Disasters, Dallas, and Deregulation: IFAW and the Summer That Kept Us on Our Toes

M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) Externship Experience
May-August 2020

My title at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was “disaster policy intern,” though my duties necessarily extended beyond the realm of natural disasters and into the equally messy disasters of policy-making. That disasters became my wheelhouse is a reflection of—like so many other surprises—the summer of COVID-19. IFAW had intended to publish a major white paper in March related to disaster preparedness, but to publish during a pandemic without any mention of disease would be folly. I was thus tasked with patching it up to be topically relevant and inclusive of biomedical disasters. Zoonotic disease fits perfectly within IFAW’s commitment to human and nonhuman mutual well-being. Once we got a handle on the report and shipped it off to the branding committee for photo selection, the campaigns manager capitalized on my familiarity with the landmark environmental law known fondly as NEPA and asked that I write a mini report, compiling all relevant information on the regulatory rollbacks taking effect in September. The US office employees had been flooded with emails regarding upcoming NEPA rollbacks and what they might mean for conservation but hadn't devoted proper time to synthesizing info, digging for context, or nailing down particulars. In my time with IFAW I also organized Congressional briefings, wrote blogs for IFAW’s website as well as accompanying action alert messaging, developed talking points to persuade stakeholders to support a public policy, and joined NARSC (National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition) calls. My research paper and presentation created for MAPP are divided into three portions to reflect where I spent most of my time while externing: disasters, NEPA regulations, and a forthcoming Senate bill which pertains to pandemics and zoonoses.
https://grad.vet.tufts.edu/disasters-dallas-and-deregulation-ifaw-and-the-summer-that-kept-us-on-our-toes/

About MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) MAPP is an intensive, 12-to-16-month graduate degree program that focuses on human-animal relationships and their implications for policy and community action. While students enter the program with different interests, skills, philosophies, and aspirations, all share a passion for understanding human-animal relationships and promoting the status of animals in society.

About Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy The mission of the Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy is to conduct and encourage the study of complex issues surrounding the changing role and impact of animals in society. The Center supports the development and dissemination of research driven policies, programs and practices that benefit both people and animals. Work conducted by the Center is based on the tenets that animal well-being matters, that animal and human well-being are linked, and that both are enhanced through improved understanding of human-animal relationships.

email: capp@tufts.edu
website: http://vet.tufts.edu/capp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/center.for.animals

Видео Disasters, Dallas, and Deregulation: IFAW and the Summer That Kept Us on Our Toes канала Center for Animals and Public Policy