United Animal Nations

United Animal Nations (UAN) brings animals out of crisis and into care through a variety of programs, including emergency sheltering, financial assistance grants for urgent vet care and other services, equine rescue and humane education.[1] Through its volunteer-driven Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS), UAN shelters and rescues animals displaced during disasters across the United States and Canada. In 2005, 435 EARS volunteers cared for more than 2,100 animal victims of Hurricane Katrina and later, Hurricane Rita at six locations in three states. In June 2008, UAN deployed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to care for nearly 900 animals displaced by historic flooding there. UAN's LifeLine Grant Program helps pet owners, rescue groups, Good Samaritans, non-profit organizations and others obtain urgent veterinary care for animals in life-threatening situations. UAN was founded in Sacramento, California in 1987 and is not affiliated with United Animal Nations (International) based in Switzerland.

Programs

The Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) shelters and cares for animals displaced by natural disasters and other crises, such as criminal seizures and hoarding cases, in the United States and Canada.

The LifeLine Grant Program provides funding to Good Samaritans, animal rescuers, non-proft organizations and pet owners to help them care for animals in life-threatening situations.

The Premarin Awareness Campaign educates women about hormone drugs made from pregnant mares' urine (PMU) and helps people adopt the mares and foals cast off from this industry who might otherwise be at risk for slaughter.

UAN's Humane Education programs foster compassion and empathy for animals and empowers people to make choices that improve animal lives.

History

UAN logo

United Animal Nations was founded by Franz Weber on November 8, 1979, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Purpose

The purpose of the UAN is to obtain legal status for animal populations as well as to enhance the impact and political weight of the UAN member organizations. The forum was initiated by the Swiss environmentalist and animal activist Franz Weber. The charter and declaration was deliberately designed to mirror that of the United Nations.[2] The members are established organizations and institutions, whose aims are the protection of animal life and the preservation of nature. Weber complemented the structure of the UN by adding a protection committee and the International Court of Animal Rights to the UAN. The Statutes, Charter and Declaration was put together with Swiss philosopher and author Denis de Rougemont from Ferney-Voltaire, and a lawyer from Zürich, Anton Flachsmann. On the 8 November 1979, Franz Weber presented them to the international press.

The Animal Court

The UAN’s most important organ, The International Court of Justice for Animal Rights has its seat in Geneva. Its duties are to bring to the notice of the public, by means of morally symbolic prosecutions, cruel human actions against the animal kingdom, perpetrations that cannot be legally dealt with under normal human rights legislature. The court publicly announces its verdict, if need be by naming ministers and government leaders. The court has a president, two presidential assistants, and six to twelve further members representing the partaking animal protection associations. Only established bodies can act as plaintiffs. Since its foundation in 1979 the court has proceeded in more than twenty-five international cases.

Founding board members

References

  1. ↑ UAN Web site, www.uan.org
  2. ↑ Guest, Iain, After Noah's Ark, a UN for threatened species, The Guardian, London, November 9, 1979
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