Another month done! February 2020 was great for WVS with some great stories and results. Find out more below:
Parcels and Teams
Parcels are a cornerstone of WVS. Whenever an animal charity requires support, WVS is able to deliver essential veterinary supplies. February 2020 saw our Charity Liaison Officer, Lulu, send out 103 parcels to charities in need all over the world. These parcels equated to over £7,000 worth of crucial veterinary aid.
As well as this, passionate and dedicated volunteer teams were sent to 8 different countries (India, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Thailand, Ghana, Tanzania and Myanmar).
Hicks
Our Hicks ITC in Goa, India, is no stranger to great results – February was no exception! Our team sterilised 569 animals, trained 14 student vets, provided veterinary care for 395 injured animals, rescued 106 animals as well as seeing 45 of our shelter animals adopted.
We were also delighted to receive some great feedback from a University of Bristol veterinary student who participated in one of our surgical training courses:
“The surgical training course was excellent and by the end of the 2 week course I was able to complete both a dog spay and a castrate without any assistance. The quality of the teaching was very good and the vets assistants and staff were great to work with and so helpful. I would definitely recommend this course to other students if they want to improve their surgical technique and confidence in a friendly and supportive environment.”
To see a full list of our upcoming surgical training course opportunities, click here.
Thailand
Our outreach team spent part of February leading a brilliant project in a remote community on the slopes of the highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Inthanon. This was definitely an area where there were no vets!!!
Reaching these small communities is such an important aspect of our work in Thailand, with our outreach team being gratefully received by locals. Due to the low population density, the days on the project were hard work and involved many miles of walking, however it was great to sterilise a number of the community’s dogs and ensure that we could deliver veterinary care in an area where it previously was not possible.
Malawi
February 2020 saw our team work hard to push forward international training at the BSPCA in Blantyre. During February we were delighted to receive 12 vet students from LUANAR, a university in Lilongwe. As well as receiving teaching from our team in Blantyre, they were lucky enough to receive lectures and practical demonstrations from a top orthopaedic specialist from the UK who was visiting the clinic. This unique opportunity was very much appreciated by our students!
As well as this, we had one particular story which summed up what WVS is all about. ‘Ringo’ was a dog that was found on a beach on the south coast of Lake Malawi with a broken leg after being attacked by some locals. Ringo was brought to our Blantyre clinic, treated for his wounds, given 24 hour care and has now been adopted by a loving family. High five Ringo!
As always a massive thank you must go to our generous supporters, followers, donors and partners for their help throughout February. Without you, none of this would be possible!
See you next month,
Luke