"Build a future together in which every animal in the Netherlands gets the care and love it deserves"

Helping weak foals, addressing behavioural problems in parrots or eliminating hereditary diseases in dogs: All of this requires research. While there is no shortage of enthusiasm for the work within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, it is unfortunately not enough. If research is to be carried out (on an ongoing basis), financial support and collaboration are crucial. The Animales Foundation supports our faculty in a wide range of animal welfare research and projects. Secretary and co-founder Willy Metz and chair Edske Meijerink talk about the origins of the foundation, their love for animals and the projects that have stayed with them.

"We are both archaeologists and actually have nothing to do with veterinary medicine", says Willy Metz, with a smile. Metz worked at the University of Amsterdam as an academic officer and Edske Meijerink was initially her student and subsequently her assistant. The two of them became close, flying around a lot together to take archaeological photos from the air. "Actually, I'm still her assistant now", says Meijerink, jokingly.

How does an archaeologist end up starting a foundation to promote animal welfare?

"In 1997, two other archaeologists and I were researching the salt trade in the Caribbean in the 17th century. This involved us flying to Venezuela. While I was there I was deeply affected by the animal suffering that I saw. We saw neglected dogs with mange left to their own fate and dogs deliberately being run down. It broke my heart. It was then that we decided to do something. We contacted the animal protection people in Venezuela and visited an organisation that took in indigenous animals", says Metz. "A few months later, Animales Foundation became a reality. At that time, among other things, we awarded grants, donated a microscope and made sure that three turtles were returned to their natural habitat." 

How did you end up at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht?

Metz: "The political situation in Venezuela changed when Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999. We could no longer enter the country and our contacts left for Spain. Animales went quiet for a while." But Metz was keen to keep the foundation going. "We decided to go in a new direction. Edske and I are also both on the board of the Netherlands Museum of Anthropology and Prehistory Foundation. They awarded grants for innovative scientific research and we used them as an example." The Animales Foundation was relaunched in 2014 and, since that time, it has once again been committed to improving animal welfare, nowadays primarily by funding scientific research in the Netherlands. Fortunately, they are not on their own in this: The Advisory Board includes a number of professionals with expertise in veterinary medicine and biology.

If you combine a love of animals with science, you soon end up with Friends of VetMed, which the Animales Foundation has supported from its relaunch to the present day.

Which project has been the most memorable?

Metz has to think for a moment: "There have been so many projects, I can't remember them all. Maybe it’s my age, after all, I am 83." Meijerink: "For me, it’s the Foal Brigade. We’ve donated to this cause a number of times and we visited them twice with the Animales board." The Foal Brigade is an intensive care organisation for newborn foals that are sick or weak, where many students work. "Yes, that is very dear to our hearts", agrees Metz. "With a lot of research you can’t see the results immediately, but we were able to help the Foal Brigade straight away by donating equipment. It was great to see that they could do something with the money right off the bat”, says Meijerink.

What does the future of the Animales Foundation look like?

Meijerink: "Animal welfare remains paramount at our foundation. It is our passion and mission to work together to build a future in which every animal in the Netherlands gets the care and love it deserves. It is such a privilege for the Animales Foundation to be able to play a role in this."

Metz: "Alternatives to animal testing are high on our list." To which Meijerink adds: "I also think Friends of VetMed's 'Healthy Breeding' initiative is fantastic. People gradually need to realise what it means for animal welfare if they buy a flat-faced pug."

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