Last month, I worked with Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) to spay and
neuter dogs and cats in our area. I worked with a local woman to schedule,
prepare and advertise the free services. I was responsible for advertising the
event and getting the chiefs on board. While MAWS does outreach services
occasionally, most of the vets only volunteer for a short period of time, so
many do not participate in these types of events. The two vets and one nurse
who came, had never done anything like this. They had chickens walking around
their feet, there were no lights, and they didn’t have the types of medicines
they are used to. They were so adaptable and willing to do something out of
their comfort zone – go MAWS vets!
We spayed and neutered 90 dogs and cats in Shakawe,
Samochima, and Tsodilo. In Shakawe, we fixed 49 dogs! Most of the dogs were
brought in by their owners, but we did round up 10 dogs from the bar area. I
helped the vets with the surgery and attended to the dogs during recovery.
This project was quite successful and we plan on doing
another campaign in April. We hope to provide services to Shakarawe, Mohembo,
Shakawe, Sepopa, one of the Etshas and Gumare. There are several reasons why I
decided to work on this project. First, there are way too many dogs in Shakawe.
The females are perpetually pregnant or lactating, the males are always getting
into fights and they surround the grocery store and bar. Second, in September
we had a rabies outbreak. The best way to decrease the rabies risk is to
decrease the dog population. Third, it’s just the right thing to do. Dogs and
cats who are fixed are healthier, happier and more loyal. The more we normalize
pet sterilization, the more people will be willing to participate and place
value in the service. I am looking forward to organizing more of these
campaigns this year.
To find out more about MAWS, visit their website: www.maunanimalwelfare.com
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