In the southern Caribbean republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the sight of hungry, diseased animals roaming the highways and byways across the country is sadly not an unusual one. Hundreds of animals roam the streets, scavenging for food every day – the unfortunate victims of human neglect and ignorance.
Tobago, the smaller, more tourism-driven of the two islands which form this unique twin-island republic, has won several prestigious eco-awards, including World Travel Awards "Best Eco Destination in the World" and is famous for its coral reefs and marine life, making it a divers’ attraction. But for a team of veterinary experts, what happens above the surface is not as fascinating. The island’s stray dog population is evident on coastal recreational beaches and throughout the small coastal villages. These dogs are either abandoned by their owners, are breeding animals owned by residents of the local communities, or are simply offspring of the community’s pet population.
The Heavy Burden of Tobago's Stray Animals
For an island that depends so heavily on tourism for its revenue, the ever increasing stray animal population cannot be doing much for the image of the island. In addition to professional divers, Tobago also attracts thousands of leisure travellers and families from North America, Europe and the United Kingdom every year. While locals may turn a blind eye to the starved, needy look in the eye of an abandoned animal, the plethora of diseased and dying animals on the island’s beaches surely affects the tourism product which the island hopes to sell. Not only is it a negative physical image, but it also portrays the society as an uncaring society, not responsive to the needs of its animal population.
But it is not always because of human neglect that so many animals end up on the beaches, with no food or shelter. The reality is that many of these coastal communities are too far flung to even have access to veterinary services, too poor to think of spaying and neutering as a practical expense, and simply unaware of the importance of veterinary care in controlling the pet population on the island.
In rural island communities, social media and digital technology strategies have virtually no place. Instead more traditional methods of communication such as town hall meetings, community radio and door-to-door visits are the accepted modes of facilitating information exchange. From door to door, from village to village, stakeholders from local Non-Government based Organizations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) take their message of change and calls to action to residents. The Village to Village programme, geared at managing the stray animal population in the Caribbean island of Tobago is just one example of how change can only take place when passion and people meet face to face.
Caribbean Hospitality delivered by Veterinary Professionals
The Village-to-Village programme focuses on reducing the stray animal population on the tourists’ paradise of Tobago and promoting animal welfare among its rural communities. As part of this initiative, the team will run a Rural Area Spay/Neuter Clinic from September 3-5, 2010 in the communities of Charlotteville and Bacolet. They anticipate that they will be able to spay and neuter between 100-150 animals, and promote awareness on the importance of animal welfare practices among residents in these rural communities. Additionally, the team of experienced professionals will also provide general veterinary care such as vaccinations, worming and treatment of injuries.
Dr Adana Mahase, Veterinary Coordinator on the Village to Village Programme, spends a lot of her time literally walking through the village, meeting residents in their front yards, in their porches or on the streets. It may not be the most glamorous activity, especially under a blazing Caribbean sun, but in order to get the message out about the programme and the free Spay and Neuter Clinic, it is just what she has to do.
She stresses that a large stray animal population in the low income areas leads to poor welfare, pest problems and tourist distraction compounded by limited local awareness of, or access to alternatives. The problem of an ever increasing stray animal population on the island brings with it a heavy parasite burden of fleas and ticks, as well as hungry animals frequenting popular recreational sites. Additionally, the sight of rotting animals on beaches and the traffic hazard which these stray animals pose to local motorists and tourists alike have made such an initiative so vital, not only from an animal welfare point of view, but also from a tourism bottom line perspective. The team, with the assistance of students from the local Tourism and Hospitality Institute, recently conducted a survey on tourists’ perceptions on the local stray animal population which strongly support the need for the Village-to-Village programme.
The partner organisations involved in the project are Animedics Veterinary Hospital, West Park Veterinary Hospital, Point Fortin Veterinary Clinic, Gasparillo and Siparia Veterinary Clinics and Environmental Logistics (eL), with the Trinidad and Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) and the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society in supporting roles.
“We are tremendously excited about the Village-to-Village programme. We sincerely believe to achieve healthy, happy communities, communities need to have healthy, happy animals. Our hope is that Village-to-Village brings us closer to our overall objective”, Dr Mahase explains, as she continues to take the programme into each and every home in the communities she visits.
Additionally, to complement and prepare for the clinic, a public awareness programme will be launched that targets schools within the communities as well as the general public, because it is not just about the clinic. It is important that residents understand how they can be empowered to care for their animals and how they can contribute to the community’s public image internationally in a positive way through simple steps within their own communities.
For more information, interested persons may contact Dr Adana Mahase at adanamahase@gmail.com
Aviane Hunte - Aviane Hunte has always had a passion for writing and communications and has spent the past 8 years in the field of public relations and ...
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