Malawi remains one of the world’s poorest countries, and access to veterinary care is extremely limited. Even where services do exist, many pet owners face financial constraints or live far from the nearest clinic. Compounding these challenges, Malawi is a hotspot for rabies, a disease that places a devastating burden on communities and animals alike.
Our journey in Malawi began in 2015 with the Mission Rabies project. Two years later, in 2017, we established a WVS clinic in Blantyre. Since then, our team has been committed to improving the lives of animals across the country—one community, one patient, and one story at a time.
From rescuing vulnerable street dogs in bustling urban centres to providing critical veterinary care for wildlife in wildlife reserves, our Malawi team navigates a remarkable range of environments, species, and needs. Every day brings a new challenge and another life touched: a dog treated after a road accident, a cheetah rescued and cared for deep within a protected reserve, a traumatised pangolin receiving treatment after being saved from poachers.
But our work goes far beyond urgent care. At its heart, it’s about building long-term, sustainable change for animals and the people who care for them. By training veterinary students, engaging with local communities, and working closely with NGOs and government partners, we’re helping to create a future where animals receive the care they deserve—and where preventable suffering becomes a thing of the past.
Read on for a glimpse into the daily work of our dedicated veterinary team in Malawi, and the countless lives transformed along the way.
Care at the clinic
Our permanent WVS team is based at our clinic in Blantyre, Malawi’s second-largest city nestled in the Southern Region. Serving as a vital hub for animal welfare, the clinic treats thousands of patients every year — more than 7,300 animals in 2024 alone. As one of the very few facilities offering veterinary care in the region, the clinic sees an extraordinary variety of cases: from sick or mistreated dogs to birds of prey injured and blown in by tropical storms. No animal is ever turned away. Each day presents something new, and our surgeons frequently handle rare and challenging cases, performing complex surgeries that can be life-changing for their patients.
Animals stay with us until they have fully recovered, receiving nutritious meals, a warm bed, and attentive care. Once healed, they are either reunited with their owners or placed up for adoption. Through our shelter, many animals find loving new homes each year, and we take great pride in giving them the best possible start to the next chapter of their lives.
We welcome volunteers year-round, with people travelling from across the world to support our work and gain hands-on experience. Their diverse skills and specialisms not only strengthen our team but also create valuable training opportunities for local veterinarians and veterinary students.
Beyond the clinic walls, our team delivers outreach programmes to bring essential care to remote or underserved communities. Through these initiatives, we help reduce suffering caused by overpopulation via spay/neuter campaigns, provide lifesaving vaccinations to halt the spread of deadly diseases, and mobilise rapid responses when disasters strike — such as during Cyclone Freddy.
2025 outreach programme at Lake Malawi - read more here.
Hip surgery for Simba
Simba, a gentle village dog, arrived at our clinic in severe pain and barely able to walk. X-rays revealed the cause: a dislocated hip. Fortunately, Simba had reached the right place at the right time. Our team quickly eased his pain with medication and performed surgery to repair the injury. Throughout his recovery, Simba received all the love, comfort, and expert care he needed. Today, he’s back on his feet — happier, healthier, and ready to enjoy life again.
From pain to purrs
Carla, a brave little cat, was brought to us with a badly broken leg. Sadly, by the time she arrived, it was too damaged to save, and she required an amputation. But Carla’s story is one of resilience. Just a few weeks after surgery, she was racing around the clinic with confidence — proof that three legs can still carry a whole lot of spirit. She’ll remain with us at the shelter until she finds a loving home that appreciates just how special she is.
Conservation through vet care
Malawi is renowned for its rich biodiversity — home to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, and species found nowhere else on Earth. At our clinics in Blantyre and at the Majete Wildlife Reserve, we provide essential veterinary care to a wide range of wild animals. Through our partnership with African Parks Majete, we’re supporting conservation efforts across the reserve and helping protect its wildlife for future generations.
A safe haven for wildlife
Majete Wildlife Reserve is now celebrated as one of Africa’s greatest conservation success stories — but its journey has not been easy. During the 1970s and 1980s, intensive poaching and human pressures devastated local wildlife populations. Since African Parks assumed management in 2003, the reserve has transformed into a flourishing ecosystem with resilient, recovering animal populations.
Since 2021, we have worked hand-in-hand with African Parks Majete to strengthen conservation in the reserve. Alongside supporting wildlife monitoring, tracking and darting operations, we operate a dedicated veterinary field clinic. This facility allows us to store specialist equipment, treat injured animals on-site, and respond rapidly to wildlife emergencies. Our work ranges from critical first aid and routine health checks to monitoring key threatened species.
Caring for anti-poaching dogs
Majete’s law enforcement team is supported by two highly trained anti-poaching dogs — Milo, a Dutch Shepherd, and Gilly, a Belgian Malinois. These exceptional dogs play a crucial role in safeguarding the reserve’s wildlife. We provide all of their routine veterinary care and provide regular dog first aid training to their dog handlers, ensuring that Milo and Gilly stay healthy, confident, and ready for the demanding work of protecting the reserve.
Rescue stories from the reserve
A rhino’s second chance
Majete’s management asked our team to assist a female rhino suffering from a severe wound on her back — likely caused by a predator attack or a serious parasitic infection. After tracking her through thick bush in the reserve, our team safely darted her and treated the deep, maggot-infested injury. Three follow-up checks and repeated darting and treatment showed that her wound healed, and she recovered well.
Abbie the pangolin finds safety
Abbie, a pangolin confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, arrived in extremely poor condition at the WVS clinic in Blantyre. She had been kept in a small box for over a week, without access to water. Her loose scales and soft foot pads indicated dehydration and prolonged captivity. Our team administered IV fluids, provided nutrients through a stomach tube, and carried out a full health assessment. Once stabilised, Abbie was released into Majete Wildlife Reserve, where she could be monitored with the help of tracking devices fixed to her scales as she recovered — and finally live safely in the wild where she belongs.
Combating rabies across Malawi
Our Mission Rabies project is dedicated to eliminating one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Rabies claims a human life every nine minutes and causes immense suffering for hundreds of thousands of animals. Malawi — one of the world’s poorest nations — is disproportionately affected, with communities facing a heavy disease burden. Our work began in 2015 in Blantyre, after the Queen Elizabeth Hospital reported the highest number of child rabies deaths of any institution in Africa. Since then, our permanent teams have been leading vaccination, surveillance, and education programmes throughout the country.
To date, we have:
Vaccinated over one million dogs
Educated more than five million children on rabies prevention
Trained over 80,000 teachers to deliver rabies lessons
Reduced rabies cases in both animals and people
Our Mission Rabies teams collaborate closely with our Blantyre veterinary clinic. When vaccination teams encounter sick or injured animals in the surrounding district, they refer them immediately for treatment. Additionally, animals seen at the clinic receive rabies vaccinations free of charge all year around.
Engaging communities for long-term change
Lasting animal welfare improvements are only possible when communities are empowered with knowledge. Across Malawi, we offer guidance to pet and livestock owners, raise awareness about the importance of vaccination and sterilisation, and provide school-based education that inspires compassion.
This year, we expanded our programmes to include animal welfare lessons in schools nationwide. Our officers teach children about different species and the essential Five Freedoms — helping young people build empathy and encouraging a healthier relationship with animals, both domestic and wild.
A hopeful future for Malawi’s animals
We hope this blog has provided insight into our life-saving conservation and animal welfare work in Malawi. Wherever we operate, our mission remains the same: to protect, heal, and champion animals who would otherwise go without the care they need.
By expanding access to both preventive and emergency veterinary care, we’re helping create healthier, safer animal populations across Malawi. But there is still much work to be done.
If you’re able, please consider supporting this vital programme. You can:
Volunteer at our clinic in Blantyre or support conservation in Majete
Together, we can ensure every animal in Malawi receives the care — and the future — they deserve.
