Webinar:
Political, Economic, and Cultural Implications of Marine Animal Protection
Institute of Animal Law of Asia successfully held the webinar with Cat Besch, the founder and director of Vietnam Animal Aid & Rescue - U.S. This webinar is the public event under the project "Enhancing Legal Regulations for Aquatic Animals in Kazakhstan," the project of our Managing Director within the Global Ambassador Program.
Protecting animals of all species requires understanding the unique political, economic, and cultural context of the target community which varies from country to country, and conservation of marine ecosystems is no different. While speciesism is the dominant worldview and prevalent even in most animal protection movements, the success of sea life protections requires a shift in that paradigm. Cat Besch discussed how we can redirect the discourse to animal rights solutions that are better tailored to regional needs that also work for all species, including humans.
Please see the resources here.
Cat Besch is an American animal rights activist and the founder and director of Vietnam Animal Aid and Rescue - U.S. (VAAR), a rescue shelter and farm sanctuary in Hoi An, Vietnam. With a background working with horses and stable management in the U.S., along with lifelong work rescuing animals of many different species, Cat has extensive experience in rehabilitation work but also focuses on addressing global animal rights issues through the lens of regional political, economic, and cultural contexts.
Cat has a B.S. in International Relations and an M.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management but is also interested in food security, vegan entrepreneurship, and making all of her travels about the search for the best vegan cheese on the planet. In addition to being an avid vegan endurance athlete, she has been working remotely from Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. while during the pandemic waiting for the borders to reopen to Vietnam.