Our new report also covers other risks associated with canine fertility clinics, such as the illegal use of veterinary medicines and connections to other forms of criminality, such as illegal puppy farming. We hope the report will provide insight into this growing area of concern! Discussions at Westminster with APDAWG For example, if they’re an MP, you might want them to state their official position, influence a Minister or grant you a meeting to discuss the issues. If it’s a company, you may want them to discontinue an unethical product line or ingredient, remove an individual or partner company with unethical practices or remove suppliers with unethical ties. However, poaching of other wildlife has not gone away. Tourism is still below pre-pandemic levels meaning fewer people are around to watch out for wildlife under threat. It was a well-attended event, with some canine attendees also joining the meeting. Naturewatch Foundation is very grateful for everyone that managed to join us for the event, particularly as it fell on such a busy evening in London – with the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also being appointed earlier that day! Through Wildlife Watch you will be closer to the work they do, see the endangered animals they protect and have the opportunity to donate to support them.

Launched as a pilot in 2021, it was a tremendous success in keeping one of nature's most endangered animals, the rhino, safe. Thanks to the people who took the watch with Samsung. And that wasn’t all that happened last week, as members of our campaigns team took the issue to Westminster in an event co-organised with the All-party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG). The event was chaired by Veterinarian Marc Abraham OBE and Rosie Duffield MP, with an expert panel delivering presentations on canine fertility clinics, followed by discussions that we hope will continue over the coming months.It was definitely a busy week but there remains plenty to be done and Naturewatch Foundation will continue to work towards positive change that protects UK dog welfare. But as always, thank you for your support of all our campaigns, we couldn’t do it without you! And remember, if you do choose to share anything about our action, report, or event, please use the hashtag #CanineFertilityCowboys to spread the word! To enhance the surveillance of wildlife, this year we have upgraded the infrastructure used to capture the live streams by integrating two Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and two new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra handsets as cameras in the bush. Boosting the reach of the existing Africam infrastructure in the Balule Nature Reserve, South Africa. A collaboration between Goldsmiths researchers and the BBC’s Natural History Unit to design a low-cost camera for novice makers to build at home led to thousands of people getting involved in digital DIY and exploring their local wildlife.

Wildlife Watch enables anybody, anywhere in the world to act as a virtual ranger and watch over wildlife, live.With the most advanced camera system and re-engineered Nightography capabilities, the repurposed cameras in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra devices will capture the film footage for the live stream and support the rangers in their daily tasks by adding crucial tech support to improve their daily patrols. In answer to this question, a whopping 98% of veterinary professionals said they are concerned about canine fertility clinics. This troubling finding is just one that we have released in the report and sets the tone that, as things are, these unregulated businesses are a threat to dog welfare within the UK. Our published results also reflected the findings of the British Veterinary Association who also ran a survey aimed at veterinary professionals. Rapid growth in canine fertility clinics The canine fertility clinic sector has been growing rapidly over the last few years, causing Naturewatch Foundation to expand its dog welfare investigations into this area in 2020. Over that time, it has become apparent that the clinics are conducting all sorts of procedures, many of which should be conducted by vets only, which is one of the reasons that qualified veterinary professionals are so concerned. Procedures that appear to be offered within many of the clinics include: progesterone blood sampling, ultrasound scanning, artificial insemination and more, which are seemingly being carried out by lay people with varying, and sometimes minimal, amounts of training. When asked about who should be performing these procedures, the survey showed a clear consensus that the respondents felt that they are services that should not be performed by people outside of the veterinary profession. The presentations included new research findings, discussion about potential legislative solutions, and images of some of the victims of the poor breeding practices being conducted in the clinics. Attendees saw images of dogs that were bred for aesthetics (such as colouration) which has led to many puppies being born with bad health and extreme features, as they have become more poorly conformed. Breaking strong patriarchal tradition, these courageous women focus on eliminating illegal wildlife trade, education and wildlife protection. They are a voice in their communities, as they believe the war on poaching will not be won with guns and bullets, but through education within their local communities.