Tufts Joins Forces with Animal Welfare Group

The was scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW; www.ifaw.org) today that will encourage collaborative research, teaching and student opportunities between New England’s only veterinary school and the internationally recognized group dedicated to assisting animals in crisis. 

The agreement, signed by Cummings School Dean Deborah T. Kochevar and Azzedine Downes, IFAW’s executive vice president, acknowledges mutual areas of interest between the Cummings School and IFAW and lays out intentions to work together and to share training opportunities for staff and students. 

 “This agreement between the Cummings School and IFAW is the solidification of a productive relationship that has been in place for years,” said Kochevar in a prepared statement. “By identifying areas of collaboration, we hope to promote mutual research, education and student opportunities, and, ultimately, improve animal welfare throughout the world.”

Several Cummings School students already have worked on IFAW-sponsored projects, including elephant rehabilitation in India, raptor rescue and rehabilitation in China, and improving community dog and cat welfare in Mexico and Native American reservations in the United States. 

IFAW, one of the world's most respected animal welfare organizations, is headquartered in Yarmouth.

For more information on the international programs at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, visit http://vet.tufts.edu/ivm.