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Animals are at the center of a movement motivating the 1,700 Expo attendees.

by Julie Falconer

The Magic Kingdom had to wait: The 1,700 animal care workers who descended on the Walt Disney World® Resort earlier this week had another destination.

They traveled from cities across the nation and five continents for Animal Care Expo, the world's largest educational conference and tradeshow for the animal sheltering and control field.

Sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, the 2008 Expo brought together a diverse group of professionals and volunteers, including animal control officers, cruelty investigators, feral cat caretakers, humane educators, shelter staff, and veterinarians. Some represented state-of-the-art urban shelters with multimillion dollar budgets. Others hailed from volunteer-led rescue programs run on shoestrings and prayers. But they all had the goal of becoming better advocates for animals in their communities.

Information Exchange 

Over three and a half days, participants chose from 48 workshops on topics ranging from pit bull adoptions and cruelty investigations to eco-friendly shelter designs and online fund-raising. After hours, they networked with their peers, swapping stories and strategies, or checked out the 180 booths lining a massive exhibit hall.

The HSUS/Michelle Riley

Wayne Pacelle speaking at Animal Care Expo in Florida May 15.

It wasn't the traditional magical Disney experience, but for this dedicated crowd, it was hard to imagine a more meaningful one.

One Movement, One Cause

Speaking to a packed room at the welcome session, HSUS President and CEO Wayne Pacelle kicked off this year's Expo by encouraging attendees to remember their important role and honor their common purpose.

"We're the custodians called to defend animals and be their voice," Pacelle said. "We're one movement, we're one cause and we're guided by one basic principle: animals matter."

It was a message that resonated strongly with Charlotte Bass-Lilly, executive director of Animal Rescue New Orleans, an organization founded in 2006 to help animals left homeless by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Her dream is to form a statewide coalition that would work to end pet overpopulation in Louisiana for good.

Expo could be the spark that makes this happen: Bass-Lilly was one of 56 animal shelter administrators from Louisiana and Mississippi who attended Expo on scholarships funded by The HSUS, Maddie's Fund®, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®, and PetSmart Charities™. These scholarships were part of the significant investment—more than $50 million to date—by these four organizations to rebuild and expand animal rescue and sheltering programs in these hard-hit areas.

"We're thrilled to collaborate in an effort to invest in Gulf Coast shelter leaders," said John Snyder, vice president for companion animal issues at The HSUS. "These folks will return home from Animal Care Expo invigorated and armed with key skills to improve the lives of animals in their community."

International Guests

Attendees from outside North America showed that concern for animals has no national boundaries. Special workshops hosted by Humane Society International, The HSUS's international affiliate, drew representatives from animal protection organizations in 28 countries.

HSI awarded scholarships to animal protectionists from Australia, Belize, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, Mali, Mexico, Peru, Philippine, Puerto Rico, Republic of Georgia, Romania, Saipan, Serbia, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, Mongolia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grand Cayman.

"In most of the developing world, opportunities to improve animal welfare skills and knowledge are very limited," said HSI CEO Andrew Rowan, PhD. "The HSI Expo scholarship program provides dedicated, international animal advocates a chance to learn from a variety of expert speakers and workshops as well as network with others in their field from around the globe. This experience allows them to return reenergized for their demanding and often underappreciated work in their own countries."

Nelson Rivera couldn't agree more. For the past 10 years, Rivera has served as shelter manager of the Puerto Rico Humane Society, which takes in 20,000 cats and dogs each year. This was his first trip to Expo—and his first experience of being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people.

"You feel you're not alone, and I thank God for it," he said. "In Puerto Rico, you feel very isolated when you're someone who cares about animals and wants to help them."

He's witnessing some positive changes in his community and adoption rates are gradually increasing, but he knows there's a long way to go. His first workshop covered euthanasia techniques in developing countries; his second was on compassion fatigue.

Land of a Million Dreams

To outsiders, it may seem incongruous: inside the nation's largest theme park, where millions of tourists indulge in escapist fun, Expo participants grappled with serious, sometimes heartbreaking subjects. But the "land of a million dreams" was somehow a fitting venue for an event infused with solid optimism.

"We have human innovation and human conscience working for us," Pacelle announced. "Change isn't only possible, it's inevitable."

And for the rest of the week, leaders and foot soldiers in the global humane movement regrouped, rejuvenated and drew inspiration for their dream of a compassionate world.