Emma Clifford

Emma Clifford is the founder and project director for Animal Balance, a humane, community-based project to control the cat and dog populations of the Galapagos Islands. The pilot project, conducted in April/May 2004, resulted in sterilization of 75 percent of the dog population and 54 percent of the cat population on Isabela Island, the largest of the islands.

During the last eight years, Ms. Clifford's work has been dedicated to improving animal protection on a local, national and international basis. She successfully managed and expanded the feral cat program at the San Francisco SPCA, working collaboratively with the government and local volunteers to achieve high-volume, free spays and neuters of feral and stray cats. This grassroots initiative now serves as a model for other cities. She has also represented the SPCA as a lobbyist, working to change legislation to safeguard the local wildlife.

Ms. Clifford speaks nationally at conferences, sharing her expertise on feral cat management. While working at WildAid, she began two years of research on the feral cat issues in the Galapagos. Ms. Clifford continues to volunteer her time coordinating feral cat and dog population management control in low-income areas of San Francisco.