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Hi Global Strays Partner,
With everything going on in the world right now, I wanted to share with you five inspiring stories about animals from around the world. News on animals is largely overlooked, so we put together five stories that may be the break you need from today’s chaotic media.
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1. Magawa the Hero Rat. Rats are often thought of as dirty animals, pests even. But a giant African pouched rat named Magawa is setting the record straight; Magawa is a Hero Rat trained to sniff out landmines in Cambodia in order to save countless lives. Forty-five years after the end of the Cambodian Civil War, landmines and other improvised explosive devices (IED) litter rice patties and villages. Enter Magawa. During the seven years of his career, Magawa has uncovered 39 landmines and 28 IEDs after being trained by APOPO’s HeroRATs program. The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) awarded Magawa the PDSA Gold Medal in animal bravery, making him the first rat to earn this distinction—PDSA even had to make a custom tiny medal that is less than an inch wide so they could pin it to his collar! Hero Rats like Magawa are indispensable in the fight to clear landmines in Cambodia and other war-torn nations. Click here to learn more.
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2. Service Dogs in Helsinki Help Track COVID-19. In order to detect and control the spread of COVID in airports, the Helsinki Airport has turned to none other than our four-legged friends—dogs have been trained to smell and recognize COVID-19 and they are doing it well. These canines are able to detect the virus in ten seconds with 94 percent accuracy! By asking travellers to wipe their neck with a cloth, canine handlers allow the dogs to sniff the perspiration on the fabric and the dog alerts their handler if the sample is positive for the virus. Historically, dogs have been used to sniff out malaria, cancer, and other illnesses. These COVID-sniffing canines have the power to save lives and change the way we approach this pandemic. And don’t worry, there is still no evidence that dogs develop COVID symptoms or can pass the virus on to other humans or animals! Click here to learn more.
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3. ASPCA COVID Initiative. COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of life, including shelters working tirelessly to support and care for animals in their communities. The ASPCA COVID Grant Initiative distributed $2 million to shelters around the USA. The ASPCA also teamed up with the Petco Foundation to create regional pet food distribution centers for struggling pet owners in various cities in the United States, including New York City, one of the hardest hit locations. One of the rescues that received funding was Baldwin Humane Society (BHS) in Fairhope, Alabama. The $25,000 grant allowed the rescue to save a litter of six puppies suffering from internal and external parasites, among other animals. Puppies like Fly now have a second chance in these unprecedented times. Click here to learn more.
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4. Help for Dogs in Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone. Twenty-four years after the meltdown of the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in Pripyat, Ukraine the area is still too contaminated with radiation to be safe for humans. While the families that watched the disaster in 1986 have since moved away, there was one member of the family that was left behind. Chernobyl dogs as they’re often called, are the offspring of the dogs left behind when Pripyat was evacuated. Clean Futures Fund, an organization dedicated to helping in areas that experienced nuclear disaster, works to assist the dogs in the Exclusion Zone. In order to prevent the proliferation of the stray dog population, Clean Futures Fund provides spay and neuter clinics. The organization also runs a food pantry and vaccine clinic for the local strays, making sure they remain well-fed and healthy. Clean Futures Fund continues to serve this community decades after one of the worst disasters in human history. Click here to learn more.
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5. Fighting Rabies in Malawi. The country of Malawi is home to 1.5 million stray dogs - that’s one stray dog for every 12 people in the country. In 2008, concerned that strays weren’t being cared for, a group of compassionate citizens launched the Lilongwe SPCA, working with the Malawian government to take action. With World Rabies Day just last week, it is inspiring to see the work LSPCA has done; they vaccinated 200,000 animals in just 4 short years! By teaming with local partners, LSPCA have created an app to help track rabies. By providing vaccinations, LSPCA works towards a safer community for people, their pets, and the strays of Malawi. Click here to learn more.
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We know the news lately has been heavy, but we hope these fantastic stories add some positivity to your day!
Talk soon,
Liz & Kendall
Global Strays
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