Turkey 2008
In June my daughter and I went to Turkey. We were very excited about our holiday and the country is beautiful. The first morning at the hotel we noticed a cat and a kitten, they were drinking from the pool, which had salt water in it. We did not know this at the time it looked like a normal pool with chlorine in it, we sat opened mouthed.
We decided to take a walk from our hotel in Bodrum to the bus station, via the beach. As we walked along to the shore we noticed many dogs just walking about, no collars, no one walking by them. They were very skinny and clearly homeless.
One particular dog we saw was barely able to keep itself on all fours, the heat was so severe. He was trying to escape from the heat under what looked like a small building site. Some other dogs were drinking sea water.
As we walked into the town centre there were cats hanging round cafe's and restaurants waiting for people to drop the odd crumb.
We went into Gumbet where we bought cat food and biscuits to feed the Cats and Dogs on our trek home. We did this most nites, going out with bags carrying food and water. One night I fed a black Labrador, it followed me all the way into Bodrum, he ate most of the biscuits.
On our last nite we went back into Gumbet and I saw a rather large dog, cross breed, and gave it some biscuits. We sat on a step together while he ate. When I ran out of food the dog gave me his paw and put his head in my hands, just the thought of that poor dog still on the streets today breaks my heart.
People say dont go near the dogs abroad, they are dangerous, they are not, but obviously be careful on your first aproach, but if you can help them please do. If people were more caring and got these dog neutered there would'nt be so many on the streets, they buy these dogs, let them out, they get pregnant and it all starts again.
Whilst there we also visited local markets, they sell livestock as well as clothes etc. One stall had three pups in a cage not even big enough for two dogs to turn around in, I was so upset and helpless, this should not be allowed.
Please if you are going to visit Turkey or any other country please be prepared for the sights on the streets. If you can take some animal medicines with you such as flea and worm products.Your vet will tell you what you can take to help these poor animals.
Joyce Voye June 2008
Ukraine 2008
The Ukraine is a country of extremes. Post communism, the minority are very rich and the majority are reasonably poor. It is also fair to say that the country is still struggling to adapt to the concept of democracy and there is a problem with alcoholism.
Street cats in Xolty Xody. Unneutered but looking well.
Despite all of this I was delighted to see that the animals appeared to be very well cared for and also well loved. The cows and horses in the fields have sleek coats covering full bellies and in the villages were hand grazed by their keepers.
A street dog at the train station, covered in scars but happily being fed scraps by the local people.
In the cities of Kiev and Donetsk I there are more and more street dogs or cats compared to 2005 when i saw none. “Designer Dogs” have also become very popular with the richer Ukrainians. They happily display their pedigree dog alongside the expensive car and the designer clothes as they paraded along the many Lenin statue clad squares. Again these dogs looked well cared for and happy although I suspect that neutering and vaccination probably does not happen.
Pet dogs live outdoors in kennels winter and summer and are fed scraps. They operate more as “Doorbells” to let villages know when someone is coming. They have fur loss due to fleas but are otherwise surprisingly healthy.
In the villages most of the houses keep a dog and cats as well as chickens and possibly a cow or goat. The dogs are tethered in outside kennels and live off scraps and dead chickens. They looked healthy except from fleas and maybe mange and amazingly seemed to live to ripe old ages with no signs of stiffness or arthritis. Whilst they are very much outside kennel animals [both in hot summers and very cold winters] and have a purpose in acting as guard dogs there was no doubt in my mind that they were generally regarded as the family pet.
Grandma’s puppy, “Maleesh” which means small. Except from fleas he was very well cared for and seemed happy despite living on a chain outside.
“Koshka” the kitten that was hooching in fleas and lived off scraps but very well cared for.
The Ukraine very much reminds me of how I imagine England would have been 200 years ago. There is much associated with that which is positive; the organic food, simplicity of life, importance of family values. However, in the Crimea I saw a very negative side to it as captive monkeys, parrots and snakes were paraded along the beach and used as trophies to have your photograph taken with. Whilst they looked reasonably well cared for the fact is that these are wild animals that should be in their natural habitat and not exploited for human gain. Sadly, many of the Russian and Ukrainian tourists there were happy to give their money to support such exploitation of these creatures.
Greece
The Coalition in Defence of Animals in Greece says that animal abuse is widespread in Greece and includes starvation, neglect, cruelty and poisoning.
Launched in 2002, CIDAG is lobbying the Greek Government to take responsibility for the welfare of its stray dogs and cats by implementing a nationwide spay, neuter, vaccination, identification and release programme. CIDAG also wants to see education on responsible pet ownership and enforcement of existing welfare legislation.
As many of us have witnessed whilst holidaying in Greece there are huge numbers of stray cats and dogs roaming the streets. The large numbers are a result of a lack of spaying and neutering of privately owned pets, whose litters are left in parks, beaches etc. The traditional method of Greek animal control is poisoning and shooting. Ironically, they see it as unkind to neuter the animals.
Fortunately there are some great organisations doing some fantastic work with neutering campaigns. If you want to help this cause please support them.
The Worldwide Veterinary Association www.WVS.org.uk
About SOS Animals
SOS Animals (Spay our Strays) is a registered charity (no. 4513) located near Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol in Spain; this was the first WVS trip to assist the charity. Founded in 1997 by Kim Halliwell and Tony Byford, both ex-British citizens, SOS Animals was initially set up to trap, neuter and release feral cats but over the years has developed into a rescue centre for dogs and cats. To date there are 220 dogs and puppies, 2 adult cats and 11 kittens waiting to be re-homed from the centre.
Two hundred plus dogs take a lot of looking after, as well as conventional dog shelters there is an array of makeshift wire cages at the centre. Dogs that roam free during the day get put away at night in anything available from old cars to caravans.
Ectoparasites, such as ticks, fleas and lice, are a big problem; fortunately the team arrived with a large WVS donation of Bayer Advantix treatments (£960 worth). Dogs at the centre are vaccinated, neutered (the team’s job for the next week!), blood tested for tick fever, micro-chipped and re-homed. SOS Animals has very strong ties with Scandinavia; the dogs are looked after by a host of Scandinavian volunteers and the majority of the dogs are re-homed in Sweden and Finland. Incredible organisation goes into preparing the dogs for their new homes. While there is a steady drip of dogs to the airport, there is unfortunately an equal or greater number of new arrivals. There is also a high number of feral cats on the Costa del sol, although hopefully this number has been reduced slightly thanks to the WVS teams!
The dogs were blood tested for Leishmania, which is a problem in some dogs in Southern Europe. Leishmaniasis is generally believed to be transmitted via the bites of sand flies; this method of transmission has not been confirmed in some countries such as North America but it is suspected that the infection is transmitted from dog to dog in blood and secretions incidental to biting, licking, breeding, blood transfusion etc. The signs of leishmaniasis in dogs are variable and often do not appear until many months after exposure to the infection. Skin lesions are common including hair loss and ulcers. The dog may lose appetite, become lethargic and bleed from the nose. Without treatment most infected dogs will ultimately die. Medical treatments can improve the condition and prolong survival but rarely eradicate the infection. It is also a zoonotic disease affecting both humans and dogs. A lot of the dogs at the SOS Animals shelter are crossbreeds and it is impossible to determine what they have been crossed with. The Spinone Italiano is one of the main breeds to contract this disease. We operated on a few dogs that may have been infected with Leishmania, we found that these dogs tended to bleed more than the others and this made the vets’ jobs even harder. Even giving a simple injection resulted in lots of blood from the injection site.
Trip 3 – August 16th-23rd, Animal Care Samos
Leaving just a few days after the trip to Spain, the second training trip was to Animal Care Samos. Samos is one of the Greek islands and, like most other areas of Greece, has a sizeable stray and feral animal problem. Animal Care Samos receives ongoing support from WVS and has played host to teams on several occasions previously.
The Coalition in Defence of Animals in Greece, says that animal abuse is widespread in Greece and includes starvation, neglect, cruelty and poisoning.
Launched in June 2002, CIDAG is lobbying the Greek Government to assume responsibility for the welfare of its stray cats and dogs by implementing a nationwide spay, neuter, vaccination, identification and release programme. CIDAG also wants to see education on responsible pet ownership and enforcement of existing animal welfare legislation.
The coalition consists of 26 animal welfare groups and has collected tens of thousands of signatures in support of their campaign.
CIDAG claims that documented witness reports show that poisoning of both strays and owned pets happens every day, and have even been shown on Greek television. Offenders are not prosecuted or fined for this illegal activity. There are also concerns that the numbers might increase as the country prepares to host the 2004 Olympics.
Greece is famous worldwide as the cradle of human civilization. Yet this civilization fails to extend to the many stray cats and dogs found all over the country. The large numbers are a result of a lack of spaying and neutering of privately owned pets, whose litters are left in parks, on beaches and on garbage dumps. When an animal is no longer wanted it gets dumped and left to breed on the street. Given that a bitch can have several litters annually, the numbers are forever increasing. The traditional method of Greek animal control includes poisoning, feeding of finely ground glass in food, and shooting the animals. Ironically it is deemed unkind to spay and neuter pets, but not to leave a litter in a plastic bag to die or on the street to fend for themselves, barely able to crawl.
Anne Scheving, President of CIDAG says: "Many tourists and Greeks alike are appalled at seeing hungry, thirsty and ill animals but, so far, CIDAG says the Greek Government has remained inactive. The task of animal welfare has been left to private groups, often with little funding and no support from local communities. Many groups have undertaken spay and neuter activities, only to find the animals poisoned by a taverna or hotel owner, or anyone else who wants to get rid of the problem. However, not only stray animals are poisoned in Greece. Owned dogs are also at risk from anyone who sees them as a nuisance".
Setting up shelters would be both a costly and an inefficient method of solving the problem as the number of animals is such that not even a fraction of them would be adopted. Most of the cats are feral and cannot be re-homed. This would ultimately mean euthanasia, an unacceptable and inhumane way of dealing with the issue. Additionally, removing the strays from the streets would leave a void, which will be filled with something else, rats for instance. Also, a much larger food territory will be available for the remaining strays, which means larger litters and healthier animals. Adding to this the continuous abandonment of animals, the stray population will replace itself in a couple of years. The only viable, and the cheapest solution, is a full-scale spay, neuter and release programme.
Celebrity endorsements of the campaign have been received from Wendy Turner, Phillippa Forrester and Lord Bath : they can be found on http://www.paw-europe.com/celebs.html
Public action needed - To add your voice to the campaign go to http://www.petitiononline.com/OG2004/petition.html and sign the online petition. For information on how to help further write to cidag@paw-europe.com and see our web site http://www.paw-europe.com/olympics.html
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Turkey
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A stray dog in Turkey that decided to “hang out” with some Ukrainian travelers who were camping on the beach. Turkey like many parts of Europe has its problems with stray cats and dogs. This one looked well fed and reasonably happy.
The answer of course is neutering projects to get the population down.
