Humane Society of the United States Reminder

This thread is brought to you by Calvin Kline's Obsession, for men.

"Nobody will mistake you for normal if you are sporting The Obsession."

What, do I need a standard disclaimer?

I never would have known that. So, there are two seperate groups? The Humane Society (that helps stray animals find homes) and the Humane Society of the United States (which consists of a bunch of freaks)?

Let me get this straight...the kindly spinster at the local shelter is an anti-gun nut?

Never said that Pan.

Yes, they are two distinctly separate groups.

Makes you think twice about donating to the Human Society. I will have to do a background check on them before my donation.

I would recommend to anyone to first look for a new pet at the local animal shelter. HSUS, however, doesn't operate any shelters.

I was sorta kidding around cj...sheesh, can't even do that anymore.

Pan, I wasn't upset with you in the least. This message is a tough one to get across, that's all.

Well...I got it...and it's a good reminder.

Thanks for the reminder that there are 2 distinct groups that some people will want to support, cj.

Do with the information what you wish. It never surprises me to find people on A2K who wish to destroy the American way of life.

Just when I think it's safe to put down the bombast umbrella...

OK I'm gonna quit donating my left over guns to the HSUS. I mean it!

Dys, they just give them to the bears.

seems fair to me

HSUS "tsunami relief" - goes to the dogs. Humans ignored.



HSUS Press Release




quote:
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HSI Veterinary Disaster Teams Work to Collar the Stray Dog Problem in Sri Lanka and Thailand

January 21, 2005
Consi at Field Clinic


The story on January 16 in the Los Angeles Times was a wake-up call for humane relief workers in Sri Lanka. The newspaper reported that government officials had planned to start killing stray dogs in the Ampara province?-a heavily hit eastern region where hundreds of canines roam free, searching for food and shelter?-in an attempt to curb a rabies outbreak in a country already ravaged by death and destruction.

The story was truly news to humane relief teams already on the ground in Sri Lanka, including one sponsored by Humane Society International. Once word of the program reached them, however, members of an animal welfare coalition quickly intervened and convinced the central government to call off the eradication program, which officials had threatened to implement in other regions in Sri Lanka. It's not known exactly how many people in Sri Lanka have contracted rabies, but the LA Times noted one person in the Ampara province was diagnosed with the deadly virus.


Support our efforts to help the animal victims of the tsunami. Donate now.

While the dogs may be out of immediate danger, the threat is far from over; as the Sri Lankan government noted this week, it has no control over small villages, which may opt for culling programs on their own. Plus, the central government was quick to point out, its main concern is the citizens, not the dogs. Any hint of a rabies outbreak could cause the government to reconsider the eradication program.

But even as the story spread among concerned animal lovers, Humane Society International's veterinary disaster team was in flight, on its way to Sri Lanka to begin a vaccination and sterilization program in the affected areas. The team, led by Dr. Eric Davis, director of our Rural Area Veterinary Services, began work on Thursday, January 20, and will stay in Sri Lanka for two weeks. Davis and Lloyd Brown, a member of The HSUS's National Disaster Animal Response Team, immediately started collaborating with a local group, KACPAW, which is part of a multinational, multi-organizational effort to vaccinate dogs in Sri Lanka. They estimate that they've vaccinated more than 4,000 canines to date.

View our slide show on HSI's relief efforts in Asia.

"As there are an estimated 100,000 dogs in the devastated areas, we are in a race against time," says Neil Trent, executive director of HSI. "The HSI team, as well as those of several others animal organizations on the ground, will work feverishly to prevent an outbreak of rabies, and, in turn, to prevent the government from reinstating their plans to kill animals."

HSI Disbursements:

As of Jan. 21, Humane Society International has distributed $72,500 to the affected areas in South Asia, including:

*
$10,000 to the Soi Dog Foundation in Thailand.
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$10,000 for KACPAW in Sri Lanka for rabies vaccinations.
*
$5,000 for Blue Cross of India for immediate relief of pets and livestock.
*
$25,000 to the World Society for the Protection of Animals for tsunami disaster relief.

Most of these dogs have congregated not only along the eastern coastal areas, such as Ampara province, but also along the southern tip of the island; the animals gather wherever humans are?-since people are their primary food source?-and humans are found mostly in refugee camps in these two areas. Despite vast influxes of international humanitarian aid, many of these refugee camps still don't have enough food for the people, let alone the dogs, so it's the latter species that suffers.

But as dogs grow hungrier, some grow more aggressive, striking out at people. While this predominantly Buddhist country will tolerate most behaviors, it apparently has drawn the line at aggressive dogs who could spread a deadly virus in a nation poorly equipped to deal with an outbreak.

"The Sri Lankan government is first and foremost concerned for the welfare of its people," Trent says. "Although there is a dog feeding program in place, inevitably some dogs are still hungry and desperate, and are displaying aggressive behavior towards people. As rabies is present in Sri Lanka, the government is anxious to prevent an epidemic from occurring. The Sri Lankan government would prefer not to begin a 'killing' program. They do realize that our program is the best long-term solution."

Dogs Everywhere

Sri Lanka is not the only government in South Asia to wrestle with a stray dog problem. India, Thailand, and Indonesia have similar issues, and each country appears to have its own solution. Stray dogs in India's southern Tamil Nadu state, for example, have reportedly been rounded up and killed. In Thailand, foreign veterinary teams have been allowed to set up clinics and vaccinate and/or sterilize a homeless dog population estimated to be around 17,000, but like in Sri Lanka, Thai officials may resort to killing dogs.

HSI's veterinary disaster team has been on the ground in Phuket, Thailand since Tuesday, January 18, about a week after HSI Asia Director Sherry Grant toured and assessed the homeless dog problem in the area; the team includes Dr. Leo Egar, leader of RAVS' Native Nation clinics, as well as Consie Von Gontard from RAVS and Melissa Forberg, team leader of the National DART who played a central role in HSUS's hurricane relief efforts in Florida. The team is working with Dr. Rai Arniasih and veterinary technician Nana Prayoga from the HSI-sponsored Bali Street Dogs Foundation. Once in Thailand, they started working with Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket to vaccinate and sterilize animals in the area.

In fact, the efforts in Phuket have been so successful, our team is moving into the northern reaches of Thailand, where the tsunami did even greater damage. On Wednesday, the team traveled about 120 kilometers north to a small fishing village in Khao Lak, where locals had earlier this month rescued a stranded dolphin. The widespread devastation in the area has left an abundance of orphaned dogs who wander through the rubble and scavenge for food.

Our disaster team is working to reintroduce veterinary services in Khao Lak as well as start a spay/neuter program in the area. The latter is important because, as HSI's Trent says, "sterilizations keep dog populations down, and when our teams ultimately leave this area, we don't want dogs producing more litters and creating more fear among government officials who may resort to killing off the animals. The sterilizations not only keep populations low, but they also make the dogs more docile and more friendly to people, which is a plus right now."

A pilot spay/neuter program was launched a few days earlier than HSI's, and it sterilized about 50 dogs in one day. For the next week or so, the HSI team plans to perform as many surgeries a day; the team also plans to treat mange and other canine skin conditions. This is an equally serious problem, Trent says, because "mange is a zoonotic disease that's called scabies when seen in humans. An outbreak of mange could be a death sentence for these dogs, too."

The Scene in Indonesia

In the meantime, HSI Asia's Grant met with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta, Indonesia on ways HSI can help rebuild the veterinary infrastructure that was wiped out from the tsunami. The discussions were preliminary, but HSI may provide financial support to purchase medications and/or equipment; humanitarian aid will likely help rebuild the veterinary structures that were flattened in the Aceh province.

During her time in Indonesia, Grant visited the Aceh province to assess the animal issues there. She discovered there were no animal problems there, because there was nothing left in Aceh. You have read her moving report here.

For more information about Grant's assessment and aid trip to Indonesia, read the joint reports compiled by HSI and World Society for the Protection of Animals.