People & Animals Thailand (PAT), an initiative under the umbrella of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, is making strides in the battle against street animal overpopulation and the spread of rabies in the region.
Since the beginning of the year, PAT has treated over 1,500 animals at their state-of-the-art sterilisation and vaccination clinic situated between Hua Hin and Cha Am.
Set up to specifically address the growing issue of street cats and dogs, the clinic boasts a purpose-built operating theatre with modern anaesthesia and surgical equipment.
Credit: WFFT-Amy Jones
The expert team at PAT is able to desex and vaccinate approximately 300 animals every month, implementing minimally invasive surgical techniques. This approach not only speeds up the process but significantly reduces the risk of post-operative complications.
This surge in numbers represents more than just statistics. Each figure underscores a life substantially improved, potentially spared from the hardships of street living or the risk of disease transmission.
Collaborating closely with local villages and community members, the dedicated team at PAT ventures from one village to another, regularly surveying vast areas of Cha-am.
This helps to ensure that as many animals as possible are both sterilised and vaccinated. And outreach doesn’t end there. The team also provides medical aid to sick and injured animals they come across during their rounds.
One of PAT’s humane approaches to the overpopulation issue involves sterilising street animals and then safely returning them to their original locations on the same day. This method minimizes potential problems and maximizes animal welfare. Additionally, the PAT team actively collects and analyzes data on each animal’s condition as they enter the clinic.
Credit: WFFT-Amy Jones
PAT is also making efforts to raise awareness about a pressing concern: the misuse of human contraceptive injections on female dogs. These injections can have detrimental side effects, including the risk of pyometra – a life-threatening womb infection.
Edwin Wiek, Founder and Director of WFFT said:
“We’re so thrilled that PAT is back to help the people and stray and community animals of Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan. The tragic reality is that countless puppies and kittens are born into short and often miserable lives on the streets. CNVR (Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return) is certainly the most humane method to reduce the population, whilst also improving the welfare of existing stray populations. We’re so grateful to Dogs Trust Worldwide for enabling us to kick-start this important and life-saving project once more, and we are counting on local support to help continue this project. Every donation, whether monetary or clinic items, helps us do more. We are working systematically, going from village to village, to ensure widespread sterilisation and vaccination coverage. Every community member: feeders, health volunteers, animal carers, village chiefs and many more are so critical to the success of the project, and we are thankful for every collaboration to help improve the lives of both People and Animals.”
For more information or to donate to help more homeless animals, go to https://www.peopleanimalsthailand.org
Images: WFFT / Amy Jones
Credit: WFFT-Amy Jones