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Archive: May 2020

  1. Brazil – Protectors Without Borders

    The first in our series, looking at our projects around the world…

    We’re starting in Brazil – Protectors Without Borders. https://www.facebook.com/protetoresemfronteiras/

    The creator of Protectors Without Borders, Paula has been an Animal Protector for 24 years, starting out on her own, looking after the stray dogs in her community: feeding, vaccinating, castrating. As an individual, using her own funds, there was a limit to what she could do alone, but she wasn’t stopping…

    Over time more protectors got involved, each contributing what they could to the collective group; resources, experience, medication. The group is able to discuss animal adoptions, requests for help, and are able to ensure help arrives quickly and in a targeted manner. Each protector works with their own animals but has the support of the group.

    Protectors Without Borders now has links with their State Representative so abuse and mistreatment can be reported and investigated.

    Within this amazing group of animal protectors, each individual will often care for 30-50 animals, helping one another out where necessary and holding raffles and adoption fairs for the many animals they rescue and treat each month. This can be up to 150 animals a month needing temporary or permanent homing.

    It is an amazing thing they’re doing, all for the love of animals!

    Whether it’s strays collected from the streets like this poor Dachshund type:

    Or puppies abandoned on their doorsteps:

    There will always be dogs, and cats needing their help!

    Of course, our COVID-19 Campaign continues, helping ensure superheroes like these are able to continue despite the current difficulties!

    https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/darwin-animal-doctors-givingtuesdaynow-covid-19-campaign1

    -Tod and Piggy, Presidents, Darwin Animal Doctors

     

    Piggy update for the week:

    Piggy has started his chemo this week. He’s taking a lot of medication that makes him sleepy but he has a lot of friends with him to help with the recovery process, and he even has this little squirrel visiting! As always, his spirits are up and he’s enjoying life! Thanks to everyone for your support!


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  2. All About Sun bears

    This week is all about sun bears. Not only Ucok, the orphaned sun bear our partners are helping care for in Sumatra, but also a bit more about sun bears as a species too. We keep talking about these lovely little creatures that can be found all across Southeast Asia, but now it’s time to really get to know these elusive creatures.

    We’ve seen a lot of this pretty little bear cub over the last few months, and we’ve been seeing him steadily growing, and indeed out-growing his enclosure, but when he came to BKSDA (that’s the Nature Conservation Agency of Indonesia), having been seized from the illegal wildlife trade, he weighed just 3.1kg. As a cub of approximately 3 months old at the time, he should have still been feeding on his mother’s milk for another month or so, but ultimately spending another 2 years under his mother’s guidance.

     

    Unfortunately sun bears, like other bears in Asia are poached for their gallbladder and other body parts for ‘medical uses’ although it has been proven to have no medical value at all. More recently, as a ‘cure’ for COVID-19, again, with absolutely no scientific value. Poaching, and the illegal pet trade, along with habitat destruction has led to the classification of sun bears as a species as vulnerable.

     

    Nursing female sun bears will often be killed and their cubs sold into the pet trade, as happened with Ucok, so BKSDA’s vets had the dilemma of how to feed this poor little baby. Their solution, at least until he had grown a bit, was porridge and goats milk, and he grew well on it, weighing in at 5kg by the beginning of March. An adult sun bear will grow to between 35 – 80kg!

    As he grows, his diet will change. Sun bears eat a diet of fruits, berries, roots, insects, small birds, rodents, lizards and honey, and already at 8 months old Ucok is learning to enjoy solid foods.

     

    The vets at the BKSDA Wildlife Rescue Center TWA Sibolangit have been doing a great job trying to teach Ucok normal behaviours, however sun bears are nocturnal animals and need to be taught to hunt and be wild by their mums. In the wild they would spend the first 2 years of their life learning from their mother and unlike Borneo which has dedicated sun bear rescue and rehab centres, the BKSDA in Sumatra has none.

    So while his return to the wild looks uncertain for the moment, ISCP, our partners in Indonesia are doing what they can for this inquisitive and mischievous little bear, who may well live for another 24years.

    Our aim is to help ISCP continue to support BKSDA in Ucok’s welfare, like this recent food donation. What better for a growing sun bear than lovely fresh fruit!!!

     

    Our #GivingTuesdayNow Campaign is still running, and even the smallest donation will mean the world at the receiving end, so take the opportunity now to follow the link below..

    https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/darwin-animal-doctors-givingtuesdaynow-covid-19-campaign1

    and Help DAD Crush COVID!

     

    -Tod and Piggy, Presidents, Darwin Animal Doctors

     

    Weekly Piggy Update:

    “On Thursday last week Piggy had surgery to remove three masses, samples of which have been sent to the lab. We’ve all got our fingers crossed that they’ve removed a large enough margin for the masses to be gone forever.

    He had a drain in his side for a few days so has been rocking his t-shirt look! The drain is now out, but he is scheduled to begin non-intrusive pill-form chemo.

    Despite everything, he’s still smiling and loving every moment of life. He’s still getting all his outdoor time, lots of walkies in his wagon and support and love from all. The vets working with him have been fantastic despite the heavy pressures they are under at the moment. Thank you to everyone for their support!”


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  3. Piggy’s News

    During this week, we’ve had some very sad news. Our very own Piggy had a visit to the oncologist’s late last week, and the results were heart-breaking. His mast cell tumor is back and requires more surgery, and his small cell lymphoma has graduated to intermediary size.

    He is having a surgical consultation to remove his second mast cell tumor, and beginning chemotherapy right after that for his intermediate cell lymphoma. It will also require radiation therapy.

    Despite the bad news, Piggy is, as always, upbeat and in good spirits, and he enjoyed the car trip home from his all-day oncology exam, and the sunset that evening, as he always does.

    Tod and friends are determined to keep fighting for him and keep him happy for as long as possible, the way he inspires children everywhere to keep fighting through their hard times. He’s determined to enjoy every second of the world, and we are all determined to ensure that he can.

    While the news is absolutely devastating, our goal, Piggy’s goal, remains the same: to continue to help communities and animals around the world, through education and our many projects.

    Right now our main campaign is still the COVID-19 campaign, and our #GivingTuesdayNow campaign continues. We still have some time left to reach our goal, that will be matched by GoFundMe if we achieve it, and your support is and will be, greatly appreciated.

    https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/darwin-animal-doctors-givingtuesdaynow-covid-19-campaign1

    Please join everyone at Darwin Animal Doctors in wishing Tod and Piggy all our love and support at this time! Thank you so much! And stay safe wherever you are.

    -Tod and Piggy, Presidents, Darwin Animal Doctors

    An Extra Cute Piggy image of the week:

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  4. Tanzania Update #GivingTuesdayNow

    Over the course of the last month, we have been sharing with you what our partners around the world have been doing in the wake of the pandemic, and the worldwide changes caused by COVID-19.

    We’ve seen how the team in Morocco have focused their efforts on rescuing thousands of farm and domestic animals dumped on the streets.

    In Indonesia, our partners are not only working against increased poaching but also to investigate and shut down wildlife markets that spread zoonotic diseases in the first place. In doing so, they are rescuing countless animals from these markets.

    And at home in the USA and UK, our seamstresses are making masks for frontline healthcare workers.

    Globally, in Africa, Asia, and in Latin America, our partners are educating locals on the causes of COVID-19 and how to stop its spread.

    Today, with #GivingTuesdayNow taking place tomorrow! we’re sharing with you our latest report from the wildlife rangers we are supporting in Tanzania. Some of the pictures in this report are more graphic than we usually share, but we want you to understand the realities being faced by our partners in Tanzania.

    Unfortunately many of the rangers have found themselves out of work due to the lack of financial support from the tourist industry during the lockdown, for example the Chem Chem lodge which is a leading source of patrol support in Burunge Wildlife Area.

    Without their daily patrols, human/ wildlife conflicts are increasing, with incidents between the community and invading elephants, zebras, and buffalo happening at least five times a week. This has already caused both human and wildlife casualties, and, without the presence of daily patrols, the number of reports of animals in the local villages is increasing…

    We are fundraising to get the rangers back to work to stop these conflicts to protect both vulnerable human and endangered wildlife populations.

    Your #GivingTuesdayNow contributions will go towards this, and our other COVID-19 projects, so with your help we can help protect communities and wildlife everywhere, we can help protect the health care workers, we can help stop the spread of these deadly zoonotic diseases, and we can help make a difference in the face of the pandemic..

    https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/darwin-animal-doctors-givingtuesdaynow-covid-19-campaign1

    Thank you all

    -Tod and Piggy, Presidents, Darwin Animal Doctors

    Cute Piggy image of the week:

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