The HSUS's Rural Area Veterinary Services, an outreach program that visits impoverished areas in the United States and abroad, found itself in a more upscale environment in mid-July. An HSUS-produced segment about a recent RAVS clinic to the Rosebud Reservation aired four separate times on
National Geographic Today, the half-hour news and feature program on the National Geographic Channel.
The five-minute-plus segment was the lead feature on the July 16 evening and the July 17 morning broadcasts of National Geographic Today, which is hosted by veteran British TV journalist Laura Greene. All of the reporting and photography for the segment was conducted by two members of HSUS's Video and New Media Department, led by Senior Director Kathy Milani.
Milani documented the RAVS team as the veterinarians, vet technicians, volunteers, and vet students visited the Rosebud Reservation in south-central South Dakota in mid-March. Specifically, they followed lead veterinarian, Dr. Susan Monger, as she and her team treated hundreds of animals on this massive piece of land that's home to approximately 15,000 members of the Lakota Sioux tribe.
During their nine-day stay, Milani shot hours of footage, which she edited down to a tight package that provides an intimate look not only at Monger and her RAVS team but also at the larger Rosebud community, which by one estimate has the second lowest per-capita income in the United States. Monger has been visiting Rosebud since 1999, and her efforts have helped decrease the number of free-roaming dogs who dot this barren landscape.
The RAVS profile was rare chance to showcase the HSUS's field work to a broad, cable audience. The fact that HSUS earned this cable-TV megaphone should come as no surprise. Anyone who has logged onto Animal Channel knows that quality is par for the course.
The Video and New Media Department has created literally hundreds of videos, on subjects ranging from basic pet care to African elephant poaching, available on both www.animalchannel.org and the Real Player 8. Millions of viewers have come to appreciate the department's combination of smart photography and expert animal advocacy.
Milani's RAVS segment for National Geographic Today had the potential to reach millions of households worldwide (50 million in the United States alone). Even better, the segment could be just the beginning for the Video and New Media Department.
"We're hoping that this is the beginning of a long relationship with National Geographic," notes Milani.
Stay tuned.
