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 At The Mercy Of Man
Lusaka Animal Welfare Society was established in the early 90’s to
provide a refuge for stray and injured small animals and has
continued to provide this service ever since. It can be a
heart-breaking experience, but one, which, on most occasions, turns
into a delight: To watch a frightened, emaciated animal progress to
being a happy, healthy and playful individual is tremendously
satisfying. For those animals too sick to save, knowing that a
painless end to their suffering is within your power, well, even
then you know that the best was done for a creature who was at man’s
mercy and didn’t fare very well out of it.
A lot of the dogs that arrive at our kennels are female and have had
recent litters. Sometimes they arrive with their puppies, but
usually they are rescued from the streets in desperate condition,
trying to scavenge enough food to get back some of the strength they
have lost in feeding their young. The pups rarely survive as the
mother could not provide enough nourishment for them, they are so
infested with worms that they cannot thrive and with the high cost
of vaccines, disease is rampant or they are simply too weak to fight
off any infections. Those that are lucky enough to mature are given
away to people who simply cannot afford to have them neutered,
vaccinated or wormed and so the cycle continues. All animals
released from the LAWS kennels are neutered before they can be
adopted and all vaccinations are valid.
Very occasionally, an out of the ordinary dog arrives at our
kennels, one that has quite obviously hit the streets by accident.
Could it be yours? Do contact us if you have lost a pet, you never
know, you might be lucky.
Some of the dogs we take in have horrendous injuries inflicted upon
them. We suspect that these dogs fall sick and it is assumed that
they may be rabid, so crude attempts are made to dispatch them.
There have been some sad instances of dogs arriving at the kennels
with no ears, these having been cut off in a mistaken attempt to
ward off rabies. Other unfortunate injuries are also inflicted under
the same misapprehension, but the fact is that only the vaccination
will prevent an animal from getting this most awful of diseases.
When an infected dog bites a human being, unless immediate action is
taken, that person will die a long, slow and unutterably painful
death. Put this way, isn’t it worth the K10,000 that the vaccine
costs to administer? LAWS is hoping to begin a mass vaccination
programme in the near future, but it will have to be heavily
subsidised, so we are looking for sponsors to help us carry out the
programme. It will save lives.
The Society runs entirely on donations and sponsorship from caring
and generous individuals and companies, but there is always the
chance to do more. At present, the LAWS facilities are somewhat
inadequate and the dedicated band of volunteers who run it are
stretched to the limit. A plot of land is under negotiation for long
lease and plans have been drawn up to build a new kennel and
cattery, with proper quarantine facilities and more space for the
animals to exercise. It is a huge and costly project, but one which
– with a lot of help – we are determined to complete.
So if you are looking for a loving four-legged (usually) companion,
something to do, would like to make a donation or would like more
information about the work of LAWS, please email
ldz@zamnet.zm
and mark your message in the subject box ‘Animal Welfare’ or
telephone 096 647-645.
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June 2005