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MENAW is proud to announce the issuance of a Fatwa from Al-Azhar pertaining to Halal slaughter of animals and the live transport of animals in Islam.

Ahmed El-Sherbiny.Founder of ESAF and MENAW, worked extremely hard to accomplish this task and it opens the doors for the other members of MENAW to bring this Fatwa to the appropriate authorities in their respective countries. Click here for complete details

Report on Bassateen TNR Project in Egypt

On 25th of June, ESAF started on initial TNR program. At Bassateen district for 7 days in association with Cairo Veterinary Department – Bassateen and Dar es Salam Dept. The CVD provided a room to be used as a surgery and ESAF provided a mobile clinic tent to be used as a recovery room. Because this project was initiated in hot weather we decided to move dogs that had been operated on to our shelter in Shabarmont to be used as a post operative room. Because of the transportation procedures and the hot weather, we lost 5 animals out of 98 animals were successfully operated on.


From left: Mr. Mohy - Bassteen municipality , Dr. Hussein , Ahmed, Dr. Rania presenting TNR program	Two dogs anesthetized and waiting to be operated on.

Dr. Islam, Dr. Mena, Dr. John (from Sakkara WSPA clinic) and Dr. Hayam from The National Research Center joined our team as part timers. Dr. Farouk Bahgat supervised the surgical operations.


A banner advertising the project around Bassateen district	ESAF recovery tent.


A banner advertising our project.	Dogs recently caught await the operation.

Two vets from Bassateen vet dep. Watching a volunteer nurse preparing an animal for operation.

Our volunteer nurse assisting

Dr Rania.

The benefits of the project:

1) 98 animals were operated on.

2) GOVS agreed not to kill any more animals from the areas that have been covered under the TNR scheme (unless becomes a danger to a public health risk) and to instruct the local authorities and the municipality police not to do so.

3) A workshop was held at Bassateen municipality department prior to the project starting date.

4) The main objective of this project is to make people aware of the alternative methods of controlling and sterilizing stray animals rather than shooting and poisoning.

5) The media was very positive.

6) There are some funds (materials) remaining from the project due to reduction the number of animals operated on. This decision was taken due to the hot weather. The remaining funds will be used in next October 2006 in sterilizing the Giza Zoo stray animals or in Bassateen district for once a week follow.

7) It demonstrates that the cooperation between Government and NGO's can be beneficial to animal welfare.

Thanks to WSPA for their financial contribution in this project.

—Ahmed El Sherbiny

A PROTEST WALK AT ANKARA, TURKEY, 2TH OF APRIL AND A NEW ONE WILL BE CONDUCTED ON THE 12 TH.OF MAY TO ATTRACT ATTENTION TO ANIMAL WELFARE AND RIGHTS. ALL NATIONAL AND SOME OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION AND SOCIETIES WILL JOIN THAT WALK .
SUNAY BİRSEN
KÜTAHYA DOĞA VE HAYVAN SEVENLER DERNEĞİ

WSPA conduct the first Humane Animal Control workshop in Kuwait

On any given day, there are about a dozen calls to the PAWS telephone hotline regarding stray, abandoned or injured dogs, cats and other animals that require special care from PAWS vets and rescue volunteers all across Kuwait . Many of these are assisted by the people who find them, working in tandem with PAWS. Others are accepted into PAWS direct care; when space allows, and ultimately are placed in good new homes with loving families. For the vulnerable animals they are able to accept, Protecting Animal Welfare Society provides superb care.

Globally, the audience at WSPA’s recent workshop learnt that there are 600 million dogs in the world, with 75% of these unowned or stray. Protecting Animal Welfare Society were pleased to welcome Trevor Wheeler, Middle East Director of WSPA, (World Society for the Protection of Animals), back to Kuwait on his second visit in two years this week. WSPA is the world's largest federation of animal welfarists, with a growing network of over 600 member societies in more than 140 countries. With consultative status at both the United Nations and the Council of Europe, WSPA’s aim is to build a united global animal welfare movement to further their vision of a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends. WSPA director Wheeler returned to Kuwait to run the first Humane Animal Control workshop ever held in this country. He was accompanied by fellow WSPA staffer Alistair Findlay, a specialist in running successful feral cat and stray dog programs internationally. Opening the workshop, the WSPA director explained that the problem of stray animals and animal welfare issues are universal. WSPA have found successful means of addressing this global problem and have successfully implemented programs to humanely control feral cats and dogs in Dubai , Qatar and most recently in Lebanon.

The workshop, which was held under the auspices of Dr. Mohamed Al Muhanna, Deputy director-general for animal resources at the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources touched on a wide range of animal welfare issues including; care of companion animals; unregulated pet shops and dog fighting in Kuwait; the commercial exploitation of farm animals and the humane transportation of live animals.

Opening the workshop, which took place in the conference center at Kuwait Zoo, Al Muhanna summarized the problems that the Kuwaiti government and people of Kuwait face in solving the problem of stray animals. Dr Muhanna impressed that “Dog fighting is against the law and against our religion,” and he appealed to those who import animals into Kuwait , to be fully responsible for the animals and to reconsider the option of abandoning pets if they leave Kuwait . The PAAAFR deputy spoke on topics surrounding animal welfare in his presentation to the interested group of Health, Education, Environmental and Veterinary medicine professionals gathered for the workshop. He elaborated on the importance of animal welfare in Kuwait and emphasized how the relevant government departments are determined to address animal welfare issues.

PAWS Chairperson Margaret McLuskey also addressed the audience making a brief presentation on the progress made through the efforts of PAWS volunteers, who opened and run Kuwait ’s first officially licensed animal shelter. Protecting Animal Welfare Society is WSPA’s representative society in Kuwait and the team is justifiably proud, McLuskey noted, of having rehomed almost 300 companion animals in the little over 2 years since the group formed. McLuskey thanked in particular PAWS Kuwaiti volunteers and patrons who assist PAWS mentioning Mr. Hamad Al Anjari, owner of The House of Development, who gifted the group the use of an animal clinic, complete with resident vet and Professor Meshal Al Meshan, Chairman of KEPS, ( Kuwait ’s Environmental Protection Society) who works tirelessly in his support of the charities’ objectives. McLuskey emphasized the importance to the team of their educational outreach program, which has presented animal welfare seminars to more than 5,000 students and young people throughout Kuwait , in schools and through shelter visits. WSPA director Wheeler wrapped up the session by giving some shocking statistics. “There are 600 million dogs in the world, of which estimates show that 75% are un-owned or stray animals. Such animals can have negative aspects on a community causing health and environmental concerns, aside from the issue of cruelty. He praised the efforts of the PAWS team, especially in the context of the Middle East , where dogs in particular are often viewed in a negative light.

You can visit WSPA online at www.wspa.org.uk or contact the PAWS team at www.paws-kuwait.org