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As we enter the final month of one of the harshest summers in New Mexico’s history, APNM encourages everyone to remember the safety and welfare of animals during inclement conditions. Last month, we wrote to you about APNM’s Fire Fund, which assisted Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Espanola Valley Humane Society in their efforts to shelter animals evacuated in the catastrophic Las Conchas wildfire.
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Thanks for helping animals through volunteering, donating, and spreading the word! |
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With the evacuation lifted, these companion animals have now returned to their homes. However, wildlife populations around New Mexico continue to struggle due to ongoing drought and fire.
As seen in the Santa Fe Reporter, The Wildlife Center in Espanola is working to feed and rehabilitate three times as many black bears as usual this summer, and intake of deer and eagles is also above average. The Center reports that they are spending around $100 per day in bear food alone (the facility is seeking donations of dry dog food, apples, applesauce, honey, and infant cereal to help feed the rehabilitating bears). To help with the Wildlife Center’s vital work to rehabilitate individual animals, last week APNM contributed $2000 from its Fire Fund to the facility.
You too can assist animal shelters in their lifesaving work—visit APNM’s Shelter Savvy webpage to learn about these organizations’ activities in your community, and what you can do to make their efforts go further. And please consider making a contribution to one or more of these shelters whose needs are even greater than usual right now.
You might also consider donating to APNM’s Fire Fund so we can continue to assist shelters with future disaster response. To contribute, you can donate online (list “Fire Fund” in the Designate my Donation section) or mail a check to APNM with “Fire Fund” in the memo line to:
APNM
P.O. Box 11395
Albuquerque, NM 87192
Donations to APNM are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Equine Protection Fund Volunteer
Network Springs to Action
Another excellent way to help animals in times of crisis is to join the Volunteer Network of the Equine Protection Fund. During the Las Conchas fire evacuation, an alert was put out to the dedicated and compassionate volunteers in our database and, within 24 hours, people came forward with space to temporarily shelter up to seventeen horses, donkeys, or mules.
There are a variety of opportunities in both temporary and long-term care for needy equines. Please visit the Volunteer Network webpage to join the network, and don’t forget to pass it along to your friends and family too!
New APNM Resources for Wildlife Advocacy
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Among APNM’s longtime efforts is the promotion of co-existence with wild animals including beavers, cougars, bears, coyotes, and birds. With ongoing ecological and human stressors affecting wild populations, advocacy of these animals is more important than ever, and we have updated our online resources for wildlife advocates.
Our Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation page lists information should you find a sick, injured, or orphaned animal. It also includes a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators across New Mexico.
Individual efforts to help wildlife survive are crucial, since state and federal institutions spend millions of tax dollars each year killing New Mexico’s wild animals. For instance, in 2009 $3.1 million of taxpayer funds were used by U.S.D.A.’s Wildlife Services to kill over 21,000 animals in New Mexico. Among those exterminated were coyotes, black birds, foxes, squirrels, beaver, bears, cougars, prairie dogs, and more. Learn how you can join the movement against this state-sponsored slaughter at APNM’s new USDA Wildlife Services page.
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