VSPCA-UK Annual Report 2021 6 February 2022 ## Summary of the activities in the past year This report covers the time period of our latest fiscal year from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021. ## Activities in the past fiscal year The key event of the last fiscal year was the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on St Vincent on April 9[th] . This was the first time in more than 40 years that the volcano erupted and it couldn’t have come at a worse time given that the pandemic had severely impacted the islands in the year before the eruption. When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2020, it halted the ability to transport animals off the island, with all commercial flights either being cancelled or greatly reducing operations in and out of St. Vincent. This meant chaperoned animals with guaranteed placement via the VSPCA with credible rescue organizations off the island were put on indefinite pause. The VSPCA’s HQ location, which is intended to be a place for educational events and regular spay/neuter/vaccination clinics, has been providing shelter to animals for over a year as commercial flights were stood down. Some animals were adopted into wonderful homes in St. Vincent, while others have long waited their turn. The eruption then caused widespread devastation, disruption, and damage to residents’ livelihoods and vegetation in St. Vincent. Animals’ lives – cats, dogs, livestock, wildlife – have also been greatly impacted with accounts of mass abandonment in the red zones leading to starvation and dehydration, inter-species attacks, and confirmed deaths. All of which greatly impact the human population as well. The VSPCA received much-needed pet food and veterinary supplies from Wings of Rescue before 30+ adoptable, unowned, medically cleared dogs who have been under the VSPCA’s care were flown up to placement and rescue partner, The Humane Society of Tampa Bay in Florida where they were cared for, housed, and rehomed via their adoption program. The funds to finance these supplies and the flight of rescued animals to Florida were partly funded by the VSPCA-UK through donations received in the UK. The VSPCA-UK wishes to thank those individuals and groups who have made this ‘Freedom Flight’ possible: Wings of Rescue, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the spirits company’s Vodka for Dog People program, Chewy, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The Fleece Foundation, Dr. Annique Boyle and her staff at Unique Animal Care in St. Vincent, and all who have given their time and resources to these very special dogs to make this opportunity possible. The biggest thank you belongs, however to the co-founder and CEO of the VSPCA, Ms. Kiersten Anderson, who tirelessly organised and coordinated different organisations and ran a highly successful donation campaign to fund these efforts. ## **FREEDOM FLIGHT TO ST. VINCENT, MAY 20, 2021** Wings of Rescue, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization, transported over 30 dogs from Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in Florida on 20[th] May 2021. After clearing U.S. Customs, the dogs arrived in Florida and were received by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay who cared for, housed, and placed the dogs via their adoption program. This operation provided the VSPCA the ability to greater serve and support abandoned and suffering animals with partners on the ground. “We’ve seen the devasting aftermath on local pet populations after hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, tornados and other disasters,” said Ric Browde, CEO of Wings of Rescue. “But it’s hard to even imagine the conditions the VSPCA face in parts of St. Vincent, where layers of ash cover everything, water is barely available, people have been evacuated, and where the local pet population was already facing challenges. It’s a real crisis.” Browde continued, “Whenever there are large-scale civilian evacuations, we see a big increase in the number of displaced pets, which means that already-full shelters and rescue groups have more pets than potential homes. We work with partners like the Humane Society of Tampa Bay to bring those pets to an area where demand is greater and a good outcome for the pet is just about assured.” The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit, non-government organization, shelters homeless and at-risk animals, offers adoption services, runs an animal hospital, and delivers other animal-welfare services to the community. No local adoptable pets will be displaced by the arriving animals, which are being flown on a fully pressurized, temperaturecontrolled aircraft. “We are very grateful for our partnership with Wings of Rescue and for the space in our new shelter to provide a second chance for the animals of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Sherry Silk, Chief Executive Officer at the Humane Society of Tampa. “We are truly lucky in Tampa Bay to have a community that supports the ‘Adopt Don’t Shop’ movement. I am confident that these dogs will find their forever homes quickly!” Wings of Rescue shares, “The rescue flight to St. Vincent island is part of a multi-flight mission by Wings of Rescue to the nations of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Over a three-day period, the group, in conjunction with partner shelters and on-the-ground rescue organizations, will transport over 250 pets to new homes in the U.S. states of Florida and New York.” Since its inception in 2012, Wings of Rescue has flown over 56,000 pets to safety from overcrowded shelters and disaster areas. The St. Vincent flight is made possible in part by support from Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the spirits company’s Vodka for Dog People program, Chewy and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Since the Freedom Flight on 20 May 2021 there was a constant need for supplies and medication for to help locals feeding their pets as well as to provide medical support to these animals. To support these efforts, the VSPCA-UK has made another donation to St Vincent and the Grenadines after the fiscal year end in early January of £25,000.00. While the immediate danger has passed, the situation is still difficult and continued financial and operative support to locals from international nonprofits is required. The VSPCA-UK will continue to provide help where it can to cope with the aftermath of the volcanic eruption and the continued fallout from the Covid pandemic. ## Changes in board composition There were no changes in the composition of our board of trustees. ## Outlook 2022 2022 will continue to see significant needs for financial help for animal welfare organisations in the Caribbean. Particularly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines the main source of donations for these organisations are passengers from cruise ships. As the Covid pandemic has progressed, cruise ship traffic is still significantly below pre-pandemic levels while the volcanic eruption of spring 2021 continues to require significant additional assets to house animals and provide medical help for dogs, cats and other animals on the islands. Next to the VSPCA another local animal welfare organisation, Mayreaux Animal Welfare (MAW), has approached the VSPCA-UK for funds and additional help. Initial vetting by the board of the VSPCA-UK indicates that this is an organisation that matches our charter and that we would like to work together in 2022. ## Financial Statements The following statements cover the reporting period of the VSPCA-UK for fiscal year 2021. ## **Income Statement:** |**Income Statement:**|| |---|---| |**Position**|**£**| |Donations received|63,011.19| |Other income|0.00| |**Total income**|**63,011.19**| |Donations made|29,850.00| |Bank fees|244.00| |Paypal fees|83.07| |Admin fees|0.00| |**Total expenses**|**30,177.07**| ||| |**Net income**|**32,834.12**| Compared to our inaugural year, the fundraising activities were substantially higher in 2021. This was predominantly due to the immediate emergency caused by the volcanic eruption in St Vin cent that triggered a funding campaign by the VSPCA in St Vincent and the Grenadines. To simplify donations, the VSPCA-UK made its bank account available for donation from the UK or via PayPal. These donations were held for the benefit of the VSPCA and the expenses needed for the Freedom Flight and other emergency measures. In the end, the total donations received during 2021 amounted to £63,011.19. As part of the campaign, we received to major donations of £10,000.00 in May 2021 and another one of £25,000.00 by local UK benefactors. The VSPCA-UK made donations of £29,850.00 to the VSPCA-UK to help with the rescue efforts and the homing of dogs on the island and intends to make further donations, particularly of the £25,000.00 donation made in December which is earmarked for use by the VSPCA when needed. Overall, the board of the VSPCA-UK is satisfied with the reporting of the use of funds by the VSPCA in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and confirms that all funds were used in accordance with the charter of the VSPCA-UK throughout both 2020 and 2021. As per the end of 2021, total assets of the VSPCA-UK were £35,421.46, out of which £35,041.10 are held in our bank account with Metro Bank (and thus fully insured up to £85,000.00 by the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme) and £380.36 is held in our PayPal account and uninsured in case of a default of PayPal. The VSPCA-UK has no liabilities or debt and all services by the board members have been provided pro bono. The VSPCA-UK did not incur any costs except bank fees for the transfer of money to St Vincent and the Grenadines and Paypal administration fees. ## **Balance Sheet:** |**Balance Sheet:**|||| |---|---|---|---| |**Active**|**£ **|**Passive**|**£**| |Liquid assets|35,421.46|Short-term liabilities|0.00| |Long-term assets|0.00|Long-term liabilities|0.00| |Other assets|0.00|Equity|35,421.46| |**Total assets**|**35,421.46 **|**Total assets**|
**35,421.46**|