Regeringen i Haiti nu overtager arbejdet med at behandle og vaccinere ø-nationens mange landbrugs- og kæledyr.
En koalition af dyreværnsforeninger har siden jordskælvet i Haiti i januar 2010 behandlet op mod 68.000 dyr for at hjælpe de overlevende dyr og undgå, at sygdomme spreder sig fra dyr til mennesker.
Det oprindelige mål med koalitionen er dermed nået, og den opløses derfor nu, skriver den danske afdeling af “Verdensselskabet for Dyrebeskyttelse”, WSPA Danmark, i en pressemelding tirsdag
WSPA har været med i koalitionen, og de danske medlemmer har givet godt 120.000 kroner i støtte til arbejdet i Haiti.
Her uddrag af pressemeddelelsen fra hovedorganisationen på engelsk:
Formed just days after the quake, ARCH (koalitionen) was led by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The coalition was comprised by more than 20 of the world’s leading animal welfare groups and was the only coalition that set off to provide relief for the animal survivors in Haiti and address the threat of disease spreading from animals to humans.
After running operations seven days a week for the past year, ARCH steps aside as the Haitian government continues addressing animal needs in Haiti through the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR).
Since its inception, ARCH’s Mobile Veterinary Clinic has treated close to 68.000 animals, including dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. The clinic has serviced the greater metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince as well as other quake-impacted areas like Carrefour and Leogane.
Other objectives met during the past year of operations include:
• Repaired veterinary infrastructure and supplies by helping rebuild the National Veterinary Laboratory, install 12 solar-powered refrigeration units critical for animal vaccination storage, and train veterinarians to deal with disaster situations in the future.
• Promoted pet care and animal welfare education by launching a public awareness campaign about disaster preparedness, and health issues related to livestock and pets (kæledyr), and worked closely with MARNDR to include animal welfare in Haiti’s education curriculum (pensum) for children ages 8-12.
• Protected the health of humans by vaccinating Haiti’s animal population against diseases like rabies and Newcastle’s disease, and treated animals for parasites thereby preventing the outbreak of diarrhea which would exacerbate (forværre) the Cholera epidemic.
• Conducted the first animal population and attitudinal survey in Port-au-Prince that provides critical information on animal numbers, health-related data and human-animal interaction.
– I believe we have established one of the best NGO collaborations with the Haitian government,” said AJ Cady, IFAW Senior Program Advisor,adding: – It has been incredibly positive working with MARNDR and we are confident that the work will be sustainable.
– The operation in Haiti is one of the largest, most successful animal disaster relief efforts to date. Thanks to our supporters, technical capabilities and hard-working team of veterinarians, we met every goal we set for ourselves, and can now – with certainty – transition the operation over to MARNDR, noted Gerardo Huertas, WSPA Disaster Management Director.
