April 16, 2009
Training Program in Addis Ababa Aims to Help Street Dogs
By Carly Ikuma
On March 10, a seven-member team from the HSI India office arrived in Addis Ababa for a two-week training program for Ethiopian vets and support staff. This training marked the beginning of a nine-month project to put in place protocols aimed at controlling street animal overpopulation in Ethiopia's capital and largest city.
A humane alternative
As in many places, street animals in Addis Ababa were generally ignored or eliminated via cruel methods, such as poisoning. A humane animal control program was urgently needed.
City officials were willing to consider an alternative to poisoning as a means of animal control, and a partnership to implement humane protocols was forged among Humane Society International, Best Friends Animal Society, and the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation. The Addis Ababa government financed the construction of a small clinic, where captured dogs would be sterilized, treated, and able to recover before being released.
The improvisational skills of the training team were put to the test when it was discovered belatedly that the clinic didn't have kennels for post-operative recovery of the dogs, a critical component of the program. After a few visits to the local flea market for basic materials which could be used to build makeshift cages, the training was underway.
Sharing knowledge
Six vets, six paravets, and four dogcatchers participated. Trainees were split into two teams to observe surgeries and refine their skills six days a week for two weeks. The training was eventually extended by a week to ensure that participants had enough time to gain confidence in their new knowledge. Ethiopian vet students were also present to observe surgical techniques and the operation of a catch-neuter-vaccinate-release (CNVR) program.
Two HSI vets, Dr. Satish Raghorte and Dr. Amit Chaudhari, remained after the training ended to oversee a smooth transition of the program into local hands.
A brighter future
The launch of this program will hopefully be the start of a reduction in the population of street dogs in Addis Ababa. Over nine months, it is expected that 1,200 dogs will be sterilized.
"The trainees were very enthusiastic and realized that a lot of hard work and dedication would be required," says Rahul Sehgal, Manager of HSI India and Team Leader for this project. "And the Addis Ababa government displayed a rarely-seen commitment to the project."