Ayesha Chundrigar was twenty-four- years old when she established the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) in Karachi. The formation of ACF in July 2014 was simply an extension of Ayesha’s lifelong empathy and concern for all living beings, especially the be-zeban: animals. According to ACF’s website, “Compassion for the underdog is central to Ayesha’s vision. Since a young age, she has always felt a connection to those who were usually ignored and neglected.
Ayesha has been rescuing animals since the age of five, from coloured baby chicks to birds sold in claustrophobic, tiny cages to set them free, to abused and injured dogs, cats, goats, cows and donkeys.”
ACF, located on almost one acre and staffed with fifty fabulous people who rescue, look after, and love unwanted animals, has, so far, rescued over eighty-five hundred animals, and helped over fifteen thousand through its outreach programmes.
As Ayesha says, “For many of us, it has become and will always be the way of life. And we cannot be more grateful to all those who have united to make this possible.”
What Ayesha and her team does is nothing less than pure heroism, courage and nobility that changes—with every broken animal they rescue, heal and love—our society to be kinder, better, more inclusive.
I read this news for the first time and can hardly believe this is Poland, a member of the European Union ! The Netherlands has a Political Party for Animals ( PvdD) and I can assure you that I will be asking them questions next week. I will update as soon as possible.
Hundreds of poultry farms in Poland operate without the required environmental permits and therefore remain largely out of sight of regulators. Research by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) shows that these are 'ghost companies', which hardly exist on paper. But in reality, these ghost chicken farmers keep animals on a large scale, including for export.
The problem goes beyond administrative sloppiness. Because these companies are not properly registered, these 'ghost chicken farmers' often remain out of sight of supervision. Different bodies point at each other, so that supervision is lacking. There is often a lack of central responsibility, which means that control becomes fragmented in practice. Because what is not in the system simply does not exist.
Ghost chicken farmers
However, the consequences are not phantoms. There are known cases in which significantly more animals are kept than allowed. There are also signs of illegal discharges and water pollution, with bacteria such as E. coli being found in surrounding areas. Local residents, including children, are said to have developed health problems as a result.
The risks are also high within the farms themselves. Due to the large number of animals close together and the lack of supervision, the risk of disease outbreaks increases. To control this, intensive poultry farming often uses antibiotics, which are subject to strict rules.
According to a recent report by the European Medicines Agency, Poland ranks second in the EU in terms of total sales of antibiotics for veterinary use. According to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, this means that an average broiler chicken in Poland receives three to four courses of antibiotics during its short life of about six weeks and is therefore under treatment for almost half of its life.
This raises questions about resistance and its broader public health implications. For example, salmonella can become resistant to antibiotics. Recent EU audits also point to serious shortcomings in the control of this bacterium in Poland. It is striking that official figures on infections are considerably higher than the figures reported by producers themselves, which raises the question of whether the true extent of the problem is fully understood.
Out of the picture, no supervision
Although European regulations were tightened in 2022 to reduce the risk of so-called 'superbugs', research shows that the use of antibiotics that are crucial for human healthcare actually increased on Polish poultry farms in 2023. At the same time, monitoring is lagging behind the rapid growth of the sector, partly due to staff shortages and limited resources at inspection services.
Increasing the number of animals in more intensive farming not only increases the risk of resistance, but also of the spread of other diseases, such as bird flu. Between 2021 and 2023, almost two hundred outbreaks were registered in Poland. In one case, contaminated turkey meat was even exported to other EU countries before the contamination was discovered.
Animal welfare
At the same time, what goes on within these companies remains largely out of the picture. This naturally raises the question: what does this mean for the animals themselves? If it is not clear how many animals there are, their welfare will also remain completely out of the picture. Exactly how many animals are kept, under what conditions and with what care, is often unclear. It is precisely this invisibility that makes the situation worrying.
Although there is no insight into these ghost farms, it is known what the conditions in intensive poultry farming usually look like. Chickens live in their thousands in enclosed barns, with little or no room to show natural behaviour. Even under regular supervision, their well-being is already under pressure. What this means for animals on farms that operate outside that supervision is anyone's guess and certainly not reassuring.
Not a far from my bed show
The fact that ghost chicken farmers are not a local problem is evident from Poland's role as one of the largest producers and exporters of poultry meat and eggs in Europe. A large part of this production is for export and also ends up on European plates, including in Dutch supermarkets.
Although the situation in Poland is striking because of its size, signs of underregistration and exceeding numbers are also known closer to home. In the Netherlands, for example, outbreaks of bird flu revealed cases in which more turkeys were kept than allowed.
System too vulnerable
A system that depends on registration, but at the same time leaves room to operate out of sight, is by definition vulnerable. Because what does not officially exist, you cannot control. And if this is not enforced, it can continue to exist, regardless of the consequences for animals, people and the environment.
Working donkeys in brick kilns are forced to carry bricks 12 hours or more a day. Now that Safe Haven for Donkeys has vets there the donkeys get water and hay.
Heavily injured working donkeys are often fed to lions in zoos. Not this donkey. not Red Eyes.Veterinarians working for Safe Haven for Donkeys help all donkeys injured, sick, lame, pregnant, whatever and are not fed alive to the lions. Euthanized with injections when necessary.
Thank you, as always, for supporting our teams and the animals they care for every single day. Your support means that help is there when it’s needed most - often in the most challenging conditions.
Next week, we’re looking forward to sharing news of an innovative new approach our Egypt brick kiln teams are hoping to introduce - enabling trained stockmen and handlers to provide first aid for simple wounds and minor treatments. It’s a simple idea, but one that could make a big difference, helping us extend our work to other kilns in desperate need.
But today, I’d love to share a powerful story from Dr Shaaban - one that shows exactly what your kindness makes possible.
Thank you so much again for all your support. I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend.
Wendy
Safe Haven UK Office
An update from the brick kilns of Egypt
In the brick kilns, injured donkeys receive treatment and care. But before you helped us launch our mobile vet teams there, the story was often very different.
Donkeys that became badly injured were sometimes sold to traders and, heartbreakingly, could end up as feed for lions in zoos. This would have been the fate of an 11-year-old donkey known among handlers as “the donkey with the red eye.” But don't worry - our team were there to help.
Despite his nickname, this albino donkey is highly valued - strong, fast and calm, and one of the most reliable working donkeys in the kiln.
This donkey known as “red eye” had a hind limb lameness and a large wound from a donkey bite on his foreleg
But everything changed in an instant.
After a serious cart accident, the donkey fell and was initially unable to stand. He was suffering from severe hind limb lameness and a large swelling around his hip. As if that wasn’t enough, he had also been in a fight with another donkey, leaving him with a deep, lacerated wound on his foreleg.
Without urgent care his future would have been uncertain. But our team stepped in immediately.
Dr Shaaban removes damaged tissue from the wound.
The wound was carefully cleaned, and dead tissue removed to allow healing to begin. Antibiotic ointment was applied, and the leg was re-bandaged regularly. As new, healthy tissue developed, the treatment was simplified to cleaning with saline and applying zinc ointment.
He also received antibiotics to control infection, anti-inflammatory medication to reduce pain and swelling, tetanus protection, and intravenous fluids to support his recovery. A specialist treatment was used to reduce swelling and soft tissue damage.
After treatment the donkey was soon feeling more comfortable and was back on his feet.
Thanks to careful treatment and ongoing follow-up, this much-loved donkey made a full recovery.
Today, he is back on his feet. His story could have ended very differently. But because of you, it didn’t.
Thank You Erna
Your support helps us fund our mobile vet teams in Gaza, the West Bank, and Egypt, bringing vital veterinary treatment directly to working donkeys in desperate need. You are also helping to care for rescue donkeys at our sanctuaries in Israel and the West Bank, where they receive nutritious food, specialist care, and the safety of a forever home.
The donkey made an amazing recovery - here you can see a close-up of the wound - it's fully healed, with only a small scar remaining. All thanks to your support.
In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP) The small dog is a rescue dog Bingo.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When a hiker fell from a 55-meter (180-foot) waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which couldn’t be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite pet and owner.
In this photo released by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Molly is reunited with her owner Jessica Johnston after her rescue from a waterfall on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)
A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24 but they were forced to leave without her pet.
Molly was bedraggled and hungry when she was found Tuesday, just a few meters from the spot where the hiker had been lucky to survive.
“I contacted her in hospital and said I’d go for a look for it,” said Matt Newton, the owner-operator of Precision Helicopters New Zealand, which is based at Hokitika Gorge near the Arahura River where Molly went missing. “I went and looked for the dog several times and no avail.”
Unwilling to give up, Newton and his family launched a fundraiser to pay for more flying hours and advanced search gear. Offers of help and donations poured in, with strangers pledging more than 11,000 New Zealand dollars ($6,300) for a search.
It was enough to fund three more hours in a helicopter using thermal imaging equipment. On Tuesday, Newton took to the skies with a veterinary nurse, volunteer searchers and a dog named Bingo in a renewed search for Molly.
“We struck jackpot within about an hour,” he said. “As we made our way up the river, we could see the dog in the thermal and then we could visually see it.”
In this photo relased by Precision Helicopters Ltd, Wayne Holmes collects Molly from the edge of a waterfall as his dog Bingo, bottom left, stands beside on the Arahura River on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Precision Helicopters Ltd via AP)
There had been no sign of Molly at the waterfall when Newton previously searched the spot, he said. It wasn’t clear if the dog had also fallen from the waterfall or if she had eventually made her way to the spot where her injured owner landed.
The helicopter dropped low enough for a volunteer to disembark with the rescue dog Bingo to help coax Molly to safety and keep her calm.
Newton thought the dog had survived by eating feral animals during her week in the wilderness.
“She knew what we were up to, I think,” he said. “She behaved real well. She didn’t run away and she was pleased to be rescued.”
The dog was in “surprisingly good condition,” the pilot said. He sent word back to the helicopter base, where other volunteers waited to take turns in the search. “Instead we just had a big barbecue and all had a cuddle with Molly.”
Hours after the dog’s rescue, her owner, still battered from her fall, arrived for a tearful reunion.
“I think that’ll speed up her healing process somewhat,” Newton said. “Having your dog back, that’s for sure.”
The face of a pig who stares out of a tiny metal cage, called a “blangsung”, at a slaughterhouse. Undisclosed location, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia, 2025. Resha Juhari / We Animals
“It was horrible to see pigs being killed in such a way. They were beaten over the head with clubs, then their throats were slit. This was the first time I had seen it in person.” — Muhammad Fajri, photojournalist
The smell was the first thing that struck We Animals photojournalist Resha Juhari when he stepped into a roadside slaughterhouse in Bali, Indonesia. Even through a mask, the stench of urine and decay was overwhelming. A pig looked out from inside a metal cage, next to piles of intestines, blood, and butchered meat. The scene was not an isolated case.
We were able to obtain unprecedented access to these facilities and took the opportunity to document what was inside. Across Bali’s Badung regency, photojournalists Resha Juhari and Muhammad Fajri visited eight small slaughterhouses. They documented conditions and practices inside facilities that appear to operate with little oversight, raising concerns about animal welfare, worker safety, and public health.
For most consumers, slaughter remains out of sight. But as global concern grows around animal welfare, food safety, and environmental protection, the conditions documented in these facilities raise a difficult question: how much oversight exists behind the pork that reaches the table?
We have shared these visuals with local NGOs advocating for change, and hope that our investigation will encourage authorities in Indonesia to consider implementing legal protections for animals.
[Content warning: Contains confronting images and/or video footage]
A jockey and a pair of yoked buffaloes begin a Kambala buffalo race. The jockey hits the animals with a bamboo cane to increase their speed and steers them with a plough handle. Loud vocalizations are made by the people present to urge the buffalo on. Mulki Kambala Track, Mulki, Karnataka, India, 2025. Manju N Gowda / FIAPO / We Animals
Good photographs transport us.
This image, by Indian photojournalist Manju N Gowda, was captured at a 2025 Kambala buffalo race. A jockey and a yoked pair surge forward through water and mud. He strikes them with a bamboo cane to increase their speed, steering with a plough handle. Around them, spectators are yelling, cheering.
We’re often told not to anthropomorphize. But here, it is difficult not to. In this frame, we are inside the chaos. We feel the water splash. We brace for the strike of the cane. There is no option but to run.
Context
Kambala is a traditional buffalo race rooted in the culture of the Tulu people in coastal Karnataka, India. Once held in paddy fields as village entertainment, it is now staged at large, sponsored events, often organized by local politicians and Kambala committees.
This photo is part of a larger assignment done in partnership with FIAPO (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations) to challenge the narrative that Kambala is a harmless cultural tradition and advocate for new state-level legislation.
As our team continues to grow, we’re hiring a Director of Development.
This senior role will lead and grow our fundraising program, build meaningful donor relationships, and strengthen the systems that support our work. It’s both strategic and hands-on, shaping direction while leading day-to-day fundraising efforts.
TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE SEE AND TREAT AQUATIC LIFE
Celebrate World Aquatic Animal Day with us on April 3—join in person or online.
At George Washington University, our founder, Jo-Anne McArthur, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s World Aquatic Animal Day. The theme: The Human Gaze: Impacts on Aquatic Animals.
Alongside leading advocates Amy P. Wilson, Lori Marino, Randall Abate, and Kathy Hessler, the panel will explore how the fields of law, science, and photojournalism “see” aquatic animals, and what that means for their lives.
A rescued red fox looks into the camera while The Fox Project (TFP) staff discuss her care. We Animals founder Jo-Anne McArthur visited TFP in Kent, UK in late 2025 to document their work. Jo-Anne McArthur / The Fox Project / We Animals
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