Hello, When Rebecca first arrived in Indonesia, her very first words to me were, "This is not a good place for animals". These very sad and heartbreaking words are permanently edged in my mind. Yet, 17% of world wildlife exists in Indonesia. Attached is a picture of a stray dog in Indonesia. They are suffering too and like Rebecca said, this is a bigger mission and we are fighting for them as well. There was a recent article where hawkers were selling dog meat satay as chicken satay to unsuspecting tourists. These dogs were often brutally killed. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-19/evidence-shows-dogs-in-bali-brutally-killed-meat-sold-tourists/8620128 The exploitation and cruelty inflicted upon these innocent animals need to end. On a brighter note, check out Rebecca's team below. Thanks for caring about the animals and for your continued support. ~P Holmes. @@@@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rebecca's goFund update. Team Indonesia… Now that the fact-finding part of this mission is over, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the folks that accompanied me to Indonesia. These are the amazing people that continued driving the mission, in spite of my unexpected departure. Be sure to read tomorrow’s update where I lay out a full strategy to help the animals of Indonesia and the Bandung Zoo. Thank you all so much for your continued confidence and support. For the Animals, Rebecca _______________ Miguel Abi-Hassan Starting at the young age of 8, Miguel Abi-Hassan spent the vast majority of his life in Animal Welfare. He started his journey as a volunteer and by the age of 16 had worked in shelters in 3 different Countries. Deciding early on how he would spend the rest of his life, he pursued an education and work that would eventually ascend him to leadership positions in Animal Welfare. Miguel is a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator and serves on various national boards. He has served as a lobbyist in 3 states and helped passed anti-cruelty and Dog Fighting laws in 6 states. After spending 15 years in leadership in Animal Control, Wildlife parks and Public Safety in Metro-area AWOs, he accepted the position of C.E.O of Halifax Humane Society. He helped ascend HHS to win a Classy Award in 2012 and a second nomination in 2014. HHS is now a recognized 4-star charity in the top 90% percentile on both Guidestar and Charity Navigator. In addition to being HHS C.E.O, Miguel also serves as an International Consultant and Instructor to organizations seeking to increase productivity (more lives saved!). Miguel’s work has continued to lead him across the globe, including consults in Kosovo, Vietnam, Haiti and Mauritius to help establish national animal welfare plans. Stateside his consults generally focus on operations and investigations, including work with various Federal Contractors, the CDC and over 80 shelters across the Nation. Miguel’s Immediate Mission for Indonesia: Working alongside Alycia Barlow Hadfield, Miguel will help the Indonesia-based organizations to establish a joint coalition and help bolster relationships with community leaders and other stakeholders. Alycia B. Hatfield Alycia B. Hadfield was born on a crop farm in rural Pacific Northwest of the United States. She regularly brought home injured or orphaned animals and nursed them back to health. As an adult, Alycia got her start in rescue by volunteering with Second Chance Companions and later when on to found two non-profit, animal rescue organizations. Alycia has transferred, fostered and re-homed hundreds of animals from high-risk areas. She regularly works to rehabilitate dogs suffering from behavioral issues stemming from trauma and neglect. Alycia is devoted to inspiring collaborative efforts between rescue organizations, the veterinary community and the general public. She has consulted with outside animal groups, assisting with start-up organizations or the restructuring of existing organizations. She specializes in fund-raising and volunteer recruitment and training. In addition to her animal work, Alycia is a producer and cinematographer who devotes her skills to the world of animals. Alycia’s Immediate Mission for Indonesia: Working alongside Miguel, Alycia will help the Indonesia based organizations to establish a joint coalition and help bolster relationships with community leaders, the veterinary community and the general public. In addition, Alycia will be working with Jakarta Animal Aid Network to transfer adoptable companion animals to communities outside the country, where the demand for rescue animals is high. Dr Daniel Allen Dr Daniel Allen is an animal geographer who explores the cultural significance of animals around the world. A Teaching Fellow in Geography at Keele University, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and Member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, Daniel's unique perspective and thoughtful approach makes an impact in higher education, policy development and public understanding. Daniel comes from an academic background. His childhood otter obsession led to a doctorate on ‘The cultural and historical geographies of otter hunting in Britain’ (Nottingham University, 2006), first book ‘Otter’ (Reaktion Books, 2010), membership with the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group, ongoing academic and journalistic writings about otters, and television appearances. As Media and Policy Advisor for UK Wild Otter Trust, Daniel helped the charity secure the first Natural England initiative 'class licence' to live capture and relocate otters trapped inside fenced fisheries. His press releases have generated national media coverage which has been highlighted on BBC1’s Countryfile (January 2017) and in the March 2017 issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine. Daniel is a widely acclaimed writer. His second book, ‘The Nature Magpie’ (Icon Books, 2013) was chosen as one of The Times “Nature Books of the Year”. He writes monthly columns for Dog’s Today and NFU Countryside magazines, and has written for BBC Wildlife, The Conversation, Huffington Post, National Geographic Kids, Geographical, The Field, Mental Health Today, Small Furry Pets, and Practical Reptile Keeping. Online, his Twitter account @Dr_Dan_1 was ranked number 27 in the world for “Top Influencers in Animal Welfare on Twitter” by Onalytica in August 2016. Dr Daniel Allen was one of our original hosts for shelter renovation series “Animal House”. Dr. Daniel’s Immediate Mission for Indonesia: Daniel is working to set up long-term funding support for amazing wildlife sanctuary that is caring for “Bubble” and “Squeak”, the two otters we rescued in Indonesia (see video “The Lucky Two”). For the Animals, Help spread the word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~