GambiCats
Update 10
January
-
June
2003
BEACH DOG BONANZA
At
last, some good news about the
beach dogs!
In
June, after much planning and negotiations, we took a vet, vet nurse and dog
handler to The Gambia to neuter as many beach dogs as we could cope with. In 7
days the total number of dogs
neutered, microchipped and ear notched as a result was 22
- 11 females and 11 males. We actually caught 25 dogs but found 2 females
and 1 male had already been neutered at an earlier time, probably by some
concerned tourists. This demonstrated the need for an identification procedure
for neutered dogs. (An additional 4 cats were also neutered).
The
Team - Carl & Alison, Dodou, Sue and Suzanne
Preparations for the trip began in February when
GambiCats
put forward the Beach Dog Programme proposal to the Gambia Tourist Authority (GTA)
in The Gambia and the UK. The proposal was to neuter as many beach dogs at a
site near the beach, identify them by microchipping, photographs and a notch in
the left ear, give anti rabies injection and release them. The GTA were
supportive and we then had an offer from the Kombo Hotel to use 2 of their rooms
while the hotel was being refurbished. This was vital to the success of the
proposal as the beach dogs would be within walking distance of the 'surgery' and
sedation would not be complicated by the need to transport them any distance.
We were very fortunate in finding a volunteer
vet (Sue) and vet nurse (Suzanne) who were adventurous enough to want to be
involved. Our first meetings were quite amusing. Sue and I bumped into each
other in the dusty wastes behind Kings Cross Station on our way to meet up at
the RVC Beaumont Clinic. Suzanne met us at a local Welsh pub where we spent the
lunch sorting the various veterinary instruments donated to GambiCats
to see which we should take on this trip.
In view of the difficulty experienced when
catching beach dogs we were also very lucky that dog handler Carl Howman, who
has taken part in previous GambiCats'
programmes, was also willing and available to help.
We had to obtain the permission of the Gambian
Veterinary Association to carry out the Programme under the supervision of a
registered Gambian vet - in this case Dr Ceesay who has been our main vet
looking after the hotel cats. The
Department of Livestock Services (DLS) who are responsible for dog control also
had to give their approval.
We requested help from the Gambia Hotel
Association to find a site for operations at the Senegambia end of the beach but
unfortunately none was offered and only 3 of the dogs there could be helped on
this visit.
Foday
& Lamin with sedated dog to be returned to Senegambia area
Finally, with all permissions safely obtained,
help was sought from other organisations to assist with funding and the
supplies ordered. These included
folding cages (for post-operative recuperation), the microchipping equipment,
drugs, instruments, leads, muzzles, a cautery set, an instant camera and Drontal
tablets. Luckily we already had an autoclave and scales in The Gambia and our
advisor, Dr Bakary Touray lent us his Kruuse cradle to support the dogs during
surgery.
So, on June 3rd, we set off with some 50kg of
excess baggage from Gatwick on 3rd June (delayed by the French air traffic
controllers' strike), checked our luggage through UK and Gambian customs and
settled into Bungalow Beach hotel next to the Kombo hotel. We met up with Dr
Ceesay, Dodou and the GambiCats'
assistants and Foday Camara, a dog handler from the DLS.
All had been making preparations for the Programme in advance of our
arrival.
The next day we set up the operating theatre and
recuperation facility in the same 2 rooms that we had used in 1998 on our first
trip to neuter the cats at Kombo and Fajara hotels! Even the faithful head
Housekeeper, Hadi, was there to look after us and organise cleaning the rooms
each day. A good omen indeed.
At last, on Thursday 5th June,
we started to bring in the dogs and establish a pattern of working.
Many were not difficult until a lead had to be put on and a muzzle to
give the sedative injection. This was where the skills of Carl and Foday came
in. Instant photos were then taken before Sue and Suzanne carried out the
operations, gave the anti rabies injection, inserted the microchip and cut a
square notch in the left ear with the help of the cautery set.
The dogs recovered in the cages for however long they needed and were
then released.
Our progress was limited by the number of cages
available for recuperation as well as the time taken to find and bring in the
dogs but we estimated that we had caught all but 2 or 3 on the stretch of the
beach betwen Palm Beach hotel and the Leybato by the end of our stay.
As always, there were surprises. Following a
football match between The Gambia and Senegal there were some riots around
Serekunda and we were advised to stay in the hotel and 'keep a low profile' for
part of the weekend. On a happier note we were invited to celebrate the Official
Birthday of the Queen at the British High Commission!
On Thursday 12 June, after 3 final operations,
we dismantled the surgery and sorted out the remaining supplies for the DLS.
This was completed on Friday morning before leaving for the return flight home.
There will now be a register of the dogs
neutered including their microchip numbers and photos, and a microchip readers
left with Dodou and with Dr Ceesay. We hope in future the square notch in the
left ear will become a widely recognised sign that the dog has been neutered and
vaccinated (similar to the left ear tip of neutered cats). Further proof will be
possible by reading the microchip. This should prevent female dogs being
mistakenly caught for neutering in the future; and help identify new dogs
needing to be neutered. Copies of the enclosed leaflet were distributed as
widely as possible to publicize the programme.
Our grateful thanks to all the team who worked
so hard, to those who supported the Programme both here and in The Gambia and
especially to Dodou who had to juggle the on-going care of the cats as well as
this new Programme and to cope with the day-to-day problems of Gambian life. We
would also like to thank the Battersea Dogs Home, Bayer, the Mayhew Home, the
Beaumont Animals' Hospital, The Gambia Experience, WSPA, the NCDL, Pettrac, and,
as always, SPANA, for all their generosity.
DESPITE
THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM MANY SOURCES FOR THE BEACH DOG PROGRAMME WE ARE IN
DESPERATE NEED OF DONATIONS TO HELP REPLACE THE FUNDS SPENT BY GambiCats.
NEW MEMBERS OF GambiCats
We are very pleased to welcome the Scala
Restaurant and the Tropic Garden as new members of GambiCats. This bring the
number of sites being monitored to 35.
CATS GO HUNGRY DURING SUMMER MONTHS
This year many more hotels were closed and those
open in June were like ghost towns. As a result we are trying to feed cats
around the Kombo area as all hotels are closed there except for Bungalow Beach.
This is in addition to the Palma Rima, Mariatou and Fajara.
ONCE
AGAIN THE CATS ARE RELYING ON US FOR AT LEAST ONE MEAL A DAY - PLEASE HELP
BEWARE OF THE REPTILE FARM!
Our attention has been brought to the Reptile
Farm operating in the south near Gunjur and Kartung. A visitor reports seeing
live kittens in the snake pit and being told by various sources that the owner,
a French man, uses kittens and puppies as live food. We have not been able to check out the story ourselves but
would draw your attention to it and hope that any evidence will be given to
your tour reps and company, as well as the Gambian Wildlife Department at Abuko.
INFORMATION
ABOUT GambiCats
Established
as a registered charity in the UK in 1999 Number 1074870
