IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

IFAW Haiti: Lassie Gets Lucky

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

In the morning, our vet met the team in the camp, and we proceeded to journey down into Port-au-Prince, Haiti...we took a brief stop at the tent city we had scheduled the afternoon to introduce our vet and ensure that the residents were ready to bring their animals to us for aid when we returned later that afternoon...

Our next stop was at the village where Dik the dog lives on Lilavois Street in the neighborhood of Bon Repos. His owner Keith was happy to see us, and our vet was able to asses his condition...when the building he was in collapsed during the earthquake...rubble must have fallen on his spine...and while he has no detectable fractures...his spine was injured...our veterinarian, Dr. Thomas, administered anti-inflamatory medication and steroids to help Dik heal...his owner thanked us and we moved on...

The day prior we had made arrangements to meet with a villager who was to bring 50 dogs to a location we had been working in...we arrived in the manner of the traditional Haitian appointment (read: 40 minutes or so after the agreed to time)...the villager didn't arrive...however there was a person who said there were six dogs in a house nearby that needed attention...

We arrived at what once had certainly been an attractive set of four houses...with wonderful mature plantings...and architecture, but had clearly been neglected over time and partially destroyed the earthquake...here we found "Lassie"...she came when called...and after a moment of scurrying around....showed us all a terrible embedded wire wound in her neck...

The team quickly set up a field station where "Lassie" was tranquilized, her wound was cleaned and prepped for stitching...once she was treated, vaccinated and given a nutritional boost...Dick Green said, "Lassie is one lucky dog, if we hadn't stopped here...she would have been dead within a week, there were maggots already in the lesion..."

We finished our work for the day and headed back to our camp...another long day...but the people whose animals we treat are genuinely grateful...

We're still working on the video featuring Dik the dog, look for it to come up on the blog soon...

IFAW Haiti: A Long but Valuable Day for Animals

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

The ARCH team started the day with a call from the vet who was to help us with the treatment for the Dik, dog we met the day before, she told us the meeting wasn't going to happen...not to worry, we have arranged for our trusted contact in the Haitian government who is also a vet to help us tomorrow, stay tuned for the video we hope to bring you of that encounter...

We spent the rest of this morning returning to a village where we had
been the day prior to vaccinate additional animals we were scheduled to meet...along the way, we watched as locals began a scramble to keep a food truck from leaving their area...some of these desperate folks began climbing up the back of the moving truck...it was quite a scene...

After tending to all the dogs and cats in need of aid in that area..at
mid-day the team moved on, discovering a road-side enclave with
"beaucoup de chien" or many dogs...some of which were in dire
need...including one small flea ridden stray pup amid some rubble...after asking around...we could find no owner...however he was staying with a family in the village...we treated the pup for a leg
injury and he was given the usual regimen...

The ARCH team will deploy tomorrow to tend to more animals, including those residing in a "tent city" where earthquake refugees are taking shelter until the threat of aftershocks subsides and they can rebuild...more tomorrow...
 
For more information, please visit, www.ifaw.org

IFAW Haiti - The Work for Animals Continues in Port-au-Prince

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) J.C. Bouvier who is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working with the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) teams.

Yesterday, ARCH teams were again hard at work, helping dozens more animals from several Port-au-Prince communities...in the morning of the 29th, the ARCH coordinating team leader and IFAW Emergency Relief Manager Dick Green met with a top official from the Haitian Ministry of the Environment...while IFAW, ASPCA and AHA staff deployed into some of the harder hit areas...over the course of this 48 hour period dozens more animals were helped with vaccinations, flea baths and nutritional supplements...

Today, the 30th, the teams found a badly injured dog named Dik, whose owner says he had been in a building with a seven year old boy when the earthquake struck...although injured, Dik was able to be pulled from the rubble...When we inquired about the boy's situation, the owner said that despite every effort, the boy didn't survive... 

After evaluating the Dik's injuries, a plan was set to bring full veterinary support to Dik's aid tomorrow...stay tuned for a video update on Dik's situation...

For more information on IFAW's efforts, please visit http://bit.ly/arbhaiti

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 Haiti: Responders Land on the Ground

This report was filed from Port-au-Prince, by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's (IFAW) ER Communications Officer Michael Booth who is on the ground working with the IFAW/WSPA led Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) to help the animals abandoned, injured and in need.

After a few days of preparation in the Dominican Republic, we landed in Toussaint Louverture airport at 9:20 am local time in Haiti. During the 1-hour flight aboard a small fixed-wing aircraft, we caught a glimpse of the devastation from the air, it wasn’t just the collapsed buildings that caught our eye, but also the masses of displaced people congregating on the streets and living in huge ‘tent cities’ scattered around Port-au-Prince...

The airport was packed full of Emergency Response teams including helicopters from the US marines, humanitarian groups and a huge UN contingent. We were dropped off in the middle of a grass field next to the runway. Our first, very unexpected, challenge was to find a way carry all our bags and supplies to the airport terminal without getting in the way of cargo planes moving left and right.

We entered a dark, powerless airport and quickly got our passport stamps. The first signs of the earthquake’s fury were visible all across the airport’s cracked walls. There was no time to linger though, Dr. Thomas was picking us up outside to head over to a meeting with Dr. Max Millien the Haitian Minister of Animal Health. In normal circumstances, one would’ve had to head to the city center for these meetings, but like so many buildings there, Dr Millien’s office was under several feet of debris, completely wiped out.

In the interim, several Ministries were setting up in private buildings used as temporary emergency operating centers to hold critical meetings, and this was one such meeting. Some of the agreed upon priorities include prevention of disease outbreaks, and also to help farmers get back on their feet and kick-start the collapsed Haitian economy. The government is grateful for the outpouring of support from IFAW and all the members of the coalition and it was a very productive planning meeting.

 From there we headed to the city center. Among the collapsed building we spotted several dogs and one cat all looking for food, for comfort. They all look pretty undernourished, many were exhibiting signs of disease or injury. Many were traumatized and moved away from us, but when we could the vets provided initial care.

Walking among the wreckage and misery that is Port-au-Prince is nothing one can get used to. Coming back to our base at night, we were inspired by a mass prayer ceremony held at one of the ‘tent cities’. Haitians were dancing and signing, desperately trying to find the peace and the strength to carry on. An entire country is in pain, it’s visible and palpable everywhere you go. Thanks to our supporters, we are here, now, to lend a hand, to assist both humans and animals and bring relief to Haiti.

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For more information and to donate please visit www.ifaw.org.

IFAW Team Begins Move into Haiti

This brief post was written by the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Deputy Director of Programs A.J. Cady, who is overseeing the deployment of IFAW and ARCH teams into Haiti.

Early this morning, I was able to get a quick update from Dr. Ian Robinson and Michael Booth, both members of IFAW’s emergency response team, which has freshly landed on the ground in the Dominican Republic. The team has been anxiously awaiting permission to enter Haiti and is thrilled to report they will moving into Haiti tonight. Additional members are set to follow by air tomorrow.

Our first priority will be meeting with Haitian government representatives in the capital of Port-au-Prince and begin finalizing a plan for ongoing aid.

When I spoke with Michael, he was keen to convey the magnitude of the issue on the ground. IFAW is currently staying in an area which is flooded with relief workers of agencies originating from all corners of the world. There’s a strong sense of purpose and everyone is grateful for the outpouring of support from the international community.

As IFAW’s Emergency Relief Communications Lead, Michael will be working to keep everyone up to date on our efforts and any needs or urgent challenges, so be sure to watch for updates via email and through our Facebook and Twitter pages.

We are working closely with the World Society for the Protection of Animals in the continuing coordination of the Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti and will also be sure to immediately update you on coalition progress as soon as the news comes in. I am quite sure there will be many sad sights to see, but our hope is that we will also be able to report back to you on many happy endings.

Thanks to all of our supporters for their generous donations and for helping us bring aid to the animals struck by this disaster.

A.J. --

For more information on the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s efforts on the ground in Haiti, please visit www.ifaw.org.

IFAW Germany: A Visual Protest to Help Save Elephants

This post was filled by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's press officer in Germany, Andreas Dinkelmeyer.

Let's save the elephants! Early on Tuesday we left Hamburg for Berlin, the capital of Germany, in the high speed train. We had prepared an action to visualize how many elephants die per day. In the days to the action we prepared 416 elephant footprints, a huge banner and our petition elephant. In the very heart of Berlin, in front of Brandenburg Gate, we wanted to make the public and politicians aware of the plight of the elephants.

As soon as we had set up, people came up to us, asking what this was all about and eagerly signed our petition elephant, a wooden, live size elephant with our call to end ivory trade. Soon several MP’s also came to visit us and the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the countries heavily affected by elephants poaching. Both, MP’s and Ambassador voiced their support for our action and for the elephants and agreed that the German government needs to arrive at a firm position against ivory trade for the next CITES conference in March 2010. The German government has a special responsibility as Germany played a key role during the last CITES Conference in The Hague, forging an agreement that four southern African countries could sell their ivory stockpiles. The stockpile sale ignited even more elephant poaching.

It made a quite impressive picture, the hundreds of footprints in front of Brandenburg Gate, a stones throw from the German parliament. We got many admiring remarks from Germans and tourists alike, commending our work to protect the elephants.

The only lasting solution is an end to all ivory trade, only then will these gentle giants of the savannas be able to live in peace.

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For more information on how you can help IFAW help elephants, please visit IFAW.org

IFAW Dubai: "Fernando" now "Gizmo" Finds Loving Home

This update from Dubai came in today, our pal "Fernando" has been reborn and is now living with a loving family...Thanks to all for the continued support. J.C. - IFAW

"I quickly snapped off some pix of our very spoiled much loved boy for you. They are not wonderful and I would have loved to have got some of him running around outside – but I hope these will suffice...

Gizmo our 2.8 legged dog lives with 1 cat, 1 dog, a chinchilla and sleeps in Brianna’s bed at night!

What a gift having him live with us!"

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