On the tiny tropical island of La Digue in the Seychelles, a tragedy exists: dogs and cats are born into lives of never-ending hardship – they are struggling to find food, suffering from untreated injuries and illness and neglected simply because there are not enough resources to care for them. They breed uncontrollably and live short, sad lives and die.
La Digue is only 3,9 square miles (10 km²) – you can walk around it in a few hours or less – but some 3000 people live there, along with their pets and more than 200 homeless street dogs.
Animal welfare on the island is critically underfunded. Veterinary services are extremely limited and for many families, even basic care is out of reach in a place where $850 is a typical monthly income. To get treatment, animals must be transported by ferry to the main island, something few can afford.
We can help fix this.
On La Digue, injuries like these are left untreated as veterinary care is scarce, resources are stretched and the animals are paying the price. Source: SSPCA
We have a chance to help all the animals on La Digue. The Seychelles government has given us permission to take our vet team to the island and sterilize as many street dogs as we can in three days. We aim to sterilize every street dog!
Network for Animals has partnered with the Seychelles SPCA (SSPCA) to carry out the mass sterilization campaign between 22 and 24 May.
In just three days, we aim to prevent thousands of unwanted births and stop dogs suffering on the streets.
This is a challenging mission and we cannot do it without the help of animal lovers like you.
One simple procedure can protect an animal from a lifetime of hardship and prevent countless others from being born into the same fate. Source: SSPCA
The mercy mission is challenging because of its isolation, and helping the animals is costly. There are just two vets in the Seychelles and they charge $100 to sterilize a dog brought by sea to the main island of Mahé. It is not practical to take 200 dogs to a vet on a boat, which is where we come in.
Using our own team, it will cost $80 to sterilize a dog. This includes transport to the island, de-fleaing, de-worming, the first vet check most of the dogs have ever had and, if we can raise enough money, vaccinations too.
We have just one chance to give 200 street dogs a better life.
This is more than a mission. It is a chance to change the future of every animal on La Digue, for the better. Source: SSPCA
It took us three years to get the necessary permissions, but the dogs of La Digue are in such trouble that we must help. You can see from our pictures why we have to keep trying.
Our mercy mission will end widespread suffering and change the lives of street dogs for the better, forever. This is a chance to change the future for an entire island of animals. With the campaign finally on track, we must act now to ensure every possible animal is reached during those three vital days.
Please donate today and be part of this life-saving mission.
