IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW South Africa: Saving township dogs from a deadly epidemic

This is a report from International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Campaigns Officer, Lisa Cant-Haylett, who is based in IFAW’s Cape Town, South Africa office.

Just last Thursday, Cape Town newspapers carried front page headlines warning of an outbreak of the often deadly Canine Parvovirus.

Animal welfare groups in the affected areas reported they were being forced to euthanize dozens of sick dogs, while dozens more were being treated for the disease.

As the worst affected areas are only a short distance away from Khayelitsha, where IFAW’s dog and cat project operates, it seemed logical that it would only be a matter of time before Parvo made the jump to the township where the disease would quickly spread among the many immuno-suppressed dogs. As it was, we had two puppies with Parvo brought in on Friday alone – these two pups were immediately quarantined away from the other dogs and, sadly, one of them died over the weekend.

We decided that rather than take a wait-and-see approach, a pre-emptive campaign to vaccinate dogs was essential. Jane Levinson, the clinic co-ordinator, got the ball rolling by making contact with vaccine manufacturers Intervet and distributors Norpharm. In no time they had committed to providing the much needed vaccines at greatly reduced cost, including a number of free doses.

IFAW Rehab'd Penguin spotted in breeding colony 3 yrs after release!

This post was filed by Valeria Ruoppolo, an International Fund for Animal Welfare vet based in Brazil...

The first time we saw penguin IF-0141 was back in May 2006. Together with 194 fellow Magellanic penguins, he had come ashore in the southern tip of Argentina. Victims of an unknown oil spill, the penguins were extremely weak and hypothermic - just moments away from death.

Rescue teams led by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Consejo Agrario Provincial de Santa Cruz (CAP) rushed to the scene and started caring for the birds but the extreme weather conditions at the bottom of the world made the rehabilitation process close to impossible. A critical step towards the penguin’s survival was regaining their feather covering’s waterproofing abilities. Constant exposure to the rehabilitation pools after the oil-cleaning stage is necessary for the rehabilitation to be successful, unfortunately with temperatures ranging from -4° to -14°C (24 to 7° Fahrenheit) teams struggled to keep the indoor pools warm enough and the penguins dry after their swim.

In an urgent bid to save the birds, the provincial government of Santa Cruz and the Argentine Air Force worked with IFAW to airlift 195 penguins to warmer weather up North. On July 11, 2006, the birds arrived to San Clemente del Tuyú home to Fundación Mundo Marino, IFAW’s collaborator in the rescue.

IFAW Russia: Orphan Bear Cubs Prepare for Winter - Soooo Cute

These photos of two orphaned Russian bear cubs were recently taken at the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Bear Rehabilitation Center. The notes below come from our staffer Lena Averianova.

The autumn comes to an end. Ostakh and Gena have grown, they are stronger, and we hope they have already forgotten how their story began.

Beautiful, free animals, just look at photos.

They are now walking in a open-air wooden enclosure, they show the skills and ability to find food and they skillfully climb up trees. Employees at the center sometimes feed the bears apples, for them this is a big delicacy.

These young bears already have the necessary weight and warm fur coats so they are ready to 'lie down' for the winter in a den prepared by IFAW staff.

Everything is well with Ostakh and Gena at the IFAW BRC and now we can wish them: “Kind winter dreams!"

IFAW Staffer Helps in an Unexpected Sea Turtle Rescue

When IFAW Russia's Lena Averianova left for vacation to Thailand, we never thought she would soon be reporting back with an animal rescue! It seems you can leave the job but the job never leaves you. Below is her experience with a one-armed endangered sea turtle that was rescued off a beach in the Island of Phuket.

I recently spent my vacation on Thailand's Phuket Island. As I was enjoying a walk along the Katong beach, I suddenly realized that people were all running to a spot a few meters from where I was. Realizing that something unexpected was happening, I decided to go and have a look. Much to my surprise, I found a big sea turtle there, surrounded by lifeguards that were busy digging out a pool for the turtle to rest in and water-down. It soon became evident that the turtle had been inadvertently pushed out of the ocean by the very big waves that were spread out on the entire coast. The turtle had been visibly struggling to get back but had a hard time because it only had one flipper. How and when the turtle lost its flipper remains a mystery to me but it seemed that she had been able to survive like that for quite a long time.

A lot of tourists surrounded the turtle but no one really understood how careful you have to be around these animals and they soon started taking out their cameras and approached to touch her. I immediately told everyone to step back and that we would need to help her in this time of need, not place extra stress on the animal. I contacted the rescue team and waited there, watering the turtle and feeling nervous for her during 10 minutes while help arrived to where we were. They were soon able to examine the turtle and we placed her in a special basin for transportation. I didn't leave her side until the car left, headed for a suitable holding location where she will be rehabilitated and then hopefully go back to her ocean home.

I've worked in IFAW's Russian office for nearly 8 years now and during that time I've helped many different animals. I was so happily surprised that even when far from my office and country I was again needed to help an animal in distress. I again understood that I'm really doing the work I'm supposed to do. It was also heartwarming to meet people that dedicate their lives to rescuing animals and know that I will find them all over the world.

For more information on the International Fund for Animal Welfare's work around the world, please visit http://www.ifaw.org

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs - Mano Makes a Major Commitment

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

Tuesday: I was in Quebec City enjoying the first snowstorm of the season when I received an email from a southern Ontario firefighter who was teaching a rope rescue course in one of the communities that IFAW’s Northern Dogs services. In his email he said, “I've only been up here a couple of days but I have noticed there are quite a few dogs around and most are pretty skinny… but very friendly. One large, red coloured lab looks like he has mange -- he’s missing much of his chest and under belly fur and his skin looks quite scarred and flakey. He certainly doesn't look like he'll make it through the winter.” His message went on to say that he had seen IFAW’s work on the web and a) wondered if IFAW was still working in the community, b) would appreciate any help that IFAW could give him regarding this particular dog, and c) that he thought what IFAW was doing was great and would love to get involved in some way on his return!

IFAW's Ian Robinson on Releasing Water Buffalo Back into the Wild

Ian Robinson is the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Emergency Relief program director, he recently spent four weeks in India working with our partner organizations and visiting projects…

The mighty Brahmaputra river flows down from the Himalayas and across the breadth of Assam, before entering Bangladesh and emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The heavy monsoon rains bring floods – both a blessing and a curse. Silt washed from the soils of the high Himalayas brings great fertility to the floodplain each year, which not only supports the rice paddies of the human population, but a great wealth of natural flora and fauna, making this area a biodiversity hot spot.

When the floods run high, they drive both people and animals from their homes, seeking the safety of higher ground. On this journey many animals become displaced as they run a gauntlet of human development that surrounds each National Park in the region, and commonly infants get separated from their mothers. Which is how IFAW ended up with two wild buffalo calves to rear, rehabilitate and return to the wild in the first place...

The National Park of Dibru – Sikova is an island entirely surrounded by the Brahmaputra river, an ideal habitat for water loving wild buffalo. Hand reared at our rescue center on the outskirts of Kaziranga National Park, these two young buffalo were transferred a year ago to a large electric fenced release paddock on the island. This move was a feat in itself, with over a hundred people involved in carrying the buffalo, each in a wooden crate supported on long bamboo poles – teams of 20 – 30 people took it in turns to carry the crates the 3km from the boat to the release paddock.

IFAW India: Critically ill leopard treated and released in Assam

This brief update was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's partner the Wildlife Trust of India. Shibani Chaudhury, their General Manager for Communications and Planning penned the post below:

Dinjan (Assam), September 30, 2009: A sub-adult female leopard, found in a critical state on September 9 in Dinjan Military Station, Dibrugarh, Assam, was released in Joypur Reserve Forest last week by the Forest Department, following treatment provided with the assistance of the veterinarians from the Army and IFAW-WTI.

The leopard was found in a ditch within the military station. Dr Anurag Kohli, Lieutenant Colonel and Remote Veterinary Corp, began the treatment immediately. The Army personnel informed the Forest Department authorities.

“The leopard had no external injury, but passed blood stained stool and was vomiting. We suspected it to be a case of feline enteritis. It was sedated to administer the medication. Saline infusion was made as it was dehydrated. It was injected with antibiotics and painkillers, and oral supplements was provided laced in meat chunks. It recovered quite well,” said Dr Abhijit Bhawal, veterinarian of the Mobile Veterinary Services – Upper Assam, run by the Forest Department and IFAW-WTI.

IFAW Canada: Journal of a Heroic 7 Day Veterinary Effort

This post was filed by IFAW's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

Day 1 – Today we headed out from the Guelph area on the first of our two day drive to the inland James Bay Cree communities to run veterinary clinics. Everything you need for a mobile veterinary clinic is packed into one mini van – two anesthetic machines, suture material, surgery packs, vaccinations, intake forms, leashes and collars… you need it for a mobile clinic, we have it! It’s always exciting to head north again, knowing the vets and vet technicians provide a service that isn’t accessible. Many of us take our vet clinic for granted -- where we’re headed, porcupine quills can be a death sentence. For a change, we took the 101 up the Quebec side of Temiskaming. No exciting animal sightings to report but the scenery was beautiful! Nine hours of driving down, six more to go.

Day 2 –Crystal drove up from Ottawa and met Jen and I in the hotel just before a wicked thunderstorm blew in last night. But today is clear…and the temperature is reminding me that I didn’t bring my winter clothes like I’d been told to. It’s always difficult to pack hats and mitts when the temperature at home is hovering around hot. As always, we have to drive a section of road, just before you really feel like you’re leaving the south, where you see dogs tied to dog houses, curled up or straining on their chains. Note to self -- stop and drop off some info on responsible dog ownership. We arrived in our first community at about 2 pm and there were the dogs, doing what they do best -- lounge out front of the house, lie on their porch, hang out at the gas station, or meander through town looking for food, friends, or action. Crystal and I are so used to seeing roaming dogs now but when anyone new is on board, it takes some getting used to.

Taking a compassionate approach to human-elephant conflict

This is an op-ed Written by Jason Bell-Leask, Director - Southern Africa, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

For more information about this translocation please visit www.ifaw.org/helpelephants.

This month will see the end of 10 years of strife between the Phirilongwe elephants and the villagers of Mangochi district, when the elephants are moved to Majete Wildlife Reserve in Chikwawa.

Over the years at least 10 people have been killed by the elephants. But the elephants have also suffered, with some having been killed and many maimed by locals trying to protect themselves and their livelihoods.

The question of what to do with the Phirilongwe elephants has been swirling in political and conservation circles for some years. Mangochi District offers what is described as the best complete package of tourism in Malawi – Lake Malawi National Park, Phirilongwe Forest Reserve and the most beautiful spot on the lake, Cape Maclear – and elephants are part of that mix.

IFAW team arrives in Malawi for epic elephant translocation

Thanks to a partnership between the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the government of Malawi, more than 60 endangered elephants under threat of certain death will be evacuated to safety in a major rescue effort that begins in the southern African country of early next week . The two entities have teamed together with a South African capture team to rescue animals and people from fierce human-elephant conflict in the Phirilongwe area of Malawi, just south of Lake Malawi.

“Some elephants have had their trunks amputated by snares set by local villagers, while others are suffering from wounds caused by bullets, arrows and nail-embedded planks as well as poisoning,” said Jason Bell-Leask, IFAW Director Southern Africa.

At least 10 people and a number of elephants have been killed as increasing human populations have destroyed habitat for the endangered animals and forced them to eat crops or damage the granaries of the local, mostly subsistence farmers. Neil Greenwood, IFAW spokesperson on the ground in Malawi, noted that upon discussion with local villagers about the elephant move, "they had grins from ear to ear, saying that they will be able to lead normal lives once the elephants are gone.”