Our Mission:

Kimya was formed with the purpose of inspiring people throughout the world to treat all living creatures with respect and dignity. Our mission is to ensure captive wild animals in the United States receive responsible lifelong care in appropriate environments where they can live in safety and with dignity.

The Problem:

The majority of captive wild animals in the US are held in private ownership, outside of zoos and other licensed facilities, as part of a thriving and growing exotic animal trade. These animals are treated as commodities, sold and bred for profit, their lives shaped by inconsistent and often sub-standard care.

Many organizations devote a portion of their efforts to this important issue, but there is a lack of coordinated effort and no one organization can solve this complex problem. Kimya was established to focus exclusively on this problem.

The Solution:

Kimya's primary directive is to promote cooperation among animal welfare organizations and to coordinate collaborative strategies to solve the many problems facing captive wild animals. Operating in this collaborative manner we focus our efforts on:

1. Managing a broadly collaborative effort to develop comprehensive peer reviewed Sanctuary Standards by December 31, 2006.
2. Managing the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition (CWAPC), a broad-based consortium of zoo professionals, sanctuary operators, and animal protection groups working to significantly reduce the availability, volume and presence of dangerous wild animals as pets by 2009.

Kim K. Haddad, DVM, the founder of Kimya, is a veterinarian and owner of the San Mateo Animal Hospital. She also provides medical care for wildlife at Coyote Point Museum, is a consulting and relief veterinarian at the San Francisco Zoo, and is the Medical Director for Another Life for Animals (ALFA), a domestic animal rescue and shelter organization. Kim also serves as an Advisor to the American Zoological Association (AZA) Animal Welfare Committee, and is on the American Association of Zoological Veterinarians (AAZV) Animal Welfare Committee.