A one-eyed stray pet in Thailand has turn out to be the millionth animal to be neutered and vaccinated by the animal welfare organisation Soi Dog Foundation.
Aptly named ‘Million’, the homeless puppy was taken in by one of the foundation’s mobile sterilisation groups after she was found on the streets of Nakhon Si Thammarat, and soon after became the millionth animal to pass by way of its large-scale spay/neuter and vaccination programme since its founding in 2003. It is the primary time in historical past that this number of stray animals has been neutered and vaccinated by a single organisation.
Soi Dog Foundation co-founder and president John Dalley MBE said…
“This unimaginable achievement merely wouldn’t have been potential without the support of our donors around the globe.”
He added…
“Dogs like Million deserve so much better than to be born into short lives of suffering on the streets. It is and has always been, our mission to get to the root reason for that struggling via sterilisation, and we are grateful to have supporters who wholeheartedly consider in that mission too.”
John and his late spouse Gill, who hail from Yorkshire, UK, established the Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket so as to handle the overpopulation of stray dogs – generally known as ‘soi’ dogs – after retiring to the Thai island in 2003. From humble beginnings, it has steadily grown to become the biggest stray animal welfare organisation in Southeast Asia and this 12 months celebrates its twentieth anniversary.
The foundation’s spay/neuter and vaccination programme – often identified as its CNVR (Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return) programme – has been on the forefront of its work from the very start. The CNVR strategy is widely recognised as probably the most humane and effective method of decreasing the overpopulation of stray animals and stemming the unfold of illnesses, including rabies.
John said…
“In our first three months, we managed to sterilise a hundred seventy five animals and just over 1,200 the entire following yr. Although these numbers sound small, as with something in life you have to begin someplace.”
Fast-forward to today and the inspiration is now neutering and vaccinating more than 20,000 animals like Million every single month via its cellular teams and companion initiatives throughout Thailand.
The programme has produced clear leads to Phuket, the place sustained efforts have reduced the stray population by over 90% and the place disease management is such that the island is ready to officially turn out to be Thailand’s first rabies-free province.
Yearly surveys carried out by the International Companion Animal Management Coalition (ICAM) show equally optimistic results in Greater Bangkok, the place the inspiration has neutered and vaccinated over half one million animals. The giant stray population in the capital is steadily declining and a more compassionate angle in course of animals is being fostered by native communities.
Supporting these efforts in Greater Bangkok is Dogs Trust Worldwide – the international arm of the UK’s largest dog welfare charity – who have funded half of the programme there since 2016. Soi Dog Foundation receives no authorities funding to carry out its work and is solely dependent upon donations from kind individuals and grant-funding organisations like Dogs Trust Worldwide who share its passion for enhancing the lives of stray animals.
Director of Dogs Trust Worldwide Karen Reed said…
“We’re so proud to have been an integral companion to the project in Bangkok since 2016.”
she added…
“We are committed to improving the lives of canine and the connection canine have with the communities during which they stay all around the globe, so we all know simply how important this challenge continues to be for every single dog and cat.”
She finished with…
“On behalf of everyone right here at Dogs Trust Worldwide, we congratulate Soi Dog Foundation on reaching this milestone.”
Marked down operates rescue, therapy, humane schooling and group outreach programmes from its shelter in Phuket. It was on the shelter’s state-of-the-art canine hospital that Million herself underwent additional surgical procedure to take away her proper eye which had been badly injured after she was hit by a automotive – sadly an all-too-common prevalence for stray canine who’re left to roam the streets freely.
With the stray canine inhabitants in Thailand sitting at an estimated 10-12 million, the foundation is committed to persevering with to grow its CNVR programme, working it in tandem with its different programmes which all kind a half of its holistic strategy to enhancing animal welfare in Asia.
Press Release