Happy Holidays from IDA! Year in review.

In 2004, your support allowed us to continue the fight for animals on many fronts, making this year one of extraordinary achievements and precedent-setting victories.

Across the nation and around the world, IDA's programs continue to enlighten and inspire. Through our foie gras campaign (http://www.stopforcefeeding.com), coordination of World Week for Animals in Laboratories (http://www.wwail.org/), Global Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble (http://www.pandgkills.com/), and Fur Free Friday (http://www.furkills.org/), IDA educated millions of people to the outrageous cruelty that is inflicted on so many innocent animals.

Thanks to your dedication and support, IDA's staff continues to be on the front lines of the fight for animal rights. From the rescues of hundreds of abused and starving animals to investigations of dog fighting rings and puppy mills, to the hundreds of educational events, protests, marches and vigils against industries that harm and kill animals (including the horrendous Korean dog and cat meat trade), to giving protection and sanctuary to the chimpanzees of Cameroon, Africa
(http://www.ida-africa.org/) and the abused and abandoned animals of rural Mississippi (http://www.project-hope.net/), we are fulfilling our mission to protect animals wherever they are in danger.

Your help this past year has enabled IDA to achieve truly historic, precedent-setting achievements on behalf of our animal friends. For example, in 2004 we witnessed the dramatic transfer of two ailing elephants from their abusive conditions at the San Francisco Zoo to an elephant sanctuary with enough space to provide the quality of life they so desperately need and so rightly deserve. IDA has vowed to never again allow the SF Zoo to hold elephants in their antiquated enclosures. In December we celebrated the SF Board of Supervisors' vote to become the first city to require a zoo to have at least fifteen acres for their elephants. This is in reality a de-facto ban on elephants ever returning to the San Francisco Zoo. What a great victory for the elephants! (http://www.savesfzooelephants.com/)

Another significant victory in 2004 occurred when, for the first time in U.S. history, criminal charges for animal cruelty were filed against an animal research laboratory for its operator's alleged institutional neglect and abandonment of chimpanzees.
Information supplied by IDA allowed New Mexico District Attorney Scot Key to file the unprecedented complaint. Thanks to you, our campaign to free chimpanzees from the horrors of vivisection is truly gaining momentum. (http://www.nihchimpcruelty.com/)

Our efforts to raise the status of animals beyond that of mere property continues to expand as five more cities--Woodstock, NY; Wanaque, NJ; Albany, CA; St. Louis, MO; and Windsor, Ontario Canada--successfully added the term "guardian" to their animal related ordinances. (http://www.guardiancampaign.com/)

In 2004, IDA was also honored with our third consecutive four-star rating by the independent ratings bureau, Charity Navigator.
(http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/5632.htm).


Please remember the animals during this season of love and charity by putting IDA in your year-end contribution plans. You can make a tax-deductible donation today via our on-line secure donation form at: https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations . Please make as generous a year-end gift of love and life that you can.

Your donation of will go a long way toward helping us protect, rescue and save countless innocent lives. We thank you for your trust, generosity and caring. Happy Holidays!
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