International Fund for Animal Welfare

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) was founded in 1969, in initial efforts to stop the commercial hunt for seal pups on the east coast of Canada.

In 2014 it had offices in 15 countries, and projects in more than 40. IFAW is one of the largest animal welfare organisations.

The fund is supported by corporate donors including the Disneynature and the Disney Conservation Fund, the Petfinder Foundation and Arctic Fox.

In 2025, it was announced that villagers near Kasungu National Park were beginning legal action proceedings against IFAW, following the death of ten people after the NGO relocated 263 elephants to the area in 2022. According to Malawi locals, over fifty children were orphaned between July 2022 and November 2024 as a result of the translocated elephants. The prospective plaintiffs are demanding for IFAW to construct fencing to protect the 167 villages surrounding the park and to also compensate locals for any damages caused by the elephants.

In response to the allegations, which were orchestrated by a former IFAW employee, the charity rejected all allegations of wrongdoing.

In a statement to the Guardian IFAW said: "It is deeply saddened by all cases of human-wildlife conflict in and around Kasungu, where it has been working to support government and communities develop sustainable solutions for reducing human-wildlife conflict and promote coexistence,”.

It was also highlighted that Malawi’s government had overall responsibility for its national parks. IFAW provided technical and financial support, following international best practice while moving the elephants.

New regulations have been announced to protect gulper sharks. Gulper shark populations were declining from over fishing for their liver oil. Some gulper sharks faced a population decline of over 80% in some regions. Stronger protection regulations were also announced for over 70 shark and ray species.