About Protect Animals Worldwide
About Protect Animals Worldwide
We are a United States registered 501(c)(3) organization that has been rescuing abused animals in crisis since 2015.
We unintentionally started a sanctuary in Ceara, Brazil, after rescuing a donkey in April 2020, but were unable to place her in a permanent home. So we became her home. We didn’t have any plans to stay in Brazil, but ended up renting a stable with some land and have grown to have many more donkeys, horses, dogs and cats.
Who We Are
Protect Animals Worldwide’s mission is to protect animals, and our focus is rescuing abused and neglected animals in Brazil. We have a dog/cat rescue in Southern Brazil in Parana where we rescue animals with our partners, mostly dogs and cats in desperate need of help. and an equine rescue in northern Brazil. We also hope to help increase animal welfare protection laws with the Brazilian government, ultimately leading to less cases of animal abuse.
Although our organization is registered in the United States, PAW’s mission is to save lives of injured, abused, and unwanted homeless animals all over the world, but mainly in Brazil. Our rescues are available for adoption worldwide.
As part of our education efforts, we also aim to educate the public on ejiao. Donkeys are being rounded up and sold to China, as some Chinese believe oil from donkey skin, called ejiao, has medicinal purposes. The demand for ejiao has recently increased. Our goal is to rescue as many homeless donkeys as possible, so they will not be used for this purpose.
We also work with our partners in China multiple times a year to rescue dogs from the meat trade industry.
Why Brazil?
In April 2020, we received a message about a homeless donkey in need of immediate medical attention in northern Brazil. Since then, we have opened up a sanctuary in Ceára to provide a home for the numerous unwanted and neglected animals in that area.
We are notified of numerous animal abuse cases daily, and although it is unfortunately like this in most countries, Brazil does not have the laws to protect these animals’ rights, especially homeless animals. We aim to protect Brazil’s homeless animals by rescuing the injured and abused, and either providing them sanctuary for the rest of their lives, or adopting them out to loving homes.
Meet Our Team
What started as a chance encounter blossomed into an extraordinary commitment. Luana and Simone proudly run an animal sanctuary in Brazil, extending their compassion worldwide. Simone and Luana are more than just the faces behind a rescue organization; they are a passionate pair of advocates committed to making a difference in the lives of our animal friends. Their journey began with a single but powerful belief: every single animal deserves love, care, and a chance for a better life.
Join them on this incredible journey of love, compassion, and unwavering advocacy for furry and feathered friends. Together, they are changing lives, one animal at a time.
Luana Hausser
Simone Belser
Meet Our Board of Directors
Jonathan Lurgio
Chairman of The Board
Humberto Perez
Treasurer
Destry Labo
Board Member
Meet Our Fulltime Vet
Camila is a veterinarian, graduated in 2020, born in São Paulo and living in Ceará since 2004. Beyond veterinary medicine, she is passionate about sports, especially soccer and volleyball. At 29 years old, and a true Aries, she carries energy, intensity, and determination into everything she does.
Caring for animals has been part of her life since childhood. Her family always had dogs, stray cats, and even donkeys at home, and from a young age she would say she would become a veterinarian. She grew up rescuing every animal that crossed her path, which deeply shaped both her personal and professional journey.
In 2022, she began her work with Protect Animals Worldwide through a friend who was already involved with the organization. At the time, they needed help rescuing Pepita and her puppies — and that was the beginning of her journey there. Since then, she has remained fully committed, getting to know every animal that comes through and making this work an essential part of who she is.
She is the mom of Foguete and Margot. What began as simply caring for them turned into a bond that led them to become her family. She also has Kyara, a Campeiro Bulldog rescued from a breeding kennel, and Ypioca, a mixed-breed dog who walked into the hospital where Camila worked and never left her life.
This is who she is: a veterinarian living the life she always dreamed of, driven by love, purpose, and the animals who cross her path.
Meet Our Team At The Sanctuary
Behind every rescue, every recovery, and every happy animal story… there’s THIS amazing team making it all happen!
Every single day, from dawn till dusk,(and sometimes through the night) they feed, clean, treat, monitor, medicate, comfort, and love nearly 200 rescued animals here at our sanctuary.
Here’s a picture of our devoted team, the heart of our sanctuary in Brazil, from left to right:
Neto • Erandir • Edigleysom • Camila (our full-time veterinarian) • Carlito • Davidson • Vagner
Our Partners
We are eternally grateful to the following organizations and companies that support us!
Witnessing the impact of our partnership with Protect Animals Worldwide fills me with awe. Their unwavering dedication to saving lives, day in and day out, is nothing short of remarkable. They've embarked on a mission to rescue as many animals as possible in Brazil and Turkey, and it's an honor to stand by their side.
Can't get over the whole-hearted commitment of the staff towards the animals in their care, plus the amazing achievements in rehabilitating those who have sustained major injuries and/or suffered serious illness or neglect! All personnel are to be hugely admired!
