Posted on January 26, 2010 by: WayCoolDogs

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Animal welfare groups in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, arriving to vaccinate the city’s stray dogs, are hoping to prevent an increased incidence of rabies and to maintain livestock health for the people’s milk, sales and food production.

Why are rabies a problem in Haiti?

After Haiti’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake which left approximately 200,000 people dead and most of the remaining population homeless in Port-au-Prince, a major fear regarding the surviving stray dog population is the spread of rabies, considered by many organizations as the largest animal-related threat.

Organizations like the Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association were permitted into Haiti over the weekend. As Haiti has no solid human infrastructure, these relief efforts regarding livestock and rabies in dogs are considered to be long-term.

When surviving hungry dogs begin wandering around and form packs in large groups of displaced people, dog bites will occur which can lead to the massive spread of rabies.

“The concept of pets is quite foreign to Haitians,” said Karen Ashmore, executive director of the Lambi Fund agricultural group in Haiti. “Most Haitians can barely feed themselves, much less a pet.”

Robinson and Huerta’s groups — the world’s two largest for animal welfare — have joined a dozen partners to respond to protection and public health issues related to animals in Haiti.

Internet social groups raising money for animal relief groups

Animal relief groups are receiving funding from internet social groups such as Twitter, Facebook and every means they can find to raise money for the effort.

“It’s public health,” said Heather Case, of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “It’s animal welfare, and it’s what we need to do following a disaster.”

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World Society for the Protection of Animals

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