"I pray...that inside each person the mother will wake so that no animal feels like an orphan and the world will be filled by love and care." Bhavna Jain, animal care manager, Help in Suffering - Jaipur, India
From elephants, camels and horses to dogs, cats and birds, Help in Suffering has seen it all. Based in Jaipur, India, some 162 miles south of New Delhi, the animal care center runs programs to aid all species in the province of Rajasthan.
In 2001, Humane Society International began a close relationship with the center by contributing to its highly successful Animal Birth Control, or ABC, program, which it has run since 1994.
The goals of the ABC program are to curb the population of stray and feral animals through sterilization and to lower the number of rabies cases. Vaccinations against rabies are given to the animals at the time of sterilization, lowering the chance of transmission of the fatal disease to humans.
Rabies was an especially significant issue in Jaipur through the 1990s. Since 1994, more than 30,000 dogs have been sterilized and treated through the ABC program, and local municipalities have tapped Help in Suffering to train staff to implement the program. As a result of this intensive initiative, human rabies cases in the program area declined to zero in 2003, and the dog population dropped by 28 percent. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized the program as a way to control the spread of rabies.
New techniques and the surgical skills of vets at Help in Suffering have had a profound effect on the success of the Jaipur ABC program. The center collaborates with Rajasthan University to train veterinary students in animal welfare issues.
Each year since 2001, Humane Society International has sponsored the work of British veterinarian Jack Reece, who has overseen numerous training projects for vets all over India and provided support to the sterilization and rabies programs.
In addition to conducting spay and neuter clinics and running a shelter, Help in Suffering works with the Brooke Hospital for Animals. Many people in India are not fully educated about the proper care of their work animals, and this program ensures that owners are taught skills such as the correct way of using harnesses and bits, the importance of maintaining the animal's general health and appropriate repairs to maintain saddlery and other equipment.
The center also runs many humane education programs for children and adults, with the belief that if one can enlighten the mind of children, both animals and humans will benefit in the long run.
Humane Society International congratulates Help in Suffering for its many achievements and is proud to be affiliated with this 2004 Animal Advocates awardee.
Help in Suffering
Maharani Farm, Durgapura
Jaipur
Rajasthan 302018
INDIA
Tel: +91 141 3245673, +91 141 2760012
Email: hisjpr@helpinsuffering.org
Web: http://www.his-india.org.au/index.html
Posted July 5, 2006
