Empathy is where understanding becomes responsibility – and care becomes meaningful action for every living being.
For over two decades, Ioana Gabriela Dungler has worked across borders and crises to protect animals. Dungler for Animal Welfare continues that journey — turning awareness into action, and compassion into change.
We owe animals their freedom and dignity. Through rescue, education, and science, we build lasting solutions — supporting wildlife in crisis, inspiring awareness, and creating a future grounded in empathy.
Help us build a compassionate world through collaboration, visibility, and shared responsibility. Every voice, every gesture, every story matters.
“I’ve known Ioana for many years – she has long been passionate about animal welfare and brings much creativity and heartfelt commitment to a cause that touches the hearts of so many.”
CEO, Compassion in World Farming
I have known Ioana Dungler for almost a quarter of a century and more closely since early 2007 when she took over as International Programs Director of Vier Pfoten International. As a cofounder, in 1959, of the group that we registered in 1964 as the Blue Cross of India which was the point of origin of the […]
Chairman www.bluecrossofindia.org
I’ve worked with Ioana in many places around the world, sometimes in very tense situations, Gaza and Ukraine stand out. Where or whatever her passion and love for the animals she was rescuing always shone through. She’s a true animal welfare professional.
UK photographer
I’ve known Ioana for over 20 years, since a rescue mission during a major flood when we worked side by side saving dozens of dogs, cats, and other animals. From that day on, she’s remained deeply dedicated to protecting animals and always gives her very best in every rescue and care effort she leads.
CEO - BGS SECURITY DIVISION
I first met Ioana Gabriela Dungler — then Ioana Gabriela Tomescu — in 1999. At that time, we stood on opposite sides of a difficult and emotional issue: the situation of Romania’s stray dogs. I represented the veterinary authorities, and she represented a newly born NGO. We often disagreed, and we both fought hard for […]
First vice-president of Romanian College of Veterinarians / Former president of the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority / Representative of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe in Romania
I have known Ioana Dungler since 2008, when she participated in one of my disaster response trainings. In years that followed, I had the privilege of working with her regularly in various countries around the world. Throughout all these years, I have experienced Ioana as a deeply dedicated and highly competent professional who combines strategic […]
Emergency Management Consultant & Trainer, ZooCrewSafety, Austria
Cupper was once a stray on the streets of Serbia. Nobody knows exactly how long he wandered or how many hardships he endured, but like countless others, he faced hunger, fear, and an uncertain tomorrow.
A story about compassion, and knowing when to hold back. I was feeding two baby deer, and I knew: These little ones will never go back to the wild. They were tiny, spotted, barely a few days old when they
