World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day 28th September 2020
We were very excited to have been invited by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), the leading international rabies non-profit organization, to organize an anti-rabies event on World Rabies Day. World Rabies Day was a crucially important day in the animal welfare calendar.
We were one of two Thai NGOs to participate in this event and joined many organizations around the world to help eradicate this killer virus. The Thai Government estimated that 16% of animals were infected with rabies.
Our 5-person team comprised 2 members of our local Government Livestock Department and 3 Outreach Team members. The Livestock Department kindly donated 100 rabies vaccines for our event, registered as the Thailand and Temple Street Dogs Anti Rabies Vaccination Drive.
Our target was to vaccinate 200 stray and Temple dogs over our 2-day event on 27 and 28 September. These unvaccinated dogs typically lived on the roadside and in temples, covering a 100-kilometre radius where animal welfare was scant. Our Outreach Manager surveyed this area and contacted the dogs' feeders to enlist their help.
Estimates suggested that over 5.5 billion people lived with the daily risk of rabies, with 59,000 deaths every year. Over 95% of these deaths occurred in Africa and Asia, with the majority resulting from rabid dog bites. Around half of the people who died were children.
We Achieved Our Goal to Vaccinate 220 Dogs and Cats Against Rabies Over 2 Days!
Our first #WorldRabiesDay Event was a great success. All 4 people in our team worked incredibly hard to vaccinate 60 cats and 40 dogs, making a total of 100 animals and their community safe from this killer virus.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to those generous supporters who donated to help make the day a great success.
We set off early for the 120 km round trip near the Myanmar border. The local pet owners in this area received very little help, and the nearest vet was 40 km away. Our work showed how badly our support was needed, not only with vaccinations but also with neutering.
We visited 5 houses, some down bumpy tracks and others down windy roads surrounded by coconut groves and rubber trees. A few of the houses had 30 cats, some had 15, and all the houses had over 10 dogs.
In addition to vaccinating, we also gave de-tick and de-worm treatment to many of the animals and tended to a few minor wounds.
The next day, we headed off in the opposite direction for our 2nd #WorldRabiesDay event. A total of 100 dogs and 20 cats were vaccinated against rabies, making a total of 220 animals who are now safe from this killer virus.
We were joined by a small team from the local Livestock Department, who provided free neutering for locals' dogs and cats as their contribution to #WorldRabiesDay.
This area had large groups of dogs and cats living in temples, beaches, a factory, and a port where they had been born or abandoned. Their feeders, including nuns, restaurant owners, fishermen, and security guards, helped us keep these animals stress-free while being vaccinated. Take a look at how they helped us make the day a true community event.
We were happy to have played a small part in helping to keep many dogs, cats, and humans safe from rabies over the next year. Our contribution to help eradicate rabies won't stop here. We will continue to vaccinate all dogs we treat and care for in temples and on the streets and beaches against this killer virus.
