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from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)
From Goddard Veterinary Group newsletter, Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2002:

from marion chapman, Editor's letter:

"In this issue, we feature Juliette Riddall from the Kennington surgery who has been to Thailand, helping to stem the flow of unwanted kittens who are treated like vermin by the local people and cruelly poisoned."

international news

SOS THAILAND

GVG vet Juliette Riddall is making a difference

Juliette Riddall recently returned from a trip to sunny Phuket, in Thailand, where she neutered around 30-40 dogs and cats every day, for four weeks. That's over 1000 operations. Not much of a holiday, really.

"I went out there as a volunteer with The Atigaro Project," Juliette explains. "We're trying to cut down the number of stray cats and dogs." Thailand is not a wealthy country, and people can't afford to look after cats and dogs, and so these animals become strays, roaming the streets and beaches. Of course the strays breed, and generations of unwanted animals are born. Some of the creatures find refuge in the Buddhist monasteries where the monks feed them, but the majority live a sad life raiding bins and constantly fighting for territory.

They also carry some nasty diseased. "They might look healthy enough, but they're not," according to Juliette. "They've got parasites - internal and external - as well as bacterial and viral diseases. Most worrying is the fact that they carry diseases which can be transferred to humans - rabies, for example."

In their desperation to cull the growing population of strays the local community has been driven to some extreme measures. "They often use baited meats which means a grisly death for the cat or dog, as well as any other creature who takes in the poison - wildlife for example," says Juliette.

The Atigaro Project has established a capture-neuter-release programme, working with the local community and local vets. "While I was there, my operating theatre was usually a simple table on the beach, or under a tree in the temple."

Since Juliette left Thailand, more than seven vets have volunteered their time, and more are on the way. "This has been a great opportunity to spread the word about animal care and welfare - and I hope people will keep supporting the project."

www.thaiwave.com/atigaro

(posted 7941 days ago)

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