This was the first project that JBF (Scotland) helped to support, starting in 2003. The main aim of this work is to control the street dog population with Animal Birth Control (ABC). The method is to lift the dogs from the streets, neuter them and (after a few days post-operative care) return them to where they were lifted to continue their lives. The benefits for the dogs are less fighting among the males and the females are much healthier due to not constantly being pregnant or rearing pups.
In addition to the ABC, every dog lifted from the streets is also given an Anti Rabies Vaccination (ARV).
Together, the ABC and ARV work greatly improves the lives of the street dogs and makes living in harmony with people easier and safer. This project is continued independently by JBF (India). You can see their work at: jbfsociety.org
Mobile Cattle Clinic – India
The aim of this project was to improve the lives of Delhi’s street cattle. It was common practice for people to allow their cattle to roam the streets of Delhi, which of course gave rise to numerous injuries due to traffic accidents.
The owners relied solely on traditional methods of treating their animals, so we aimed to introduce proper veterinary practices and good hoof care. See more at: jbfsociety.org
Mobile Donkey Clinic – Pakistan
This is the work that really pushed the Pakistan Donkey Project forward. We operated the Mobile Donkey Clinic for 3 years in Quetta, Western Pakistan. There we saw many of the problems that NGOs have seen for the last 100 years in Asia – poor hoof care, inadequate nutrition, bad harness design etc. We thought that with the right attitude towards good animal husbandry and modern veterinary practices that we would be able to improve the lives of these animals. In fact, the work and the conditions are just too harsh – not only for the donkeys but for their owners too. Searing heat, poor roads, inadequate resting facilities and the daily grind of poverty conspire to make the lives of the donkeys and their owners a test of endurance of pain and suffering.
During the 3 years of operation, it’s true to say that we managed to help many donkeys that we came into contact with, but in the end we had to admit that the working conditions are just too harsh for them. That is what gave us the idea that this work should be carried out by motor transport, not animals. For the sake of future generations of donkeys and their owners, we transferred our resources to providing small business loans at 0% to enable the owners to make the transition from donkey carts to rickshaw loaders.
You can see this project here: seedout.org