OUTREACH PROGRAMS; THE KASUNGU SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC

All CreaturesAnimal Welfare League, with the kind support of The Humane Society International and Alice Morgan Wright Edith-Goode, on 3^rd November 2016, conducted a free “Spay and Neuter” clinic in Kasungu. This was done in collaboration with Kasungu Elephants Fund and was aimed at reducing the number of stray dogs around the National Park. The team from All Creatures was comprised of four vets, a vet nurse, an education officer and the driver and they arrived in Kasungu at 9am where they were welcomed by a veterinary officer who was waiting along with some beneficiaries and their dogs who had arrived early. The team was given two huts, one in which to store their equipment and another, a shed under which they were to conduct the operations. The team was prepared to operate on a maximum of 15 dogs, and so they set up the tables, hung a banner and were ready to go!

Once the set up was done, the team begun registering the dogs present and the started out the operations, beginning with the female dogs. It was quite the adventure when one dog owner only announced after the vets had already cut open and found out that the dog was pregnant but the owner insisted that she be neutered none the less! That one operation alone took nearly an hour thirty minutes due to the unique nature of the job, but was successfully completed to the joy of the dog owner and the team!

The people in Kasungu were very happy to be the recipients of the service, some even driving all the way to town which is an hour away to pick up their dogs so that they would not miss out on the wonderful service. The team from Kasungu was just so helpful, from publicizing the event on behalf of All Creatures to preparing lunch for everyone including the beneficiaries, and giving everyone snacks to providing utensils among many other things, they also helped by monitoring anaesthetized dogs. The team from Kasungu also coordinated the visit by the All Creatures Humane Educationteam at Kaswanchenje Primary School with an estimated attendance of 1000 pupils.

The team from All Creatures started off for home at 5pm, immediately after having a late lunch having spayed and neutered 14 dogs. The demand for the types of services that All Creatures offers is great in Kasungu, in addition to spaying and neutering, the team also administered free rabies vaccines, and treated dogs from minor ailments such as ear wounds. Many of the people from Kasungu requested that All Creatures should return soon with more like services.