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Archive: May 2018

  1. D’Yaria’s Collar has arrived!

    New York, USA –> The Amazon, Ecuador

    Thanks to YOUR support we raised enough money to buy D’Yaria’s tracking collar!

    Do you know what that means?

    D’Yaria will be released into the wild to live her life as she should be able to live it. Thanks to YOU!

    Right now, our amazing partners in Ecuador are working away, arranging every little detail to make sure that D’Yaria’s release goes as smoothly as possible. The release of a jaguar is no easy feat – hours and hours of planning are put into the organisation of such a release to give D’Yaria the greatest chance for success in the wild. To give you an idea, here are some of the considerations that our team need to keep in mind in the build up to D’Yaria’s release;

    Firstly, D’Yaria needs to be fitted with the collar and she needs to wear it for at least a week to ensure that it is working properly. Then, a location must be carefully selected. The location needs to be large enough for D’Yaria to be able to survive, with ample resources and not too much competition. It also needs to be protected from illegal poachers so that D’Yaria wont face the same fate again. D’Yaria also needs to be released at a particular time of day – dark enough so that she can successfully and safely get out into her new habitat, but at a time that is possible for all necessary logistics to also be in place. Finally, D’Yaria needs to be released as soon as possible, putting the time pressure on the local team. The longer D’Yaria spends in an enclosure, the harder it becomes for her to re-adapt to her natural habitat.

    With all this planning, our team are rushed off their feet – working day and night on coordination with many different teams and departments to ensure that D’Yaria’s release will be a success.

    But it all hangs off one thing – her tracking collar.

    The tracking collar is such an essential part of D’Yaria’s release that team member and Veterinarian, Dr. Cris, flew to the US to personally collect the collar and ensure it’s safe arrival in Ecuador.

    Without this collar, there would be no chance to see if D’Yaria is able to adapt to her normal life. We would not be able to monitor D’Yaria’s progress through her release, and would not know if she has been injured once again. The information gained from her collar will not only ensure that we can improve D’Yaria’s chance of survival – bus also those of every animal going through rehabilitation after her. The information and knowledge gained from D’Yaria will help our teams to learn more about jaguars in the wild and more about their progress after a release. This information can then be used to continually improve rehabilitation programs for wild animals – giving all animals a greater chance at survival after release.

    We are so excited to share with you this story of success and would like to thank you for supporting D’Yaria’s rehabilitation. We will share her release story shortly, and will keep you updated about her progress as D’Yaria re-adapts to her natural habitat.

     

       

    The package arrives in New York. Simon and Piggy, along with their human Tod, ensure that everything is there and ready to go!

     

    Our partners in Ecuador have received the collar, and make sure that it is a good and comfortable fit for D’Yaria.

     

    Check back in with us for more updates and more photos and the progress continues!

     


    Help us continue to help animals just like D’Yaria to be able to lead the lives that they deserve to lead. Donate today.

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  2. Piggy’s Superhero Adventures

    New York, USA

    Our real life superhero, Piggy, spends most of his days fighting for animal rights and protecting his furry friends. When he finally takes a moment to take of his cape, Piggy knows that his work is still not quite over. In his free time, Piggy visits schools throughout the USA spreading Humane Education. Piggy teaches kids about the importance of caring for your animal friends, taking responsibility for their health and well-being and knowing what a each animal needs to stay happy and healthy. Piggy also teaches kids about caring for our environment and its importance in our every day life, and the lives of animals around us.

    Not only a proponent of animal and environmental care and respect, Piggy is a inspiration to many – especially those who have faced some hardship in their lives.

    Piggy had a tough beginning. Born a street pup like many unlucky animals out there, Piggy started his life trying to fend for himself, searching for scraps of food in bins and huddling into small dark corners to try to survive cold or scary nights. As if life wasn’t tough enough for Piggy, he was one day hit by a car while crossing a street. The poor pup had never felt so much pain in this life. Piggy was sure that that was the end.

    Lucky for him, Piggy was eventually found by two humans – the same two humans that founded Darwin Animal Doctors – Andrea and Tod. Andrea and Tod could see how much pain Piggy was in and just how scared and injured he was. They rushed him to a veterinary clinic where he was given the best medical attention possible. One of Piggy’s legs was so damaged from the incident that there was nothing that could be done to save it and it was amputated during the surgery.

    Since his accident, Piggy has returned to full strength and has the life and energy of any four-legged pup you meet out there (actually, probably more energy)! His loves his new life with his loving family (including a best friend cat) and wakes up every morning with a smile – happy and excited for every new day.

    But Piggy remembers that life was not all that easy, and that is why he has made it his life’s mission to spread Humane Education – raising a generation of people who care for animals and the environment. Furthermore, Piggy knows that some humans have faced difficult times just like he did and loves to share his story of strength and recovery. Piggy’s happy, smiling face as he rushes around a room on three legs reminds everyone that you attitude is what determines how you experience life – and a positive attitude can change everything.

    Over the last month, Piggy was out on another road trip, visiting four schools. During these trips, Piggy taught the kids that he met both about the importance of respect and care for animals and the environment, and about the power of a positive attitude and the decision to never give up. Piggy inspired hundreds of children in April alone (and we think that he also quite enjoyed doing it)! The reactions to Piggy and his story where, once again, so heart-warming, that we thought we would share some photos with you all.

     

      

    Piggy enjoys a quiet moment with students from the PSII School while everyone reads his story in comic form (“A Piggy’s Tale”) – and he knows he will always get some pats if he waits patiently!

     

    Piggy’s favorite job is teaching students how to give the perfect belly rub! (Piggy with students from the Gillen Brewer School)

     

    Piggy takes some time to read his story to students from the Reece School.

     

    (And of course has time for pats afterwards!)

     

    Piggy and his human, Tod, read his story to students from the Little Missionary pre-K School, and give everyone an educational coloring-in book.

     

    And, of course, still makes sure to have some time for pats!

     


    Please help Piggy continue to spread Humane Education, hope and inspiration to children everywhere. Donate today.

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  3. Eskay

    Santa Cruz, Galapagos.

    Eskay is a very energetic and happy puppy; he is always wanting to play, has a face that lights up when he smiles and generally loves life. So when Eskay became very lethargic and stopped eating, his guardians knew that there was something wrong. They brought the little pup to the Darwin Animal Doctors’ clinic to see if there was anything the Doctors could do for him. A strange case with not much background information, the Doctors decided to hospitalize Eskay for a few days to monitor his condition. With the treatment, Eskay began to improve and was soon sent home again to stay with his family.

    Within a few days, Eskay’s condition began to slowly degrade. He, once again, stopped eating and became more and more lethargic. Concerned, his guardians brought him to the clinic once more. The Doctors gave Eskay a complete check up once again, but this time felt some painful enlargements in his abdomen. Without any ability to see into the abdomen and with suspicion of a foreign body, surgery was the only option.

    Dr. Stella and Dr. Justin conducted the exploratory surgery, searching for any sign of a foreign body or the cause of Eskay’s condition. Strangely enough, there was no foreign body present and Eskay’s intestines were undamaged; in normal working order. They did discover, however, that all the lymph nodes in Eskay’s abdomen were enlarged, which is what the Doctors had felt during the examination. Due to this discovery, the Doctors knew exactly how to treat Eskay.

    Eskay stayed in the clinic a few extra days to be monitored during his treatment to ensure that he got back to his old self. Eskay was loved and cuddled by all the volunteers, making sure that he felt happy and comfortable and had the best chance at improving. Lucky for the little pup, he did not just have the team of volunteers as friends, but made friends with another inpatient at the time; Scott. The two pups would roam around the clinic together and eventually began playing as their conditions both improved.  Scott and Eskay became fast friends and helped each other through their healing process.

     

     


    We are there when animals need help. Donate today, and help us keep our clinic doors open.

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