A NEW spay and neuter initiative to tackle the country’s stray dogs crisis is set to go international.
The programme, spearheaded by the Animal and Environment Protection Charity Organisation (AEPCO), will invite voluntary vets and animal welfare centres from all over the world to help with its Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) campaign.
The global drive will be the first of its kind from the Middle East, AEPCO president Shaikha Marwa bint Abdulrahman Al Khalifa told the GDN yesterday.
She was speaking on the sidelines of a camp currently underway in Riffa to spay and neuter 300 stray dogs where vets from all over the world are helping out in surgeries.
So far 98 stray dogs have been spayed or neutered during the camp which started on June 6 and ends on June 20.
Shaikha Marwa also welcomed anyone aged over 21 to help out by volunteering or donating food or cleaning products at the camp.
“Our goal is to work in conjunction with the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, the First Deputy Premier’s Office and the MPs to neuter and spay 80 per cent of the stray dogs in the country – we’ll have to leave 20pc for the environmental cycle,” she said.
“Secondly, we would like strict regulations on breeding, selling, importing or exporting animals.”
Shaikha Marwa said many vets did not want to come to Bahrain because they were not happy with the animal welfare laws here.
“But I think once they come here they will see that we are aiming to put strict rules in full co-operation with the government sector.
“We will aim for a goal for the next four years; we have achieved so much in one week, I think within four years we will get to a very high level.”
She pointed out that this was only their second initiative and after it ends they will focus on getting a permanent location so they can continue the TNR drive.
After they are operated on, the dogs are kept until they recover fully. However, people can visit the camp and adopt a dog if they wanted to.
Shaikha Marwa hoped once people realised how much effort was being put into strict animal welfare regulations they will change their attitude towards stray dogs and that the instances of cruelty towards animals will drop.
Head volunteer Abdulla Lutfallah told the GDN that they received five to 10 dogs per day but they are trying to increase the number so that they can operate on nearly 10 to 15 dogs per day.
“At first some of the volunteers were afraid of the stray dogs but once they saw them, saw how they behaved they felt comfortable,” he said.
“Now they keep coming back to participate in the camp.
“It’s very important for every parent to teach their children to take care of dogs; it’s not an impossible task to provide the animals with food and shelter.”
The GDN previously reported that the ministry showed that 100 reports of strays were registered in February: 27 from the Capital Governorate, 22 from the Northern Governorate, 21 from the Southern Governorate and 30 from the Muharraq Governorate.
The ministry’s municipal affairs adviser Mohammed Sharif also said that between October 2016 and December 2018, 977 stray dogs were caught and moved to non-residential areas.
ghazi@gdn.com.bh
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