Baru di Bali

What is your organization and what does it do?

Bali Animal Welfare Association is dedicated to the health and welfare of all animals in Bali.

We run 5 programs:

• A free 24/7 ambulance for un-owned animals, responding to roadside accidents, sick animals, abandoned dogs and cats, etc.
• A free clinic (24/7) for un-owned animals and for poor Balinese that can't afford treatment for their pets. We also respond to any emergencies if regular vets are not available.
• An adoption program, where we adopt out free puppies, dogs, kittens and cats to good homes. Free vaccines and medical care as needed.
• A sterilization program. We go village to village to humanely control the population of dogs and cats. We also treat the animals at the same time in each village, for all kinds of conditions such as parasites, skin diseases, etc.
• Education programs. We visit public primary schools and teach 10-12 year-old children about animal welfare, how to care for their pets, environmental issues and about diseases such as rabies, H1N1, etc. We also run school contests where children compete for 6-month periods in caring for their pets, and schools compete as well.

And in the last year we have added a rabies vaccination program, where we vaccinated over 10,000 dogs for rabies. We also lobby the Government to pass animal welfare laws and against new bylaws that will enforce all pets to be chained or caged. We believe this will be an animal welfare nightmare and will do nothing to help control the spread of rabies. We believe only by vaccinating 70% of ALL dogs will rabies be eliminated. An outside dog is not a problem; an unvaccinated dog is the problem. So, let's all focus on vaccinating all the dogs! We also lobby against poisoning the dogs by the cruel use of strychnine. Only rabid dogs should be euthanized and then done with proper WHO approved medicines.

What are your short-term and long-term goals?

Our short term goal is to vaccinate 70% of all the dogs in the Gianyar region. We have received enough vaccines to make this possible and are now teaming up so we can reach this goal within the next 6 months maximum. Our long term goal is to help all regions vaccinate their dogs against rabies. And, to see Animal Welfare laws passed in Indonesia. Also, to increase our education programs in schools. We would like to see animal welfare added to the public school curriculum. We must teach our children well. We are also organizing a workshop on rabies in Bali this month, where WHO (World Health Org) and other experts will come to Bali and teach doctors, vets and scientists the latest developments in epidemiology and control of rabies.

Has your organization made (or is making) any progress in achieving its goals?

Yes, actually lots! It's easy to focus on all there is "to do" but we have to remember how successful we already have been, and continue to be on a daily basis. We had one Bali Dog Idol contest yesterday with Q & A to the children. It was amazing to hear them answer questions about rabies, bite prevention and vaccines correctly. They are only 11 years old and they seem to know more now then most adults! They know about bird flu, H1N1 and other virus's and they know exactly what to do if they get bit by a dog or if their animal gets sick! It’s so exciting that our education program is working. We also have already vaccinated 70% of many banjars in Gianyar already, and will just keep going until rabies is eliminated! We adopt out many dogs weekly that years later continue to be healthy and happy! We think BAWA is a great success and would like to thank our local volunteers and supporters for their help. We can only do this with local support and funding.

Have your actions made any significant change in line with the goals and missions of your organization?

Well, since rabies hit the island we have had to refocus on everything I mentioned above, so we added 20 more staff members recently. We also started thinking more deeply about how important Government laws and support will be to achieve long lasting changes, such as Animal Welfare laws which we believe are a necessity.