Continuos cruelty against animals is atrocious. Millions of them are massacred in intensive farms after a pitiful life. They are the target of cruel entertainments that cloud over our reason; wrenched from their natural habitats and taken to a demeaning trade that usually kills them; used in laboratories for experiments till unimaginable limits. They pay with their lives that human authorized hobby named hunting. There is no peace for them, not even for many pets, cats and dogs, our friends. And then there are politicians who burst out laughing stupidly when we ask animals rights to be admited: the right to life, the right to physical well-being, the right to freedom; because them, as ourselves, can suffer. That's the reason to ask you always to help us in this fight.
Become a member of Fundación Altarriba and, if you already are, ask your friends to join us. Thank you for everyting.
Your friend and friend of them.
Gloria Casas
Founder and President of the Board
ORIGIN
OF FUNDACIÓN ALTARRIBA
The
name Altarriba, which means "high riverside" comes from
a fort house, a "domus", dated at 1175. It was founded
by two knights, Vermei and Berenguer, who adopted that surname.
This house still remains standing by the Plana of Vic, between
the cities of Calldetenes and Sant
Julià de Vilatorta, in the area of Osona.
Gloria Casas, president
of our Board, lived there for many years and, when founded our entity,
did not forget that there she sheltered the first abandoned animals
she saved.
The name of Altarriba
seems to be the origin of that surname. It is on several Spanish encyclopaedies,
mentioning its history and the wars the knights declared in the area,
and on the Catalonia National Archives. Today is also the name of our
Foundation, from which we work and fight for the life and respect the
animals deserve, because we know that that way we also protect and respect
our human condition.
The Fundación Altarriba,
a non profit making organization, founded in June
1998 and registered with number 1217 in the Registry of Foundations
of the Generalitat de Catalunya, develop programmes
and projects all dedicated to the protection of Animals.
Our work is financed with economic contributions,
coming from individuals:
The Foundation also has
the possibility open to companies, and in general any organization,
to contribute to financing of some their specific projects, either through
sponsorization or via other means.
The economical contributions
from Public Authorities for the budget of the Foundation have barely
represented 2% of the total of the last 3 years.
The donations to the Foundation,
in accordance with conditions that the law stipulates, can be benefited
by fiscal deductions.
The Foundation, in accordance
with the law, is governed by a Patronage,
therefore exempt from charges, and also has an Honorary
Board.
The Fundación Altarriba
is an organization created exclusively with the purpose of
contributing to the protection of animals, either through
actions and programmes in favour of them, or through developing
educative tasks and popularisation, which seeks to influence
our society, to improve the attitude towards animals and the
nature that they represent.
For this reason all the resources
that we generate, are destined for these purposes and the
fulfilment depends on available means.
As a NGO, the Fundación
Altarriba is absolutely independent, therefore not tied to any institution
or company, private or public. The pacts, agreements or possible
sponsorizations that are established do not influence their philosophy
or conduct.
The Fundación
Altarriba considers that it's work in favour of animals is integrated
in the defence of Nature and also forms part of the defence of human
beings, of the improvement of education and attitude toward the
common heritage that represents the Earth.
We understand,
that to draw the attention of our society towards a more protective
mentality in relation to animals is a complex and expensive task.
But this is our daily challenge. Our aim is to gather the maximum
number of people possible to succeed, with the necessary strength,
reliability and honesty.
The purpose of the Foundation,
in essence, is this. An ambitious aim, but also necessary.
Join with your
help and solidarity,
the Fundación Altarriba Amigos de los Animales.
The
Fundación Altarriba develops an intense activity that assumes
more than a hundred concrete actions, thousands and thousands of measures,
and the development of numerous programmes, as with the study of new
projects. All of these designed to attain their objective. This task,
that we will summarise next, has converted the Fundación Altarriba
in a serious and active representative of the protection activities
in our country.
DIRECT
ASSISTANCE TO ANIMALS
SHELTERS
Own
shelter
City Pounds Managed
Family
Shelter (1998)
School/Shelter
Bú Bup Parc (2001)
Equine
Shelter ADE (2003)
Cervelló's
Shelter (2003)
Cat Village(2006)
Poago
city pound (2006 - ...)
Serín
city pound (2006 - ...)
CAAD
Mataró (2002 - 2005)
CAAC
Barcelona (2003 - 2004)
FAMILY SANCTUARY
On an estate of
6 hectares, totally fenced, situated in the protected zone of
"Masis de Cadiretas" in Girona, the Foundation maintains
a remarkable example of the family co-existence of cats and
dogs rescued from abandon, that will have a home here for ever.
In total about 70 animals.
Nothing here reminds you of the image of a refuge. There are
no cages, no enclosures: just a house in the country to run
and play with two small lakes where the animals bathe. Read
+
SHELTER/SCHOOL
BÚ BUP PARC
On land donated
to the Foundation by the Council of Bisbal d'Empordá
(Girona) in June 2001, architects Enric Escribá and Albert
Colomer, assigned by our organization, have carried out a project
for a refuge for the abandoned dogs of the area, which will
be called "Refugio/Escuela Bú Bup Parc". From
this Centre, which is thought a model example, educative actions
will be programmed to make aware the need for animal protection. Read
+
EQUINE
SHELTER ADE/ALTARRIBA
In
april 2003, Fundación Altarriba expanded its programmes
to assist equines, when ADE (Friends of Equine Protection) and
its shelter joined our team to accuse those who ill-treat horses
or show careless attention; to rescue and help these animals,
always with the support of veterinary professionals; to adopt
or find new families for those animals that can be recovered,
and to control the performance of animal protection laws. Read
+
CERVELLÓ's
SHELTER
Joined
Fundación Altarriba in July 2003. Refugio de Cervelló
shelters near 500 animals, including dogs and cats, and it is
located in a beautiful natural real estate. A further project
designed by the architect Margarita Urbano will be developed. Read
+
CAT
VILLAGE
Opened
in Asturias in 2006, this center, in the countryside, is a santuary
for abandoned and/or illtreated stray cats. It currently shelters
not only cats, but also some other animals also rescued, such
as dogs or horses.
POAGO
CITY POUND
It
is one of the centers for abandoned pets in Gijon (Asturias). Fundación
Altarriba started to manage it in December 31st 2005, at the request
of the City Council, and for one year.
SERÍN CITY POUND
It
is one of the centers for abandoned pets in Gijon (Asturias). Fundación
Altarriba started to manage it in December 31st 2005, at the request
of the City Council, and for one year, with more than 500 dogs sheltered.
CAAD
MATARÓ
Fundación
Altarriba managed the dog pound of Mataro from February 2003 to June
2005, always with a "no-killing" criterion. This was our condition
and so was accepted by the City Council, the first one in Spain to ban
killing as population control in city pounds. In June 13th 2005, as
a result of a global agreement, managing was assumed by the SPA Mataró,
an association with an own shelter in the same cityy and a close collaborator
with us to get adoptions. Read
+
CAAC
BARCELONA
In January 2nd 2003 Fundación
Altarriba started to manage the city pound of Barcelona at the request
of the City Council, with the same "no-killing" criterion.
The City Council itself banned killing in 2002 to be applicated in
2003. After November 2003 managing was under contract for eight months,
expiring July 25th 2005.
Started
in May 1999. Veterinary treatments, sterilisation, feeding, maintenance
and control of stable colonies, kennel installation, adoptions
and rehousing in some cases. Programmes and activities are extended
every year, and take place in several cities of Spain. This programmes,
developed by volunteers on the spot, also include educative actions
in favour of stray cats.
ADOPTIONS
DEPARTMENT
Started
in May 2000. Adoption exchange for abandoned animals or owners intending
to abandon immediately. Methods: via telephone and Internet. Thousands
of cases have been resolved through this department. The adoption exchange
is the page most visited on the Foundations' Website.
L'ALTRE
CIUTADÀ
(The Other Citizen)
In
the world of animal protection, above all, in the case of pets, special
cases arise daily: A trapped cat that needs saving, a foreign citizen
who passing through the town leaves her two dogs in a badly parked car
that is towed away, etc. etc. Hundreds and hundreds of cases during
the course of a year. The Foundation maintains this department to try
to resolve these situations.
The
Foundation permanently employs a connection policy with organizations
and authorities, both public and private, with the objective to attain
an improvement of the situation of animals. The result of this policy
is, the signing of agreements, pacts and specific actions, to be beneficial
to animals and at the same time helping to influence a better standing
in our society in favour of them.
The Foundation, aware
of the consequences, increasingly dedicates more effort to this task.
EDUCATION
& COMMUNICATION
This
area is vitally important to raise the awareness of our society in favour
of animals, Taken care of from the start by the Foundation, with growing
activity, using all possible means. In this summary we have included
some of the aspects continually promoted by the Foundation.
"BÚ
BUP, LA LLAMADA DE LOS ANIMALES"
"Bú
Bup, the Calling of Animals", today considered the most important
publication in Spain on this subject. Bimonthly publication received
by members of the Foundation, organizations, etc.
"ALTARRIBA,
CUADERNOS PARA DIALOGAR SOBRE ANIMALES"
"Altarriba, Notebooks to
Speak about Animals" is a monographic publication where
different issues related to animals are discussed and analized
in depth.
Up to date four numbers have been
edited (in Spanish):
www.altarriba.org
Constantly updated, it receives national and international
awards and acknowledgements for its information value and
concept. The Internet surfers all over the world visit Fundación
Altarriba's web page. In its speciality, today it is possibly
the most comprehensive in information provided, and has an
average of 60.000 visits a month.
www.ciplae.org
To inform about the different editions of the "International
Conference for the Legal Protection of Animasl in Spain".
www.apadriname.org
Uploaded along with Trifolium Foundation to promote sponsorship
fot abandoned animals.
www.foma.es
Soon will offer whole information on the "I World Forum
for the Animals", an event that Fundacion Altarriba will
hold in Barcelona in Spring 2008.
COURSES
Periodically, the Foundation organizes
one or two day courses on various topics in relation to animal
protection. Some of these courses are university extensions
and are carried out with the support and collaboration of organizations
and public authorities.
EXHIBITIONS
In 2001, the Foundation began
its activity in this field. Organizing, together with the University
of Barcelona (UB), the exhibition, "Els altres ciutadans"
(The other citizens), with relevance to abandoned pets. New
exhibitions are being considered for the future.
The Foundation organizes
talks and conferences and have a programme available
that adapts to any meeting and public, (schools, neighbourhood
associations, etc.). Fundación
Altarriba has also organized 3 International Conferences,
all of them held in the University of Barcelona (CIPLAE):
2002 - I CIPLAE:
"Fairer and more efficient laws in favour of the animals"
2005 - II CIPLAE: "Sheltering
centers in Spain: pets and wild animals"
2006 - III CIPLAE: "Educating
to protect. Public and private involvement"
CAMPAINGS
SPECIAL ACTIONS
As the legal struggle
against the breeding farm of monkeys for vivisection
in Camarles (Catalonia, owned by Covance Labs.), or
the collection of more than 600.000 signatures to define
ill-treatment to animals as a crime through the Spain
Penal Code. We continuously develop campaings related
to different targets in animal protection.
The Foundation, specifically,
also takes legal actions when this is the only way to
counteract some gross events that, in oinion of the
Foundation's legal advisors, require this kind of proceedings.
REPORTS,
BROADCASTING MATERIALS, ETC.
With diverse destinations,
the Foundation constantly prepares, reports, advertising
material etc., in relation to their protection work.
Most can be downloaded
through our website.
Entities
involved in animal protection, from several countries, request our collaboration
for certain campaings or specific events they organize; sometimes it
is also asked our mediation between them and their political authorities.
Fundación Altarriba
collaborate with some of them to develop joint actions.
At present Fundación
Altarriba is an active member of:
The
Protect Seals Network.
Against the yearly seal slaughter in Canada. Along with 24 associations
from all over the world, Fundación Altarriba is the only
Spanish one
OIPA
International Organization for Animal Protection, is an International
Confederation of associations for the animal protection and for
the defence of animal rights all over the world. OIPA was founded
in 1981 by Milly Shär Manzoli and belongs to the Union for
the Abolition of Vivisection. OIPA is a Non Governmental Organization
affiliated to the UN Department of Public Information since 1992.
The
Fundación Altarriba, Amigos de los Animales, opens local
offices in several citiies and places of Spain and other countries,
to make easier the development of the programmes in animal protection
that we start in the area, or to resolve local actions and petitions
and attend them in the most efficient way.
National Offices
International
Offices
Gijón
Zaragoza
Madrid
Garraf
Brazil
Honduras
Sweden
BECOME A MEMBER
We
need your help to keep on fighting in favour of the animals. NGOs
depend on your generosity to carry on working.
