Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Cape Town USA vets visit 2001
(Cape Town, South Africa – 5 December 2001) – A group of American and Canadian veterinary surgeons got to grips with grassroots animal welfare issues today visiting the Community Led Animal Welfare (CLAW) clinic in Kliptown shack settlement, Soweto, South Africa.As more than 300 people came with their pets, CLAW vet Dr. Nthethe Raditapole sterilized pets in a class room dressed to the hilt with Christmas decorations and traditional “gumboot” dancers and a brass band performed while helpers worked to deworm, vaccinate and dip animals at the Kliptown Franciscan convent during the visit facilitated by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW—www.ifaw.org).“The work we have viewed here today is astonishing,” said Dr. Sheri Nutter of North Carolina, leader of the group. “It’s working proof that you don’t need a whole bunch of fancy facilities to make a difference to animal welfare. As long as you have dedicated personnel and an equally dedicated community, organizations like this can really help. IFAW should be applauded for helping this organization, which receives virtually no support from elsewhere.”The visiting vets have been brought to South Africa by People to People International, which provides professionals worldwide the opportunity to interact with their peers in other countries.CLAW, a project of IFAW, began its work in 1998, as a response to the lack of animal welfare in the former black townships. The organization provides a primary healthcare service to domestic pets in 14 of Gauteng’s most destitute informal settlements and has so far spay/neutered over 6,000 dogs and cats.IFAW is hoping the vets – who represent high profile practices in America and Canada – will return home to encourage other animal professionals to lend support on a voluntary basis to primary health care initiatives in South Africa.“CLAW receives almost no funding whatsoever other than that provided by IFAW which spends much of its annual grant on paying veterinary fees for sterilizations,” said Jason Bell, IFAW’s director for the Southern African Region.“Not only would a volunteer vet program be a wonderful support to CLAW, but it would give foreign vets interested in an African experience the option of combining such a trip with acquiring hands on veterinary experience in South Africa.“Additionally it would allow the veterinary component of our budget to be used for more extensive work,” said Bell.Kliptown shanty settlement is one of South Africa’s most impoverished communities. Home to 15,000 people who live mostly in shacks built from corrugated iron and recycled material, the area is without sewage or access to a formal water supply.The domestic animal population is estimated to number just over 2,000 pets – all adult pets have been spay/neutered under CLAW’s sterilization effort.The People to People vets, led by Dr. Sheri Nutter of North Carolina, USA, are small animal specialists and specially requested the opportunity to view CLAW as one of South Africa’s only community led animal welfare projects, which provides destitute people with a completely free health service for their pets.Dr. Nutter and her group who were taken on a walking tour of the informal settlement said they would return to the U.S. to encourage other veterinarians to follow their lead in helping out with community animal welfare projects such as South Africa’s CLAW.
Interview with Dr Michelle Sauther
http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0205-interview_sauther.html
Mongabay: I understand that your are developing a project that will examine the impact of introduced species on endangered lemur populations -- can you tell me more about the project? Sauther: As I said, we currently have a crisis at our reserve. Domestic dogs are common in and around the villages in the Beza Mahafaly area, and are often used to guard domestic livestock. Domestic cats are also common in these villages, possibly to mitigate rodent populations. However, feral cats (locally "ampaha") have also been observed in the Beza Mahafaly reserve and surrounding region. This large felid represents a truly feral domestic cat, possibly the African or European wild cat (Felis silvestris, Felis lybica), or a potential hybrid. Although domestic dogs are useful in this pastoral society, feral dogs are becoming an increasing problem for local people, as they are known to attack domestic livestock (i.e., young goats and sheep). Feral cats are also known to attack poultry. The past several years have seen a population explosion among the feral dogs so the introduced predators are having an observable impact on the local economy. These introduced species are also impacting the Beza Mahafaly lemur population. In 2006, there were two eyewitness accounts of feral dog kills of ring-tailed lemurs, one an infant (less than one year old), the other a collared adult female. Two Verreaux's sifaka were also subject to dog attacks during 2006: one survived with the aide of veterinary treatment, the other died despite veterinary efforts. Since 2003, we have seen evidence of feral dog predation of lemurs in canine feces (i.e., lemur hair and bone), we have found lemur skeletal material with signs of predation and we have numerous accounts of both feral dogs and cats stalking both ring-tailed lemurs and sifaka. We need to systematically assess the threat of predation by these introduced species on the Beza Mahafaly lemur population to develop a feasible plan of action, and we are looking for donors to help. (Contact Dr. Sauther if you would like to help: ).
Mongabay: What does the future hold for lemurs? Are current conservation efforts going to be enough to save lemurs from extinction? How effective are these efforts? What needs to be done to conserve Madagascar's biodiversity?
Dr. Michelle Sauther measuring a ring-tailed lemur in Madagascar.
Sauther: One good lesson I have learned from working in Madagascar these past twenty years is that conservation has to be carried out at two levels, the national and the regional. At the national level the current president, Marc Ravalomanana has a solid plan. He is trying to make Madagascar more investor friendly, because the only long-term conservation solution requires improving the livelihood of Madagascar’s people. At the same time he has increased, three-fold, the areas to be protected. This is where the regional part comes in. There is no “one size fits all”, when it comes to conservation. In the south, where I work, the economy of the region is based on pastoralism and dry farming and we have very different conservation issues than those found in rainforest habitats. We also have to expand conservation-related research. Primarily the focus has been on habitat destruction, which is of course critical. However, there are other major threats. One of these is hunting. Eric Patel, for example, reports that in some areas lemurs are being actively hunted with guns and traps to provide upper middle class people with “picnic food” (see Laboratory Primate Newsletter, 2006, 44 (3): 8-11). At Beza there is a taboo among the local Mahafaly against killing lemurs, but further north of the reserve non-Mahafaly have been coming into the forests to hunt lemurs. Disease transfer from domestic animals is also a concern, and at Beza we have been trying to understand the effect of domestic animals on lemur health. Finally, at Beza we are facing a crisis as packs of feral dogs are now attacking and killing lemurs in the area. So conservation issues really can vary from place to place.
Mongabay: Is there anything people can do abroad to help save lemurs and Madagascar's wildlands? What role does eco-tourism have in conservation on the island? Sauther: I would really like to see people become “working tourists” in Madagascar, e.g. bringing their particular expertise, be it in business, economics, communication, etc. to help current programs and projects in Madagascar. Right now there doesn’t seem to be any way to link such people to projects, so developing this link would be an important component. I know people want to help, and this would be a great way for them to see the beauty of Madagascar’s wild places while doing something concrete to help maintain the island’s unique environment. Beza Mahafaly Lemur Biology Project
Mongabay: I understand that your are developing a project that will examine the impact of introduced species on endangered lemur populations -- can you tell me more about the project? Sauther: As I said, we currently have a crisis at our reserve. Domestic dogs are common in and around the villages in the Beza Mahafaly area, and are often used to guard domestic livestock. Domestic cats are also common in these villages, possibly to mitigate rodent populations. However, feral cats (locally "ampaha") have also been observed in the Beza Mahafaly reserve and surrounding region. This large felid represents a truly feral domestic cat, possibly the African or European wild cat (Felis silvestris, Felis lybica), or a potential hybrid. Although domestic dogs are useful in this pastoral society, feral dogs are becoming an increasing problem for local people, as they are known to attack domestic livestock (i.e., young goats and sheep). Feral cats are also known to attack poultry. The past several years have seen a population explosion among the feral dogs so the introduced predators are having an observable impact on the local economy. These introduced species are also impacting the Beza Mahafaly lemur population. In 2006, there were two eyewitness accounts of feral dog kills of ring-tailed lemurs, one an infant (less than one year old), the other a collared adult female. Two Verreaux's sifaka were also subject to dog attacks during 2006: one survived with the aide of veterinary treatment, the other died despite veterinary efforts. Since 2003, we have seen evidence of feral dog predation of lemurs in canine feces (i.e., lemur hair and bone), we have found lemur skeletal material with signs of predation and we have numerous accounts of both feral dogs and cats stalking both ring-tailed lemurs and sifaka. We need to systematically assess the threat of predation by these introduced species on the Beza Mahafaly lemur population to develop a feasible plan of action, and we are looking for donors to help. (Contact Dr. Sauther if you would like to help: ).
Mongabay: What does the future hold for lemurs? Are current conservation efforts going to be enough to save lemurs from extinction? How effective are these efforts? What needs to be done to conserve Madagascar's biodiversity?
Dr. Michelle Sauther measuring a ring-tailed lemur in Madagascar.
Sauther: One good lesson I have learned from working in Madagascar these past twenty years is that conservation has to be carried out at two levels, the national and the regional. At the national level the current president, Marc Ravalomanana has a solid plan. He is trying to make Madagascar more investor friendly, because the only long-term conservation solution requires improving the livelihood of Madagascar’s people. At the same time he has increased, three-fold, the areas to be protected. This is where the regional part comes in. There is no “one size fits all”, when it comes to conservation. In the south, where I work, the economy of the region is based on pastoralism and dry farming and we have very different conservation issues than those found in rainforest habitats. We also have to expand conservation-related research. Primarily the focus has been on habitat destruction, which is of course critical. However, there are other major threats. One of these is hunting. Eric Patel, for example, reports that in some areas lemurs are being actively hunted with guns and traps to provide upper middle class people with “picnic food” (see Laboratory Primate Newsletter, 2006, 44 (3): 8-11). At Beza there is a taboo among the local Mahafaly against killing lemurs, but further north of the reserve non-Mahafaly have been coming into the forests to hunt lemurs. Disease transfer from domestic animals is also a concern, and at Beza we have been trying to understand the effect of domestic animals on lemur health. Finally, at Beza we are facing a crisis as packs of feral dogs are now attacking and killing lemurs in the area. So conservation issues really can vary from place to place.
Mongabay: Is there anything people can do abroad to help save lemurs and Madagascar's wildlands? What role does eco-tourism have in conservation on the island? Sauther: I would really like to see people become “working tourists” in Madagascar, e.g. bringing their particular expertise, be it in business, economics, communication, etc. to help current programs and projects in Madagascar. Right now there doesn’t seem to be any way to link such people to projects, so developing this link would be an important component. I know people want to help, and this would be a great way for them to see the beauty of Madagascar’s wild places while doing something concrete to help maintain the island’s unique environment. Beza Mahafaly Lemur Biology Project
Mexico City Mobile Dog and Cat Clinic
Problems with pet overpopulation -- usually related to ecological and public health concerns -- are a major issue in many Latin American cities.
In Mexico City, there are an estimated 3.5 million dogs, two-thirds of them strays. Lack of animal welfare education, proper legislation, effective enforcement of existing laws, and veterinary care in disadvantaged and marginal areas all contribute to this severe pet overpopulation problem.
Most of the groups that have done work in the area of pet overpopulation have been small NGOs or groups based at public universities. So far, the possibility of having a major impact on the problem, rather than a short-term benefit for a few individuals, has been very limited. The Veterinary School at the University of Mexico (UNAM) received a mobile clinic for spaying and neutering dogs in Mexico City. Its work is concentrated in a few areas in Mexico City. Clearly, the mobile clinic had not yet been used to its full potential. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in April 2002 between IFAW and the Veterinary School at UNAM. Through this MOU, IFAW supported the services given by UNAM’s Mobile Clinic in Mexico City. The project has been very successful; both the authorities and the public have been enthusiastic and participative. The Mobile Clinic staff worked from Monday to Friday in the most underprivileged areas of Mexico City. During a nine month period, a total of 7,238 animal patients were treated. Of these, 801 animals were spayed or neutered, 2,666 dogs received parasitic treatment, 3,545 animals were vaccinated, and 226 dogs and cats were treated for various clinical problems.
Problems with pet overpopulation -- usually related to ecological and public health concerns -- are a major issue in many Latin American cities.
In Mexico City, there are an estimated 3.5 million dogs, two-thirds of them strays. Lack of animal welfare education, proper legislation, effective enforcement of existing laws, and veterinary care in disadvantaged and marginal areas all contribute to this severe pet overpopulation problem.
Most of the groups that have done work in the area of pet overpopulation have been small NGOs or groups based at public universities. So far, the possibility of having a major impact on the problem, rather than a short-term benefit for a few individuals, has been very limited. The Veterinary School at the University of Mexico (UNAM) received a mobile clinic for spaying and neutering dogs in Mexico City. Its work is concentrated in a few areas in Mexico City. Clearly, the mobile clinic had not yet been used to its full potential. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in April 2002 between IFAW and the Veterinary School at UNAM. Through this MOU, IFAW supported the services given by UNAM’s Mobile Clinic in Mexico City. The project has been very successful; both the authorities and the public have been enthusiastic and participative. The Mobile Clinic staff worked from Monday to Friday in the most underprivileged areas of Mexico City. During a nine month period, a total of 7,238 animal patients were treated. Of these, 801 animals were spayed or neutered, 2,666 dogs received parasitic treatment, 3,545 animals were vaccinated, and 226 dogs and cats were treated for various clinical problems.
Planning Guide ICTE Queensland
Discuss your research plans with Dr. Patricia Wright and the staff of ICTE. Review the Project Budgets and Costs and the Permit Requirements. Be sure that your budget to sponsors includes all items.
2. At least three months before you plan to begin your research in Madagascar, prepare a draft of your ANGAP proposal and send it to the Program Officer at the ICTE/Stony Brook office for review. Please submit your ANGAP proposals by email or on a disk. We suggest that you prepare your ANGAP proposal at the same time that you submit proposals to sponsors. At this time, also send a signed waiver and liability release for each participant on you project.
3. If you plan to collect and/or export biological samples, include in your ANGAP prposal a preliminary list of samples that you expect to collect or export. Be generous in your estimates, but as specific as possible. (See our discussion on export and collection permits from DEF).
4. Revise you ANGAP proposal and submit the final copy (by email) to the Program Officer at the ICTE/Stony Brook office. This proposal will be sent to the ICTE/Antananarivo office and Centre ValBio. ICTE/Antananarivo office will provide translation into French and submission to ANGAP and DEF
5. Prepare for your trip to Madagascar. Learn some French and Malagasy. Be sure that you have international health insurance (required for all researchers facilitated by ICTE) and medical evacuation insurance (for example, International SOS). Buy small gifts to bring to your students, assistants, Malagasy officials, and others that may help you (suggested gifts: caps, t-shirts, pens, playing cards, music tapes (few Malagasies have CD players)). Get 2 passport-sized photos (of you!).
6. At least one month before you plan to go to Madagascar, get started obtaining your visa (see Researcher Field Guide)
7. Email a copy of your flight itinerary to the ICTE/Antananarivo office, with a copy to the ICTE/Stony Brook office as soon as you purchase your tickets
8. Before you leave for Madagascar, confirm with the ICTE/Antananarivo office that your Research Permit has been approved by ANGAP and send a copy of the approval to the ICTE Program Officer at Stony Brook.
9. Once you arrive in Antananarivo, check in at the ICTE/Antananarivo office, meet the helpful staff, ask questions, and pay the ICTE/MICET Facilitation Fee.
10. Be sure to meet with traditional, government, DEF, and ANGAP officials in the local area where you will conduct research. Offer to talk to local school children, youth groups, village elders, or others about your research or related conservation issues. We suggest that you offer to give a presentation about your research to the local University (if you are working at Ranomafana National Park, you will give a presentation at the University of Fianarantsoa).
11. Do your research!
12. Before you leave Madagascar, write a brief exit report (2 pages) describing where and when your research was conducted and what was done, and outlining any results obtained so far. The ICTE/Antananarivo staff will translate the report into French and submit it to ANGAP for you. Also, meet with ANGAP officials for a debriefing. We suggest that you offer to give a presentation about your research to students and professors at the University of Antananarivo.
13. Upon returning home, send a copy of your exit report to the Program Officer at ICTE/Stony Brook.
14. Within 6-8 months of leaving Madagascar, submit a Final Report to the Program Officer at ICTE/Stony Brook. It will be sent to the ICTE/Antananarivo office for translation and then submitted to ANGAP. This final report might be a copy of a report sent to a sponsor.
15. Send 8 copies (5 for ANGAP, 3 for ICTE) of all publications to the ICTE/Stony Brook office.
Discuss your research plans with Dr. Patricia Wright and the staff of ICTE. Review the Project Budgets and Costs and the Permit Requirements. Be sure that your budget to sponsors includes all items.
2. At least three months before you plan to begin your research in Madagascar, prepare a draft of your ANGAP proposal and send it to the Program Officer at the ICTE/Stony Brook office for review. Please submit your ANGAP proposals by email or on a disk. We suggest that you prepare your ANGAP proposal at the same time that you submit proposals to sponsors. At this time, also send a signed waiver and liability release for each participant on you project.
3. If you plan to collect and/or export biological samples, include in your ANGAP prposal a preliminary list of samples that you expect to collect or export. Be generous in your estimates, but as specific as possible. (See our discussion on export and collection permits from DEF).
4. Revise you ANGAP proposal and submit the final copy (by email) to the Program Officer at the ICTE/Stony Brook office. This proposal will be sent to the ICTE/Antananarivo office and Centre ValBio. ICTE/Antananarivo office will provide translation into French and submission to ANGAP and DEF
5. Prepare for your trip to Madagascar. Learn some French and Malagasy. Be sure that you have international health insurance (required for all researchers facilitated by ICTE) and medical evacuation insurance (for example, International SOS). Buy small gifts to bring to your students, assistants, Malagasy officials, and others that may help you (suggested gifts: caps, t-shirts, pens, playing cards, music tapes (few Malagasies have CD players)). Get 2 passport-sized photos (of you!).
6. At least one month before you plan to go to Madagascar, get started obtaining your visa (see Researcher Field Guide)
7. Email a copy of your flight itinerary to the ICTE/Antananarivo office, with a copy to the ICTE/Stony Brook office as soon as you purchase your tickets
8. Before you leave for Madagascar, confirm with the ICTE/Antananarivo office that your Research Permit has been approved by ANGAP and send a copy of the approval to the ICTE Program Officer at Stony Brook.
9. Once you arrive in Antananarivo, check in at the ICTE/Antananarivo office, meet the helpful staff, ask questions, and pay the ICTE/MICET Facilitation Fee.
10. Be sure to meet with traditional, government, DEF, and ANGAP officials in the local area where you will conduct research. Offer to talk to local school children, youth groups, village elders, or others about your research or related conservation issues. We suggest that you offer to give a presentation about your research to the local University (if you are working at Ranomafana National Park, you will give a presentation at the University of Fianarantsoa).
11. Do your research!
12. Before you leave Madagascar, write a brief exit report (2 pages) describing where and when your research was conducted and what was done, and outlining any results obtained so far. The ICTE/Antananarivo staff will translate the report into French and submit it to ANGAP for you. Also, meet with ANGAP officials for a debriefing. We suggest that you offer to give a presentation about your research to students and professors at the University of Antananarivo.
13. Upon returning home, send a copy of your exit report to the Program Officer at ICTE/Stony Brook.
14. Within 6-8 months of leaving Madagascar, submit a Final Report to the Program Officer at ICTE/Stony Brook. It will be sent to the ICTE/Antananarivo office for translation and then submitted to ANGAP. This final report might be a copy of a report sent to a sponsor.
15. Send 8 copies (5 for ANGAP, 3 for ICTE) of all publications to the ICTE/Stony Brook office.
African Mobile Clinics
Mobile clinics are essential to animal welfare in Africa.
These clinics provide sterilisation and treatment for animals and advice for their owners.
PAWS Mauritius
The PAWS mobile clinic began operation in June 2002.
The clinic, with all its equipment, was donated by WSPA and The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.
The mobile clinic covers the island with the help of volunteer veterinarians, offering free sterilisation of dogs and cats, and also treatment and advice.
The PAWS Team:
Animal Welfare Officer
The Animal Welfare Officer goes canvassing in the villages, explaining the benefits of sterilisation and taking the names of people who want to have their dogs or cats sterilised.
She distributes pamphlets outlining the precautions to be taken before and after the operation.
She also educates on animals‘ basic needs for food, water, shelter, love and attention.
Driver
The Driver responds to calls received during the day to pick up wounded, sick or abandoned animals around the island.
The driver also collects animals and their owners and takes them home after an operation.
Veterinarian
The Vet holds a surgery for owners who have called PAWS during the day.
The Vet will sterilise an average of 15 dogs and cats per day, male and female, and will also see up to 10 other owners who come to the clinic with sick or injured animals.
Vet Assistant
The Vet Assistant assists the Vet.
He or she is also responsible for cleaning the mobile clinic and the sterilization of the surgical equipment for the next day.
Mobile clinics are essential to animal welfare in Africa.
These clinics provide sterilisation and treatment for animals and advice for their owners.
PAWS Mauritius
The PAWS mobile clinic began operation in June 2002.
The clinic, with all its equipment, was donated by WSPA and The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust.
The mobile clinic covers the island with the help of volunteer veterinarians, offering free sterilisation of dogs and cats, and also treatment and advice.
The PAWS Team:
Animal Welfare Officer
The Animal Welfare Officer goes canvassing in the villages, explaining the benefits of sterilisation and taking the names of people who want to have their dogs or cats sterilised.
She distributes pamphlets outlining the precautions to be taken before and after the operation.
She also educates on animals‘ basic needs for food, water, shelter, love and attention.
Driver
The Driver responds to calls received during the day to pick up wounded, sick or abandoned animals around the island.
The driver also collects animals and their owners and takes them home after an operation.
Veterinarian
The Vet holds a surgery for owners who have called PAWS during the day.
The Vet will sterilise an average of 15 dogs and cats per day, male and female, and will also see up to 10 other owners who come to the clinic with sick or injured animals.
Vet Assistant
The Vet Assistant assists the Vet.
He or she is also responsible for cleaning the mobile clinic and the sterilization of the surgical equipment for the next day.
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