Outreach Programs

Humane Education

Humane education has been taught for years by humane societies and SPCAs to elementary school students in the context of teaching kindness toward dogs and cats. DAA defines humane education much more broadly to include kindness to all animals, including human animals as well as Earth itself.

For more information or to request a humane educator with this expanded focus to speak at your school or youth group, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

Speakers Bureau

Delaware Action for Animals is happy to provide a free guest speaker for your civic, cultural, environmental or faith-based group, gathering or event. Presentations can be made on a variety of animal-related topics and can be interactive if desired. Presentations can be general in nature or can focus on specific topics such as:

• The connection between animal abuse and violence toward people
• Book reviews/discussions
• Humane values
• Vivisection
• Factory farming
• Wildlife, Urban Wildlife Conflicts, Hunting, Trapping, and Fur

For information or to request a speaker, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

DAA Telephone Hotline

Through our telephone hot line DAA provides advice, and referrals or becomes directly involved in actions that save or improve the lives of many animals. Our client list includes:

• wild animals about to be exterminated,
• orphaned/injured wildlife referred to rehabilitators,
• animals separated from their homes,
• abused or abandoned companion animals
• unwanted companion animals referrals

Public Library Displays

Hundreds of thousands of individuals of all ages visit public libraries each year, to browse, research, read, and learn. Eye-catching displays on the hows and whys of vegetarian eating, the cruelty involved in animal entertainment, or other animal issues in the community are a highly effective tool to help animals. Hundreds or even thousands will get the message, making it a wonderfully efficient outreach tool. DAA currently displays in New Castle County libraries but has plans to expand the program throughout Delaware. For more information about this program or to become involved with it, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

Legislative Programs

Humane Activist Network (HAN)

DAA directs the activities of the Human Society of the United States’ Humane Activist Network (HAN) in Delaware. In this role we coordinate actions by HAN members on behalf of federal legislation and periodically meet with federal legislative offices in Dover or Washington D.C.. Members of DAA periodically attend training from the HSUS and have weekly interactions with the network through individual communications and network postings. For more information about HAN or to become involved with it, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

Delaware Animal Activist Network (DAN)

In 2002 we expanded our focus beyond federal legislation by creating the Delaware Animal-Activist Network (DAN). DAN works exactly like HAN but is concerned more with state, county or local issues/legislation and has a wider more community based membership. In 2005 DAA will enter partnerships with two national animal advocacy groups to build a team of like minded people and groups interested in advancing state and local legislation focused on non-companion animals. We will also be continuing participation on task forces and coalitions focused specifically on legislation impacting cats and dogs. We are today and will continue to be in need of people to coordinate or lead these network initiatives. The work tends to be administrative in nature and for the most part can be done from home. For more information about DAN or to become involved with it, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

Wildlife Programs

GeesePeace in Delaware

In response to the round-up and slaughter of nearly one thousand Resident Canada Geese by the state of Delaware in 1999, DAA established our GeesePeace in Delaware Program. Over the past four years this program has raised public awareness around the plight of these geese but more importantly has reduced geese populations through our annual egg addling work. Do at least in part to this program and another similar one adopted by the state, the roundups described above have not occurred for several years. For more information on this program and how you can become a volunteer each spring, please contact helpanimals@da4a.org.

Delaware Wetland Volunteers (DWV)

Delaware Wetland Volunteers operates in cooperation with our Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to implement non-lethal solutions to human beaver conflicts in Delaware’s wetland, This program and raising awareness of beaver as a keystone species greatly influences proposed regulation changes that would have resulted in an open trapping season on beaver in Delaware. Today this program is only mildly active due to a reduction in the number of beaver conflicts and resources limitations within DAA but in 2005 the program will proactively work in areas of potential conflicts and raise pubic awareness. If you have an interest in and being trained to work with DWV please, contact helpanimals@da4a.org.