Today Animal Nepal and AWNN, with the help of Balkhu police station, rescued four parrots and a puppy from India bird smugglers. The parrots were taken to Animal Nepal's animal sanctuary while the puppy was adopted by kind police officers.

The parrots and puppy were kept in tiny cages. The birds were being sold on the streets of Kathmandu, while the puppy was destined to be smuggled to India, to be sold there as a 'Himalayan breed'. Roots and Shoots and Animal Nepal rescued 42 such puppies in December last year.

The parrots are being rehabilitated at Chobar Animal Sanctuary. The police officers decided to adopt the puppy, which now guards the police station of Balkhu.

A baby monkey which was kept in a tiny cage as part of an 'educational mini zoo' by Anal Jyoti Boarding School (Sunakothi) has been rescued by Roots and Shoots Nepal. After receiving vaccinations at Animal Nepal's animal sanctuary, the rescuers took the monkey to its new home at the R&S rehab centre in Nagarkot.

The baby monkey was kept in a small cage, together with some birds and rabbits, 'to educate the children about the importance of animals', according to school authorities. After regular visits by Animal Nepal staff, the school management agreed to hand over the monkey. The pet monkey was self harming and showed aggressive behaviour.

Although the monkey probably cannot be rehabilitated in the wild, it now has a large enclosure, hopefully shared with other monkeys in the future.

Today we rescued Hari, a young dog whose leg was badly broken and infected after an accident. We had been trying to find him since many days; despite his injury Hari moved around a lot in his village Harisiddi. Hari will first receive anti biotics to bring the infection down. After that a splint will be put to straighten his leg.  We wish him a speedy recovery!

A video can be watched here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qmx41BwZqk

A dog suffering from an advanced stage of Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) has been rescued by us today. We call her Asha (Hope) and are trying our utmost to save her life. Asha used to live in front of Nabil Bank, Pulchowk. Since she is too weak to be given chemo treatment immediately we first boost her immune system with hydration, anti biotics and vitamins. 

Watch a video of Asha here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pz2g0seTVg

Today Brigitte Blot, who travelled with her two donkeys throughout France and Spain and produced three books about her travels, visited Animal Nepal. Together with film maker Patrick Kersale she is working on a book and film about donkeys in Nepal. She wanted to meet the rescued equines at the donkey sanctuary and also observed and filmed donkeys at work in a nearby brick factory. Brigitte and Patrick will travel with a ‘mule train’ in the Himalayas and might even visit the equine bazaar of Nepalgunj. We wish them happy travels!

Animal Nepal today fed 13 starving donkeys at Shiva Shakti Brick Factory. By the time we heard about the hungry equines, 9 donkeys had already died from starvation. They were kept in an unventilated room covered in feaces. Their hoofs were already infected.

Animal Nepal has reported the case with the police. It seems the donkeys were kept as a bond when their Rolpa-based owner owned money from the brick entrepreneur. Animal Nepal is abhorred by the treatment meted out to the innocent animals. 

The donkeys have been moved to an airy shelter and receive daily rations. 

Watch a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqT-tiW1HV0

Today we rescued Buddy, a malnourished working horse with a hoof so badly overgrown, it could hardly walk. In our equine outreach programme we regularly come across such horses. Injured or sick, their owners leave them to fend for themselves. 10-year old Buddy worked in a brick factory for many years. After developing a hoof problem, he was left to graze in a nearby field.

By the time his owner handed him over to us, Buddy’s hoof was so badly overgrown, he could hardly walk.  At our sanctuary, the starving horse was fed and his hoof was trimmed.  Gentle Buddy showed his gratefulness by nudging his rescuers, Dr Sudeep, Santosh and Tek Bhandari.

Each year, during Kukur Tihar or Dog Worship, Animal Nepal honours the dogs at its shelter and pets brought by friends. On October 25, mangy dog Lalu was the first to be garlanded and feted on a boiled egg and sweets. According to Animal Nepal, Kathmandu’s pet and stray dogs continue to live a life of neglect and abuse. “Kukur Puja is a perfect occasion to promote responsible pet ownership in Nepal. Dogs on this day are worshipped and treated well – something we like to see happening every day of the year,” says programme manager Krishna Singh.

In the presence of 25 well wishers board member Shobha Rajamayi launched two booklets on the care of puppies and adult dogs, Animal Nepal will use these in its community education programme to increase people’s understanding of nutrition, treatment and general management of dogs. 

Two weeks ago we received an email from Lalitpur resident Soan KC which said: “During the Dashain holidays, I saw three street dogs familiar to me die in my area (a vehicle ran over one and the two died of illness such as prostate gland problems). There are more than fifty street dogs in Dholahity requiring rescue and assistance from us and hence, I make a request for a camp to help these needy animals. The urgent need at this moment is rabies vaccination and operation on female dogs to stop their breeding.”

Today, with the help of Soan and her friends, we vaccinated 23 dogs and treated two dogs. We also rescued a severely malnourished, hairless dog and caught female dogs for spaying. Soan KC uploaded a photo essay on Facebook which she dedicated to the members of Animal Nepal for "showing me the path and assuring that those who can’t express can be understood and taken care of ...... one of the most productive days of my life.....”

The photos can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.838812476351.2269541.44011428&type=3

Rescued cat Shuri at first was frightened by the many puppies pouncing on him at the Chobar Animal Sanctuary, but by now he has learned how to deal with unwanted attention. Dozing off on roof tops, tables and little chairs make a pleasant change from all the playing!

Today we celebrated World Rabies Day by vaccinating close to 100 dogs with the support of DLSO Lalitpur. We drove from Sato Bato to Taukhel and vaccinated all dogs along the way. We distributed countless leaflets on rabies and dog bite prevention to communities in Dapakhel, Hatiban, Harisiddi and Taukhel.

We also vaccinated all dogs inside the campound of Kanti Children's Hospital. We want to make sure the young patients and their families are safe from rabies.

Thank you everyone who helped us make this programme a success!

As Animal Nepal's donkey sanctuary is getting over populated we are always on the look out for adoption families. Earlier this month our board member Shobha Rayamaji committed herself to adopting one horse (Jugal) and two of our donkeys (Champa and Sanu). Shobha's farm is located in Nawalparasi, a ten hour drive from Kathmandu.

Today our staff Dr Sudeep, Tek Bahadur and Keshab loaded the equines in a Tata truck and set off for the farm. Upon their arrival the equines were checked by a team from Mayhew International, who were conducted a training at Rampur Veterinary College. Jugal was treated for a minor health problem, while Sanu and Champa were found to be in good condition. The threesome enjoys its new home, with more space, fodder and personal attention.

Empowering young professionals is essential in Nepal. Few (student) vets get the chance to learn practical skills in treatment and surgery. Few realise animal welfare can be a deserving career.

This week, Mayhew International and Animal Nepal organised a series of workshop on good handling and surgery practices. Mayhew trainers Dr Ursula Goetz and Felicity Forbes demonstrated spaying surgeries, explaining the process from the moment the dog receives its pre op check up till it wakes up and checked with a post op check up.

We organised a two day workshop for welfare professionals. One day student workshops were held at HICAST college in Bhaktapur and IAAS college in Rampur. We hope to organize such trainings on an ongoing basis in the future. Thank you Dr Ursula and Felicity!

Animal Nepal is deeply upset by the recent strychnine poisoning of around 200 community dogs by Bhaktapur municipality. AN lobbies for a total ban on dog poisoning and condemns authorities which continue to use inhumane, dangerous and ineffective methods to address overpopulation.

The images of ‘man’s best friend’ dying a slow and agonizing death are heart rendering and deeply traumatizing for children and other members of the public.

What is even more shocking is that the strychnine poison was provided by the Zoonoses Unit of Epidemiology Disease Control Division (EDCD), the government body in charge of mass vaccination campaigns funded by animal welfare organizations.

Animal Nepal wants to thank Bhaktapur Animal Welfare Society (BAWS) for saving and euthanizing some of the dogs and standing up against the local government.

Our staff this week join BrickClean Network (BCN) representatives to promote ‘clean and green bricks’ at the Real Estate Expo. BCN encourages developers, builders, architects and other visitors in choosing the right bricks to build ‘a clean and green Valley, brick by brick’. Over 2000 people visited the BCN stall.

BCN at the expo will display images of brick factory workers and provide information about where to buy the right kind of bricks. Concerned about the plight of the workers and environmental degradation, the network aims to promote socially responsible brick making. BCN has introduced a certification system in which brick factories are rated according to various indicators.

BCN was created by a group of social workers, environmentalists, child rights and animal rights advocates working in brick factories in the Kathmandu Valley. 

Each year in Khokana a cruel ritual takes place. A live goat is thrown into a pond and bitten to death by a group of youngsters. The person who kills the goat with his teeth is considered a ‘hero’ and leads the procession.

Animal Nepal since two years organizes camps in the weeks before the sacrifice takes place, to raise awareness and to convince the community to stop the cruel practice. This year during a health camp for pets and strays, our team vaccinated and treated 30 dogs. Although the camps are highly appreciated, sadly the ritual was not stopped this year. 

Animal Nepal is shocked to find that each year 100-300 Indian equines are employed in Kathmandu brick factories. The equines come from Nanpura in Uttar Pradesh, India, a small town located at a 22 km distance from Nepalgunj (Nepal).  

Nanpura equine owners have strong connections with the Nepalgunj community. If the imported equine is part of a herd it will enter Nepal through the official route. However, smaller numbers are smuggled across the border. Brokers charge IRs 1000 per donkey to provide a Nepali custom paper and a veterinary certificate.

At Nanpura during off season all equines are in abandoned in the street; no owner has a proper shelter for equines. The municipality runs a Kanji House where confiscated equines are kept but charges only IRs 50 per donkey so owners do not mind paying the occasional fines.

During a series of mobile health camps, 18 equines were treated by a visiting Animal Nepal team on an ongoing basis in Nepalgunj. Most sick equines suffered from open wounds, eye or ear infections, hoof problems or weakness due to malnutrition and pyometra in females. Sadly one foal could not be saved.

Dr Sudeep and technician Radhika together treated the badly infected ear of a male white donkey. After repeated visits the ear healed, providing much relief to the donkey and its owner. 

Our staff Dr Sudeep Koirala and Krishna Singh are presently conducting a series of workshops and mobile health camps to support the Nepalgunj team, Dr Prativa Shrestha, Surendra Karki and Radhika Poudel.

During a workshop with equine owners, participants were encouraged to form a group to stand united. The group calls itself Gadha, Ghoda and Khachhar Vavasai Sameeti (Horse, Mule and Donkey Owners’ Committee). Interactive meetings were held with government and media representatives.

This year we found that our education and lobbying activities are paying off and that conditions are generally improving. Our team noticed that the shelters of mules and horses have been improved and better medical care and nutrition is provided.

Animal Nepal earlier this year honoured Mr Indra Tuladhar from Bungamati Itha Udyog for producing ‘clean and green’ bricks using Chinese technology.

We urges other brick producers to follow the example and eliminate environmental pollution as well as the exploitation of working children and equines. “The industry has the technology and the resources to stop the production of ‘blood bricks’; all it needs is the right kind of motivation,” said Krishna Singh, programme manager at Animal Nepal.

Animal Nepal’s gesture is supported by Dutch Party for the Animals member Martin Schoenmakers. Together with Animal Nepal Volunteer Director Lucia de Vries he offered a certificate and gifts to the clean bricks producer.  

Read the Nepali Times write up here: 

http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/2011/02/04/LifeTimes/17910

Dr Sudeep Koirala, veterinary manager of our equine outreach programme, managed to save the life of Anna, a 14-year old female donkey whose uterus prolapsed when giving birth to a dead foal. Dr Sudeep first cleaned the uterus using povidone iodine. He then proceeded by providing a painkiller and antibiotics injection. After that he slowly and carefully pushed the uterus back in, blocking the exit with a bottle until everything was back in place. 

Once the uterus was in its original position the mother donkey was able to relax. “I had been working intensively for a few hours on this challenging job, and only when the donkey felt fine I could relax as well,” says Sudeep. 

Animal Nepal treated a total of 2049 equine cases in 13 brick factories the period January-June. This revealed our latest quarterly report. A total of 507 working equines were immunized and dewormed. Most common health problems treated are harness and hobble wounds, mineral deficiency, dermatitis, eye infections and lameness. A total of 27 donkeys were reported to have died in our working area during this season.

Our staff organized four workshop of equine management for equine owners in which they were taught about preventive health care, shelter management, wound treatment and credit analysis.

Although the suffering of donkeys, mules and horses working in Kathmandu’s brick factories remains overwhelming, we are happy to conclude that the presence of wounds and injuries in our working area has reduced significantly.

Both are regarded as outcasts by society. They live side by side on the streets of Kathmandu and face similar challenges. Perhaps that is why they have a special relationship: street children and stray dogs.

In a unique program set up by Sangkalpa, Heart Beat and Animal Nepal, street children are taught how to take care of dogs. In this program, coordinated by our education officer Sushma Maharjan and artist Mike Lilly, we teach children how to better interact with dogs and to see that they are not mistreated.

During a visit Chobar Animal Sanctuary the kids were given demonstrations by our staff. They toured the facilities and took the dogs for a walk. The children learned simple commands, and the correct way to walk the dog. At the conclusion the young visitors were given sketchbooks to share their impressions, followed by sports activities and lunch.

Animal Nepal received NRs 10,000 and a box of medicines from supporters of SEA Nepal, Ms Marie-Helene Duprat and Jocelyne Vitart. In the past Animal Nepal helped treating needy dogs found in the locality of SEA Nepal’s children’s home. The medicines were handed over by SEA Nepal’s associate Hari. Among the medicines were Betadine, gloves, sterile gauzes, masks and ear medicine. Thank you Marie-Helene, Jocelyne and Hari!

Animal Nepal today organized an interaction programme on stray cow management in Kathmandu Valley at the Lalitpur Sub Metropolitan City office. Being faced with injured cows on a weekly basis, Animal Nepal lobbies for improved management of abandoned cows which roam the city streets.

Occasionally stray cows are rounded up and left on an undisclosed location outside the valley. Representatives from three municipalities and DLSO brainstormed on possible solutions. Some of the strategies discussed were tagging of owned cows, assigning a budget and opening cow shelters.

An alliance has been formed which plans to develop a 5 year management plan. The next meeting will be organized by Kathmandu municipality.

American artist Mike Lilly has teamed up with Animal Nepal and Pledge Nepal to organise a one month art exhibition featuring recent works that highlight the interaction between humans and animals. The show was opened today by Dr Kevin Rushing, USAID Mission Director, at Chai Chai Gallery.

Mike Lilly is an American artist who moved to Nepal in 2008. He did his MFA at San Fransisco Art Academy. Since arriving in Kathmandu he worked as a Visual Art Coordinator at Ullens School. These days his aim is to empower children in need. Lilly’s recent work focuses on animals. “I got inspired by the work of my wife at Animal Nepal, an organization that reaches out to working donkeys and their child handlers, as well as stray dogs and cows.”

Today USAID Mission Director Dr Kevin Rushing visited Animal Nepal and made a tour of our sanctuaries. Dr Rushing is a veterinary doctor with a great interest in animal welfare activities in Nepal. He handed over a state of the art surgery table and two operation light sets to vet coordinator Dr Surendra Basyal. Dr Rushing also handed over boxes of various medicines and instruments to Volunteer Director Pramada Shah. Thank you Dr Rushing!

Today we witnessed the birth of Victory, the first foal to be born at our donkey sanctuary. Victory is a gorgeous white foal whose proud mother is Bruna, whom we rescued on March 5. Bruna at that time was pregnant and suffered from a lame front leg and refused to work, which was why she was abandoned by her owner. Fearing a miscarriage, Animal Nepal rescued the donkey. Mother and foal are doing very well.

Today when we arrived at our central office at Ekantakuna, we found that an injured dog had been abandoned inside our storeroom. The female puppy, now called Sathi (friend) suffers from an old fracture, with dysfunction, local trauma, abnormal posture and crepitus. We took Sathi to our consultant vet, Dr Balaram Thapa, who fixed a pin inside the broken leg. We wish Sathi a speedy recovery!

Today we rescued an emaciated mother dog from Pulchowk. She had given birth to six puppies, are of whom were adopted. Left without pups the mother dog’s breasts started to fill up with milk and she developed mastitis. She is now reunited with three of her puppies at our sanctuary and will be spayed and vaccinated once the puppies can eat independently.