Humane Society International Australia was established in Sydney in 1994. In the years since, much has been achieved for the animals of Australia and the Pacific Rim.
Our initiatives have covered a broad spectrum of animal-protection issues—from the local to the international, from animals in research to fishing on the high seas.
We have been particularly successful at the international level, addressing issues of direct importance to the world's wildlife. We have secured protections for elephants, whales, the dugong, and other species at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). At the International Whaling Commission (IWC), we have helped convince the Australian government of the need to establish a Global Whale Sanctuary, and to fight for a permanent ban on commercial whaling. And at the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species, building upon our domestic success in having longline fishing recognized as a major threat to all albatross species, we have helped the Australian government conclude a new international agreement to protect all Southern Hemisphere albatross species.
We have gained protections for many threatened wildlife species and their habitats, setting conservation and legal precedents along the way, including the passage of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. We have also focused attention on the marine environment, with sharks the benefactors of many of our campaign activities.
Our animal protection programs have been similarly successful. We are on the verge of convincing the Australian government to ban the import of dog and cat fur from China and other Asian countries. We have helped to stop government pounds from selling dogs to universities for research. We have established a national "Humane Education Loan Program," which offers alternates to animal dissection and animal testing. We have also spent considerable time and energy in protecting flying foxes from farmers and government departments, winning important court cases in the process.
We are supplementing these programs with an exciting regional program designed to help local organizations provide animal protection on the ground in Asia, where the pressures on wild and domestic animals are immense. To date, we have funded almost 50 programs in Asia and Africa, and have plans for more. We have also been successful in convincing Australia to spend considerable resources to protect wildlife and habitats in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
We have attracted the support of a range of small and large companies, and have also been fortunate enough to secure the services of high-profile celebrities who support our work and make themselves available to bring attention to the plight of animals.
And yet, our task has barely begun. HSI Australia intends to remain at the forefront of effective animal programs and campaigns, ensuring that all animals and their environments receive the protections they so richly deserve.
Contact Information
Michael Kennedy, Campaign Director
Verna Simpson, Financial & Marketing Director
HSI Australia
P.O. Box 439
[Suite 5a, Level 1
27 Old Barrenjoey Road]
Avalon, NSW 2107 AUSTRALIA
Phone: + 61 2 9973 1728
Fax: + 61 2 9973 1729
E-mail: enquiry@hsi.org.au
Web site: www.hsi.org.au
