Support SPANA This April and Help Provide Vital Care to the Working Animals of the World

Posted on 25 Mar 2021 by Amy Jackson
SPANA LogoEstablished in 1923, SPANA is a charity that works to improve the welfare of the world's working animals. Supporting animals in some of the world's poorest communities, the charity delivers free veterinary care as well as providing teaching and training to owners and children, ensuring a better future is built for working animals. Around the world, there are approximately 200 million working animals. In developing countries, they are often a backbone for the economy, being used to transport people and goods and to plough fields. For many, these horses, donkeys and camels are often crucial for people's livelihoods and in some cases, survival. Despite this, many of these animals don't have access to veterinary care, which is where SPANA comes in.

 

How SPANA Support the Working Animals of the World


SPANA protects the welfare of working animals through treatment, training and teaching, as well as providing emergency intervention when needed.

Treatment

In the world's poorest communities, everyday problems can be a matter of life or death for working animals. Infected wounds can kill, and untreated injuries can lead to lameness, ultimately putting an end to the animal's life. For many of these communities, veterinary care isn't accessible, and even in cases where it is, owners can often struggle to afford the care and equipment their animal needs. SPANA provides a network of free veterinary clinics in towns and cities over the world, where they provide lifesaving care to the animals who need it most. Their mobile clinics also reach working animals in some of the world’s most remote communities. The charity's vets are able to vaccinate, treat injuries and replace ill-fitting equipment that leads to wounds, ultimately helping to ease the unnecessary pain and suffering animals face. In the last year, 458,000 free veterinary treatments were given, and 13,000 pieces of humane equipment were distributed.

Training

A vast number of the injuries treated by the charity can often be prevented if there was a better understanding of basic animal care. In addition to treating animals, SPANA works to build knowledge and skills within the communities they work, helping to prevent injuries and promote compassion in owners. They do this by delivering specialist training to improve animal care skills, and in the last year have trained over 23,000 owners as well as 2484 veterinary students.

Teaching

Since the charity was founded, creating a world where working animals are respected, understood and treated with kindness has been at the heart of SPANA's mission. That's why the charity provides animal welfare education to children in rural communities, not only giving them knowledge, but also helping to build empathy, promote positive attitudes and encourage responsible behaviour. Their centres offer fun and engaging lessons where children can meet and have hands-on experiences with rabbits, guinea pigs and donkeys. Often, children in rural communities are responsible for feeding and tending to their family's animals, so teaching them to be kind and show respect to animals is vital.

 

How You Can Help


As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, SPANA's work is now more important than ever. The impact of the pandemic has meant in certain countries, people have lost livelihoods and are unable to feed (and in worst cases, keep) their animals, resulting in abandonments, while others are forced to struggle, in many cases, fighting for their survival. This April we're supporting SPANA in our charity poll, and you can help them keep looking after the world's most vulnerable working animals by casting your vote for them today.

To find out more, or make a donation to support SPANA’s work, visit their website: https://spana.org/

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