What have we achieved so far?

Furget-Me-Not was only founded in November 2007 and in the first year we raised over £24,000 ($36,000)! 

This paid for:-

• A new pen for Dara the hairy-nosed otter at Phnom Tamao Zoo, so everything was ready for him when he came out of quarantine. This cost about £4000 ($6000)
   
• Fish and vet bills for all the otters at Phnom Tamao - Dara and the big group of Smooth-Coated Otters.  We are also providing specialist husbandry advice when requested. This costs £3000 ($4500) per year. 
   
• A female hairy-nosed otter was found caught on a fisherman's hooks.  Instead of killing her for her skin, he contacted one of the community researchers that Annette has organised, and the otter was taken to the vet at Phnom Tamao.  Her injuries were not severe, so she was placed in quarantine, but sadly she was very stressed and did not survive.  However, this does show that the people of Tonle Sap are fully behind the project, and we hope that the next story will have a happier ending.
   
• Part-funding of the Otter Survey Workshop in February 2009 (around £20,000)
  
   
• Preparation of educational materials for use in Tonlé Sap, and also for use in Jakarta, Indonesia
   
• Now, thanks to Annette's work, hairy-nosed otters are on the national list of protected species, we are finding out where the different otter species occur in Cambodia, we have located the world's largest population of the hairy-nosed otter, and a dedicated team of Cambodian field biologists are conducting field surveys and work with local communities to protect otters in the wild
   
• Through the IOSF's publicity channels, many media sources have picked up the stories about Dara and the fur trade. We have produced leaflets and cards for distribution, posters, and other publicity material. 
  
  
• We have had publicity stands at various events such as Shepreth's Tiger Day, and our own event, Dara's Day,  in Salisbury.
   
• We have had articles published in Lifelines, the journal of BIAZA (the British and Irish Zoo and Aquarium Association), and Ratel, the journal of ABWAK (the Association of British Wild Animal Keepers).
   
• We have given talks in schools and other venues, including the BIAZA Zoo Educators Conference, and the ABWAK conference
  
  
• And of course, created this website!