MAPPING ASIA'S
SANCTUARIES AND RESCUE CENTERS
SARCC's first initiative was to undertake a mapping exercise of the sanctuaries, rescue centers, existing networks and associated organizations across Asia.
During the course of this project, SARCC identified 297 relevant entities. Of these, 189 were identified as sanctuaries or rescue centers (SARCs).
Of the 189 SARCs identified:
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101 rescue or provide care to wildlife other than elephants
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29 rescue or provide care to elephants
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34 rescue or provide care to farmed animals
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40 rescue or provide care to dogs and cats
113 organizations were identified as SARC-associated: those that provide technical advice or other support to SARCs. 72 were recorded as being wildlife SARC-associated organizations. Some recorded entities were assigned multiple categories, hence the numbers above added together exceed 297.
These organizations represented activities across 26 Asian countries.
We identified key individuals knowledgeable about in-country and intra-regional SARC policy and processes in seven countries.
We also identified these top three SARC knowledge gaps:
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Capacity enhancement (such as government engagement strategies, financial sustainability, animal welfare, and sharing general SARC experiences and knowledge)
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Professional development for staff
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Collaboration on regionally-based issues
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Please note: the SARCC mapping project database is not publicly available. Please contact the SARCC Lead Coordinator to request access to the database of SARCs and associated organizations on sanctuaries@asiaforanimals.com.
However, organizations who are AfA network member organizations are listed in the AfA public directory.
As part of the mapping project, we have now had over 50 conversations with SARCs about their challenges, successes, current gaps in the industry, and their organizational capacity. Unsurprisingly, many issues are common and recurring (see the word cloud below). Key themes and knowledge gaps identified during our conversations with SARCs will continually shape the focus of our events, subgroups and other work. The mapping project will continue as we learn of and reach out to new SARCs across Asia.
