Businessman, timber magnate and philanthropist Holland M. Ware has donated $1.4 million to everyone’s favorite (or most hated) animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The money will be used to support the following programs:
* $1 million to raise children's awareness of how circuses take still-nursing baby elephants away from their mothers and "break" them for a lonely life in chains
* $240,000 for a mobile "Dog Doc" no-cost to low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic to join PETA's fleet
* $200,000 for cruelty-case investigations, including rewards to help bring animal abusers to justice
"My blood boils when I hear about people who force their dogs to fight or about circus trainers who beat baby elephants in order to make them perform stupid tricks," says Ware. "I'm pleased to be able to help give PETA the tools to go after animal abusers."
Mr. Ware, who founded the Atlanta-based Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation and the Holland Ware Cancer Research Center at Emory University, has a history of providing a helping hand, and some major cash, to organizations that deal in animal rights, welfare or protection.
In 2009, the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to support its efforts in stopping illegal dog fighting contests. One year earlier the Foundation provided $200,000 to HSUS in the wake of the federal dog fighting case against Michael Vick.
The Atlanta Humane Society (AHS) has also enjoyed financial support from Foundation since 2000. That year the Holland M. Ware Rewards Fund was established, a program that allows the AHS to offer monetary rewards in exchange for” information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or persons responsible for animal cruelty- and neglect-related crimes in Georgia.”
Thanks to people like Mr. Ware organizations that provide a voice to the otherwise voiceless victims of animal abuse can continue to operate and make a difference.
Speaking of which, I know of a web site that could always use some cash, email me for details (that was coy wasn’t it?)
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Photo Credit: cc: flickr.com/photos/amagill
