we house dogs, cats, rabbits and even a cow. This project still means loads of work, as we also want to establish castration campaigns there.
Iraq: Our project in Kurdistan is further expanding. This year we were able to hold seminars and workshops on the subject of zoos, animal markets and fire prevention (here too, countless animals die to fires every year) there. Government officials talked to us and were impressed by our presentations. Our help for stray animals continues perpetually. Sulaiman, our veterinarian on-site, is on the roads daily to help wild animals, dogs, cats, but also sheep, goats and donkeys. A small castration and animal hospital ward is planned.
Hungary: Our castration campaigns continue uninterruptedly. There, we help animal owners who can’t afford castrations. Furthermore, sick dogs and cats get medical help through our support.
Siberia: In Omsk, we support valuable castration campaigns that have been carried out in an exemplary manner for years. Through this, a lot of animal suffering can be prevented thanks to Robin Hood.
Romania: Multiple times a year Robin Hood visits Romania, where we support two animal shelters with about 400 dogs. In addition to food, medical care, maintenance work and the building of dog houses, there is also an active adoption program.
The German association “Timmy Animal Protection Foundation” donated a mobile ambulance that will be used in Romania starting in the spring of 2020. This enables us to also visit remote villages to help animals in need.
Of course, castration campaigns are done and will take place next year.
Robin Hood has now founded an affiliated society in Romania so that we can work even more effectively.
Two new campaigns should help end further animal suffering:
The abolishment of fur farms.
The cruel animal transports of sheep, which are taken directly from Romania’s pastures onto cargo ships to the Near and Middle East, where they are killed (religiously slaughtered). Hardly anyone knows about this fact and we finally want to make it public, so that we can act in the animals’ best interests.
Greenland: Our flagship project continues developing on. In addition to providing food and the building of dog houses, we also have a school project now. We are working on a school brochure that will help children learn to properly interact with sledge dogs. Our school dog Api, who should have been killed due to his old age, now visits children in their school classes and shows how lovable and valuable these animals truly are.
Albania: In 2019, we were again able to support a dog project in Elbasan with money for food. In 2020 we want to get to know the animal rights activists and dogs on-site and talk to local authorities to end the killing of the animals and to also plan castration campaigns there.
Robin Hood has big plans for 2020: We want to continue and expand our single projects. But on top of that, we also want to achieve lasting and comprehensive improvements through precise campaigns. In the best case, have animal cruelty, such as fur farms in Romania, prohibited.
A long way, we know, but for the animals, we gladly walk it.
However, all of this can only be achieved with your help – Thank You!