Weekly Activity report of Kalimpong Animal Shelter (KAS)

Firstly, before moving onto the weekly report for this week a small background in brief about the activities that the Kalimpong Animal Shelter team focuses on:

1. Animal Birth Control camps – One of the foremost programmes for carrying out spays and neuter on street and community dogs. The team catches female dogs (bitches) from the street and sterilises them. They catch dogs with the help of a catching net and bring them to Kas where they further admit these dogs for their spaying. Having spayed the dogs are given their post-care and then are released in a few days.
2. Village camps – The team travels to remote areas from Kalimpong and conducts Sterilisation camps on community cats and dogs. While the ABC is carried out on these dogs their vaccination is taken care of by the team as well.
3. Anti-rabies camps – The team vaccinates street and community dogs from town and wards and does the yearly follow-up.
4. Rescue operations – The team carries out rescue operations on injured street dogs.  Often the team rescues community dogs too .Through phone calls the team is informed of such cases
5. Adoption –  Kas receives numerous puppies from time to time that are further put up for adoption
6. Animal health clinic / Dispensary – Kas has its own small health facility where animals are treated.  The animal shelter has always been providing service to these beneficiaries (owned pet animals) that are brought to Kas for their treatment. Oftentimes, Kas team attends to numerous animal patients on an average fifteen dogs or more per day and that sometimes may include cats and fowls and goats.
7. Home visits – Also the Kas team makes home visits timely at the request of owners when there is an emergency case on their large animals such as cows, goats, pigs.

The weekly report for this week from 28 September – 3 October 2020 is as follows:

On Monday we observed Animal Care Day where the sheltered animals living at Kas had their health-up in general.  Some of the new dogs surrendered to Kas with some of the skin ailments such as dermatitis and mange were treated. Their follow-up continues. Next Monday, with the clear autumn weather in the Hills of India we are hoping to give good baths to our dogs.

Starting Monday, the animal clinic has been almost full at Kas with animal patients coming in for their treatment. Few bloodworks and x-rays on owned pet animals are being conducted as usual.

Two of the dogs from neighbouring towns, Kurseong and Gorubathan have got their amputation done. The team had travelled for two and a half hours to rescue the dog from Gorubathan. The Vet, Dr. Deo found multiple fractures in them and suggested amputation as the only way to help them fight their pain. The dogs are still admitted to Kas until their caretakers visit them and take them back.

On Thursdays, Compounders Lil and Mahesh patrolled the town to follow up with the yearly vaccination against rabies on some of the street dogs and treated those with skin disease on the spot. It was basically a first aid round.

Some of the street rescues and owned dogs were sterilised at the animal shelter during the week.

Two puppies have found a loving home. Now there are three more waiting for a forever home.

One of the surviving pups with rickets is doing a little better. Hoping she’ll be back on her feet.

In general, the animal clinic continues to serve animal patients coming in for treatment. Most of the sick animals that are treated now by the Vet and team are with bacterial infections, nausea etc.  The animal clinic is open on all weekdays and weekends so that the animals don’t suffer.

Even in the first half of the pandemic the team has helped numerous pet animals.

We are very grateful to all the chairpersons from Animaux Secours for supporting Kalimpong Animal Shelter. We are also indebted to Working for Animals for supporting Kalimpong Animal Shelter and its sister org. Darjeeling Animal Shelter.

Yogita Chettri,

Animal Care Director