'Girlpower' in Goa as female pups become more popular

Hello everyone!

Today I want to tell you about an exciting new project that is in the process of being fine tuned at the Animal Tracks centre. As you know we see a lot of orphan puppies being admitted and a lot of energy is put into trying to finding loving homes for them. Although many people do come and adopt puppies, there are also many who don't find a home and some fall very ill and end up not making it beyond the centre walls. I nearly ended up like that and I cannot express my gratitude enough to the people who saved me.

Last month 25 puppies found a new home and I am so pleased that 17 of these were female. The reason for this is that just a few years ago local people believed that female dogs were useless as guard dogs and that all they do is attract male dogs and give birth to pups. Luckily the sterilisation programme has changed the attitude of many and likewise they have discovered that female dogs make excellent guard dogs, so many people now choose a female dog for their new guardian and friend.

To reduce the number of pups who end their days at Animal Tracks the vets have embarked on a trial sterilisation programme for pups aged between 3 and 6 months.

Earlier dogs would be sterilised no sooner than at 5 months but with this new procedure we may be able to send some pups back where they came from, thus giving them a chance to make it as strays. 'Why', I hear you wonder, 'when you are trying to reduce the number of strays are you allowing puppies back like this?' Well, once sterilised and vaccinated the dogs cannot multiply and it helps to create a stable stray dog population in any given area. This way there is less chance that new unsterilised strays find their way into the territory and the numbers in the particular areas will be easier to control. Therefore there are no disadvantages in releasing young dogs back into their territory.

I hope you'll all join me in wishing our team of vets and nurses good luck with this new project which hopefully will save even more lives.

Olive x

How IAR tamed Roger rabbit

Hello again!

Well things are heating up here in Goa. By this I don’t mean that there is any major drama happening, only that temperatures are soaring higher and higher and the humidity is getting almost unbearable. Thankfully no one has challenged me to the spot in the visitors toilet yet, so I’m cool.

Say hi to Roger Rabbit. He comes from Saligao and was brought by Jason who told the staff at the centre that Roger was either let loose or escaped and that he was found hopping aimlessly around the area.

Either way no owner could be found hence Jason picked Roger up and brought him to Animal Tracks. Roger suffered from terrible mange and had to have lengthy treatment before his fur looked healthy again. Now he's fit to go and the staff here are looking for a good home for him. First however he must be castrated because we do not want to be responsible for a possible situation where numerous rabbits end up in homes where they are not properly cared for. I shall let you all know as soon as Roger has found his new home.

Bye for now!

Olive x

Boxer Fred is down but not out thanks to IAR!

Dear friends,

What is it with humans?? There seems to be no logic or thought behind some of their actions. They start wars and kill each other, they destroy our planet and they hurt the defenceless and innocent animals without a second thought. I know, you are not like that. If you were, you wouldn't be reading this. I am grateful that there are humans like you around to help us when others don't.

Fred here was rescued from the village of Camurlim where he was seen roaming aimlessly around for days without food or drink. It was obvious that he was not a stray dog because first of all he's a pedigree (a boxer) and second he was too distraught and stressed out by being on his own like that. Local villagers were worried that he might do something crazy in his desperation and they could see he needed help so they called IAR.

Two boys went out to catch Fred and they had no trouble getting him in the ambulance. He was weak and wounded and emaciated and only pleased to see a friendly face. When the party arrived back at Animal Tracks Fred was examined and the vets discovered a maggot wound on his paw and they established that he was malnourished and underweight. Whether this was because he had been on his own for too long or because he had been neglected by his owner remains unknown. One thing is certain though. The owner did not look after his dog and he is responsible for Fred's state through and through. Perhaps Fred got sick and the owner abandoned him to save the vet bill. Perhaps the owner was a foreigner who left Goa without a second thought for the animal he was leaving behind. Who knows? The main thing is that Fred is in good hands now and he is being treated for all his ailments. He has already put on some weight and a member of staff is going to adopt him once he's well enough to be discharged.

In the meantime Fred is enjoying lots of attention from staff and volunteers and he likes playing with us too.

Woofs from me, Olive x

The curious incident of pup Penelope and the plastic jar

Hello everyone!

The season in Goa is slowly drawing to an end and although there is still around one month left till the last charter flight takes off from here there is a noticeable drop in tourists now. It's getting hotter and more humid every day and it's harder to find a place to cool off. I've still got my designated spot in the visitors' toilet reserved for me so I'm ok.

We see a lot of peculiar things at Animal Tracks but some things are more odd than others. Take this little puppy for example. She was named Penelope and was brought to the centre with her head stuck inside a plastic jar! The report came from a local man called Sakshi who had seen Penelope running around distraught and trying to get the jar off her head. He did not know how the jar had ended up on her head, only that she was unable to get it off.

When our staff arrived on the scene, catching Penelope proved to be a more challenging task than first anticipated. She was running like mad but the boys knew that leaving her in that state was not an option. She would no doubt eventually suffocate from the heat combined with the stress and the restricted supply of oxygen.

In the end Penelope was too exhausted to keep running and the boys caught her and brought her to the centre where the vets removed the jar. You would have thought she would have welcomed this effort but she was kicking and yelping like there was no tomorrow. I tried to explain to her that she was in good hands but she was having none of it.

Once free of her plastic prison Penelope settled down and took some time to eat and rest. She was kept in for a couple of days for observation to check that she hadn’t suffered any trauma from her ordeal. Sakshi, who had been around to witness the whole story unfold, had become so attached to Penelope that he came to visit her and in the end decided to adopt her as his pet. We were all so happy for her and felt that her bad experience had served some purpose after all. If she hadn't ended up with her head in the jar Sakshi may have never noticed her and she may never have found a loving home to grow up in.

Love,

Olive

It takes teamwork to tackle an injured calf

Hello!

I still feel the weight of the sad story I told you last time I wrote so today I've picked one with a very happy ending! Although saying this, it could have ended up going horribly wrong had the team from Animal Tracks and the public not worked together.

A message was called in by a tourist about a calf that looked to be having some trouble around the mouth area. At first - judging from the description from the caller who had only seen the calf from a distance - it sounded like an infection possible caused by a septic wound. Shortly after the call another tourist called in a report about the same calf however this was not immediately recognised as her observations were pointing towards something more severe. She told the office that a calf had been spotted bleeding heavily from the mouth and that it looked to have been involved in a road accident. Once the area and the description of the calf had been noted the conclusion was drawn that the two messages related to the same animal.

Immediately a driver, a vet, and two kennel boys were sent out to catch the calf and its mother if possible. It was fairly obvious from the second phone call that the calf could not be treated on site and this was confirmed when they reached the location. The injury was very bad and needed immediate surgery. It quickly became obvious however that the injured calf had other ideas. Despite its injuries it had the team chasing it for 2 hours before one of the kennel boys made a leap which can only be challenged by Superman and wrestled the calf to the ground. It sounds brutal but it was the only way to get the calf in the ambulance and to the centre for treatment. The mother of the calf was not to be seen so there was no choice but to bring it in on its own. Luckily it was old enough not to depend only on her so chances were that it would pull through.

I am pleased to say that it has recovered really well and is almost ready to be released again. There is no doubt though that had our clever people not succeeded in catching it things would have looked bad for this little chap.

Love from Olive x

A kitten's sad tale

Dear friends,

I am very sorry to tell you that I am the bearer of sad news today... Although every day presents tough challenges and heart breaking decisions for our team of vets at Animal Tracks it doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a furry friend. Especially when a life ends before it has even begun.

A few days ago a local taxi driver came to the centre with a poor abandoned kitten which he had found on the road side. He immediately stopped and picked it up and luckily he knew where to take it. Why the kitten had ended up alone on the side of a busy road is anyone's guess. Perhaps the mother had died, perhaps she had abandoned it. The most devastating scenario is to think that humans may have thrown the kitten out on the road. It is not uncommon that owners of unsterilised pets simply throw away the newborn offspring because they don’t want any more animals and aren’t decent enough to consider the consequences of such an act. These newborn animals are in no position at all to care for themselves and they are left to a merciless fate of mental and physical suffering before they die of hunger or are killed by vehicles or other animals.

The kitten was only around 2 weeks old when the taxi driver brought it in and there was little the vets could do to save it. If it was to stand a fair chance it would have had to be reared in a protective environment with someone feeding it around the clock and even in such circumstances its chances would have been slim. At animal tracks the environments is not suitable to accommodate such young animals as there simply isn’t staff and facilities to cover all their needs so in these cases the vets and staff have to face cruel reality and put them to sleep.

Some may argue that all animals should be given a chance regardless of their circumstances and condition but at Animal Tracks the aim it to prevent suffering. If the vets know that the prognosis is such that keeping the animal alive will prolong its suffering then this is not something they are willing to do. I know what it is like to be sick and scared and I can assure you that this is not a feeling that any living being should be allowed to experience if something can be done to relieve it.

I hope to have some good news for you next time.

Love,

Olive x

Benji the injured calf comes to the centre for vet care

Hello hello!

If I didn't know better I'd start to think that this week is cattle week! Cow after bull after buffalo is being brought in with injuries. I hope we don't run out of space in our cattle pen! We are so lucky to have such skilled vets who can go out and tend to these poor animals. Nicky as always is jumping into the main cattle pen to give them grief. He's the only centre dog who does this and you'd think he'd get bored but no!

This little calf has been named Benji. A report came in that he was bleeding from his hoof and immediately the staff went out to catch him. It is always difficult to catch a calf when the mother is around too. She gets very protective of her young one and can get quite aggressive as well. Four members of staff went out to catch the animals. One of them was a vet in case it turned out that the calf could be treated on site instead of having to endure the trip to the centre. When a young calf has to be brought in for treatment the mother has to come as well and therefore it is better if the treatment can be done on site. This of course is only possible in the case of minor injuries.

In Benji's case there was no doubt: he had to come in for treatment. An object of some kind had cut a deep wound in the flesh above the hoof and he needed stitches and antibiotics to prevent flies from laying their eggs in the open wound. Luckily Benji is a strong little lad and he’s recovering well. His mother is here with him to keep him out of trouble and protect him from Nicky! If all goes well the pair will be released in no time.

Love from me, Olive.