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Newsletter, February 2019
"With your help, we made Nepal a kinder place for animals."
February highlights
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Health and welfare assessments of working equines at brick kilns
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Brick production is seasonal work, taking place between December - June and this is a busy period for our Working Equine Outreach Team. During this time, working equines (donkeys, horses and mules) can be found at work at the brick kilns located mostly in Lalitpur and Dhading districts. Since the start of the season, our team have been routinely visiting the kilns to carry out health and welfare assessments of the working equines. The equine owners have also been issued with ID cards, which will enable us to systematically track the welfare of their animals.
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Education sessions on wound management & communicable diseases
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Alongside the assessments, our team have also been holding education sessions for equine owners and handlers on wound management and communicable diseases at brick kilns in Dhading and Lalitpur districts. These sessions are very popular among the equine owning community and also attracts other participants such as local and government vet technicians. The sessions teaches the participants about the prevention of wounds on their animals by making minor alterations to their harnessing methods and dressing wounds. The team has also been invited to a number of other brick kilns by the participants. It is very encouraging to see our project beneficiaries taking the initiative in raising awareness among their community about taking better care of their animals. Having seen the active participation by the attendees, our team is hopeful that there will be fewer cases of preventable injuries during the next assessment.
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Providing skills-based training to members of the equine owning community
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As part of our Equine Welfare Project in Nepalgunj, Animal Nepal works very closely with the equine owning community in Hirminiya. Most members of this community fall in the lower socio-economic group, meaning they tend to fall behind in all development indicators including education, health, sanitation and livelihood. The community mostly relies on their traditional equine based livelihood, and the women from the community are very dependent on the men. In light of this, Animal Nepal has been active in providing skills-based training to the community, focusing specifically on the women. By learning new skills, the community can pursue alternative livelihoods and not be completely reliant on income generated through their animals. Furthermore, being in a better financial position, will enable them to provide better care for their animals too. After receiving training on mushroom and grass farming, the project beneficiaries are now able to generate extra income by selling their products in the market.
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Animal Birth Control begins in Lalitpur district for 2019
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Stray dogs are a common sight in Nepal. Living on the streets can be challenging, especially if they fall sick or are injured. Survival on the streets is even more difficult for young pups, who often get separated from their mothers, get hit by vehicles and attacked by other dogs. In order to address this, Animal Nepal has been actively involved in providing animal birth control for the past ten years through our Humane Dog Population Management Program. Every year, we run the Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Release (CNVR) camps inside Lalitpur district (our main working area), but also in other parts of the country based on the needs of the local dogs population in that area. Through our CNVR camps, dogs are spayed / neutered and vaccinated in a safe and clinical environment. Since January 2019, we have already spayed / neutered and vaccinated almost 90 dogs inside Lalitpur district!
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Low-cost birth control program for pets
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This is Babu, he was brought to our treatment center last week by his owner to be neutered. Following the procedure, Babu is now fully recovered and back to his happy self. Spaying / neutering your pet is one of the most important health decisions you will make for your pet. With Animal Nepal's low cost program for pets, this surgery is affordable and accessible and the money raised will go towards helping stray animals. Thousands of dogs and cats suffer as strays which is usually the result of unplanned litters that can be easily prevented by spaying or neutering your pet. Be like Babu's owner, and love your pet responsibly! To book an appointment, please message us.
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The Brick Kiln Working Group's first meeting in India
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Members of Animal Nepal's Equine Outreach Team, The Donkey Sanctuary - India and Egyptian Society for the Protection & Welfare of Working Animals recently attended the Brick Kiln Working Group's first training program in Ahmadabad, India organized by The Donkey Sanctuary UK. The program included training on Theory of Change, Donkey Sanctuary Strategy and Monitoring & Evaluation. Each organization also presented their work at the program. There was also a short visit to The Donkey Sanctuary India's equine rehabilitation and treatment center. It was a very productive visit and presented opportunities to collaborate with similar organizations.
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The plight of abandoned cattle
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Despite the cow being Nepal's national animal and holding a sacred place in Hinduism, abandoned cattle are a common sight across the bigger cities in Nepal. It is estimated that there are close to 0.5 million abandoned cattle in Nepal. These animals often get sick from feeding on garbage and drinking toxic water. They are dumped on the streets by unscrupulous, commercially driven individuals and dairy companies who abandon their non-lactating, male, old and sick animals. Although, this is something that has been happening nationwide for a long time, a case in Kailali district in the far west of Nepal caught the attention of national media. It was reported that hundreds of abandoned cattle had been dumped in a very inadequate shelter inside a forest without enough food and water for the animals. As a result, hundreds of cattle were reported to have perished at the shelter in the last six months. Following these reports, Animal Nepal's ED visited the area to verify the report and to meet with the local authorities to assist with finding a solution. Since then, Animal Nepal has been working closely with local and provincial authorities to put in place a plan to safeguard the remaining cattle in the shelter, as well as to develop a longer-term plan for cattle management and capacity building in the province.
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Kanchi and the four sisters
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About two weeks ago, we received a number of calls about five newborn puppies that had been put inside a plastic bag and dumped on the side of the road. Upon reaching the location, we noticed that there were only four pups left and all were female. They were barely 20 days old and would not be able to survive without a caregiver. Upon the recommendation of our vet, Dr Sunil, we took the pups to our treatment center and introduced them to Kanchi, a new mother who had lost her litter. Kanchi was a little bit hesitant at first, but within minutes she was happily suckling them! We were somewhat worried about leaving Kanchi alone with the puppies overnight inside her kennel, but our caretaker checked on them regularly and Kanchi was very gentle with them throughout the night. Now it's been about two weeks and Kanchi is so wonderful with her four adopted daughters. They are inseparable and the pups are growing to be beautiful and healthy, all thanks to our lovely Kanchi! We have named them Khushi, Sukhi, Happy and Muskaan and they will be available for adoption in about a months time.
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Animal Nepal in the media
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For 2019, Animal Nepal aims to make animal welfare a part of the mainstream conversation. To achieve this, with the help of The Donkey Sanctuary UK, we have produced a nine-part docu-series called A voice for the voiceless, which is aired on channel AP1 on the third Tuesday of the month at 6 pm. The series talks about animal welfare in Nepal and looks at the suffering experienced by working and other animals. The program is also available to watch online through our YouTube channel.
Animal Nepal also has weekly radio show called Conversations about animal welfare, which airs on 97.5 Image FM, every Friday at 9.05 pm.
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