Transforming the Lives of Taiwan's Suffering Strays

About ACT

Animal Care Trust is a registered UK charity transforming the lives of very sick and badly injured stray and wild animals in northern Taiwan through round-the-clock emergency rescue, the best veterinary treatment available, careful rehoming, and loving, quality care.

Stray dog Sandy in good hands after losing both front paws to illegal leg-hold traps

Pioneers of Raw Diet for Superior Health

Stray Dog and Cat Rehoming

24-hour Animal Rescue Service

No-kill Cat and Dog Sanctuaries

Bringing Illegal Trappers to Justice

ACT founder Sean cudling two-footed Mary and one of her pups

We believe in never turning a blind eye when an animal is suffering

ACT was borne of the vision and passion of Englishman Sean McCormack, who has worked tirelessly to prevent animal suffering in Taiwan for more than twenty-three years. Since moving to the island in 1999, and inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall during a chance meeting in 2004, he has directly rescued or helped more than 2,000 animals in distress, created seven animal sanctuaries, and started three nonprofits in Taiwan dedicated to improving the welfare of animals: Animals Taiwan (2004 — 2008), the Taiwan SPCA (2008 — 2010), and The PACK Sanctuary (2010 — 2017). In 2014, Sean realised his dream to start a UK charity when he co-founded Animal Care Trust (initially named People for Animal Care and Kindness).

ACT is the name given to the project that created all those charities and facilities and which continues to transform the lives of suffering animals. Originally partnering solely with ACT for Animals, the Taiwan nonprofit Sean co-founded, ACT is currently expanding to lend support and guidance to other groups and individuals wanting to do more for the animals who need us. We focus primarily on rescue, sheltering, and rehoming, but also in bringing those who deliberately harm animals to justice.

What ACT is best known for is our animal rescues, which we perform year round, at any time of night or day, often in incredibly difficult circumstances. Some of our more notable rescues have been featured on the likes of The Dodo and featured in news media all around the world. And all of this is done thanks greatly to the army of supporters all around the world who give what they can so that the animals of Taiwan have people who care in their corner.

Our rescue videos have gone viral

ACT Mission

We are dedicated to alleviating the suffering and elevating the welfare of animals throughout Taiwan.

ACT Vision

We envision Taiwan becoming a leader in Asia for humane treatment of all animals.

ACT Values

We believe in putting the animal first whenever possible and springing into urgent action whenever needed.

The ACT Animal Rescue Timeline

1995 — 1997

Sean volunteers at Wildlife Rescue of the Florida Keys

Founder Sean gets his first taste of animal rescue while living in Key West, Florida, USA, volunteering under the inspiring tutelage of director Becky Arnold.

October 1999

Sean's first rescue in Taiwan—Tiger the tugou pup

Tiger is the first dog Sean rescues in Taiwan. Just a young puppy, she is found unconscious at the side of the road, covered in mange.

November 2004

Life-changing meeting with Dr. Jane Goodall

A serendipitous meeting with Dr. Jane Goodall inspires Sean to create an organisation because, as Jane puts it, 'together we can make a difference'.

December 2004

Founded Animals Taiwan Association

Now on a mission from Goodall, the inaugural Animals Taiwan steering-committee meeting is held at Grandma Nitti's restaurant, ShiDa, Taipei City.

May 2006

First facility created—the Animals Taiwan Rescue Centre

After Sean's home quickly becomes inundated with rescues, the bold decision is made to build a rescue centre at ShiLin, just outside Taipei City.

April 2009

Founded the Taiwan SPCA

Realising that more needs to be done in regard to education, investigation, legislation, and campaigning to tackle animal issues at the root, the Taiwan SPCA is founded.

September 2010

Founded Taiwan Animal SOS / Ex Animo / The Sanctuary

Understanding a pressing need for a permanent home for unadoptable animals, an organisation is created that will see several name changes before later becoming The PACK Sanctuary.

December 2010

Created The SanZhi Sanctuary

The SanZhi Sanctuary is created on 1.5 acres of land to provide a home to unadoptable dogs, cats, and pigs.

March 2014

Tiny the Rotweiler crowned RSPCA's Ruffs champion

Rescued from a kill pound grossly undernourished and riddled with mange, Tiny the Rotweiler's incredible transformation makes him an online dog-show champion.

May 2014

Created The Fuji Sanctuary

Needing to urgently move from the current location and requiring more space for the growing sanctuary, a new site is secured and construction started to home all the dogs and pigs.

February 2015

Created The Sakura Sanctuary

A peaceful, large piece of land is turned into a retirement home for older dogs and, later, a large, shady garden for the pigs.

April 2015

Founded People for Animal Care and Kindness (PACK)

Wanting to fundraise on a global level to support the support within Taiwan, the UK charity is founded and initially named PACK.

May 2015

Created Dog Kingdom

A large, 3.5-acre, beautiful piece of agricultural land with no neighbours is found by accident and kennels and gardens constructed to provide a happy, permanent home for the dogs.

September 2015

Taiwan charity renamed The PACK Sanctuary

After several name changes, The Sanctuary becomes The PACK Sanctuary, named after its recently formed sister charity in the UK.

November 2015

Created Cat Villa

With a growing number of cats in need of rescue and care, a large house is turned into a rescue and rehoming centre for stray felines in need of a safe home.

August 2017

Founded ACT for Animals

Our founders leave The PACK sanctuary to form the best organisation yet, ACT for Animals, after the UK charity's new name, which will soon be legally changed.

Animal Care Trust favicon
April 2018

UK charity renamed Animal Care Trust (ACT)

With the former Taiwan association now in different hands but retaining the PACK name, the UK charity is officially renamed ACT—Animal Care Trust.

May 2018

Created The ARK Dog Rescue Gardens

ACT quickly grows, and a piece of land once intended to be a pig farm is transformed into The ARK (animal rescue kennels) to home all the dogs coming into our care.

February 2019

Created The Cats' Cradle home for rescued felines

A deal is made with the PACK Sanctuary to take all their cats into ACT care, and so a large house is found nearby and converted into The Cats' Cradle, now a 70-cat rescue and rehoming centre.

January 2020

Created The deN dog-rescue gardens

With rescues far outnumbering adoptions, ACT urgently takes over a small, pretty piece of land to turn into 12 gardens to house recently rescued dogs.

May 2020

Created ARK III dog-rescue gardens

By a stroke of luck, a piece of land just across the lane from The ARK becomes available and is turned into ARK III (because The deN was originally named ARK II).

November 2021

Moved The deN to its stunning new location

A much larger, more beautiful, 3.3-acre tree farm, complete with pond and building, is secured and construction immediately started so The deN can be moved to a far better site.

2023

ACT Taiwan Goes It Alone

Animal Care Trust breaks its exclusive, unofficial partnership with ACT for Animals, so that both can grow in the best way for each, so we rebrand to prevent confusion moving forward

Become part of the ACT story to help transform a life

The reason we have been able to achieve so much for the suffering animals of Taiwan over the last 23 years is because kind people like you have joined the mission along the way. From fostering and adopting cats and dogs we’ve rescued to giving a little of your time, skills, knowledge, or money, it’s YOU that makes it possible. Please consider joining us on our journey today. 

ACT's Glowing Reviews

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