Expand mobile sterilization clinic operations

Lanta Animal Welfare is busy as always providing rescue and medical procedures to animals in need.

Slowly Thailand is operning up to tourists so the island is working hard to get things back to normal after 18 months of restrictions and lockdowns.  Our rescue and sterilization activities are finding animals that have been hidden and neglected during the pandemic.  We are also continuing to hold mobile sterilization clinics at different locations every month.  Your support is helping to make this all possible.

For this report I'm going to share a few rescue stories, so you can understand the lives we are impacting and the suffering we are relieving with our efforts 

Monica and Monty's Story

Monica and Monty are our newest mum and pup.  The pair were rescued a few weeks ago and it was just in time.  They were in a perilous situation.

Monica had a very deep, deep wound on her front right leg. The leg was caught in a snare, and it had cut all the way down to the tendon.  As she was being rescued from this trap, she was struggling desperately to protect little Monty. We estimated that Monty was 10 weeks old when we rescued the pair of them.

At first LAW’s veterinary team thought they would be able to save Monty’s leg. However, Monty's injury was extremely severe, more than first thought.  The snare had cut right through the tendon and to the bone.  Despite the best efforts of our veterinary team, the leg could not be saved. She had to undergo amputation.

This has not altered Monty’s maternal instincts. She remains fiercely protective of little Monty and it’s clear her love for her puppy is enormous.

Fortunately, both are now safe and well, and getting the care and treatment they need. These are difficult and scary times for the two of them, in an unfamiliar environment and not used to human interaction. But our trained medical team will be giving them all they need, and more love and compassion than they ever imagined.

Aoun's Rescue Story

We see so much suffering at Lanta Animal Welfare, but it’s always especially sad to see young animals in pain. Animals like the darling kitty we called Aoun. It's actually an Arabic name, meaning help and charity.  She is just 10 months old but had an extremely nasty maggot wound on her head when we found her.

It must have been so painful for this poor little girl. And that wasn't her only problem. Aoun has also suffered damage to her vestibular system. This affects her balance and co-ordination, and causes her head to often tilt to one side. The good news is all of her ailments can be cured, but the treatment will take time.

We will continue to care for this darling cat until she's healthy, and then she will be put up for adoption in a loving home.

Narak's Rescue Story

Narak is such a cutie. And so he should be, because that’s exactly what his name means – cute. Although he looks sweet and cuddly, and of course he is, he is actually quite poorly.

Narak, who is only 14 weeks old, is suffering from feline scabies (Notoedric Mange), a very, very unpleasant skin condition. It is a rare and highly contagious condition, is readily transmitted between cats by contact, and causes severe itching.

Because of its contagious nature, Narak is in our kitty hospital isolation unit. It is not the happiest environment for a playful, inquisitive kitten, but it’s for his own good.  Hopefully he won’t be in there for too long and will soon be up for adoption.

Pump's Rescue Story

Pump was admitted to Lanta Animal Welfare this week with a truly horrific maggot wound. It looks as though Pump had probably been in a fight with another dog and had sustained a serious eye injury. But with the wound left untreated, infection had set in and the condition was truly appalling when we found him. 

Maggots had gotten in to the infected area and had begun to feast on Pump’s flesh. As a result, we had to remove his left eye. It’s hard to imagine the pain the poor boy was in. The agony must have been virtually unbearable.

Pump is now in recovery.  He has a glint out of his good eye, and a cheeky smile on his face. He really is a very cute boy. Although he is still poorly, Pump should make a full recovery from his injuries.

The end of the year is quickly approaching

We continue our important rescue and sterilization work here on Koh Lanta and the surrounding areas. We always try our best to ensure that all animals are cared for to the best of our abilities, and that no animal is left behind.

Everyone here at Lanta Animal Welfare is grateful for your support.  Please feel free to contact me if you’d like information about any of our rescue animals, and check out our Website to see the rescue animals that are available for adoption. 

I wish you all a very happy and safe Holiday Season and best wishes for the New Year!

To change our focus for a few minutes, from the pandemic we are all struggle with, this report will focus on the good things we can celebrate this summer at Lanta Animal Welfare.  The first celebration of the summer was Junie Kovac’s birthday.  Our founder turned 60 and is still going strong.  We also had a good number of rescue animals recover from their ordeals and I will share some stories with you. 

I hope you find this report uplifting and positive.  

Junie Kovac’s Special Birthday

The beginning of the summer was a special day for a very special person.  Seventeen years ago, a remarkable woman named Junie Kovacs turned her back on her comfortable lifestyle in Norway, moved to Koh Lanta, Thailand, and set up Lanta Animal Welfare.  Her mission was to end the suffering of street animals in southern Thailand, and she has worked tirelessly to do that ever since.

Junie is utterly selfless. She never thinks of herself.   The rescue animals are the centre of her world. 

We made the attached video to mark the occasion with a little look back through the Lanta Animal Welfare archives.

Snow’s Rescue Story

You would have a heart as cold as ice not to feel sorry for Snow.  This poor little fella had a nasty injury when we found her.  Our veterinary team suspects he was bitten by a scorpion or a centipede.  Infection then set in, and ravaged his small body.  We can only imagine the pain he must have been feeling. Your support of our project means cats like Snow can be treated and healed.

 I’m pleased to tell you that Snow is well on the road to recovery and we are now looking for his forever home.

Agnes’ Rescue Story

Agnes is gorgeous!  At just five months old, she is a proper little cutie. And that’s truly remarkable when you consider her recent circumstances. 

When Lanta Animal Welfare rescued Agnes, she was locked in a tiny cage, put there as she was homeless and simply on the lookout for food. The conditions in which she was being held were little short of horrific. She could barely move in what was effectively her little prison.  She had terrible mange, a legacy of her confinement in the cage.  

Poor Agnes needed a lengthy course of treatment which began the day we rescued her. 

I’m very happy to tell you that Agnes is at the end of her recovery and can now have the future she deserves with a loving family.

Bravo’s Rescue Story

Little Bravo had nothing to cheer about when we rescued him.  He had a terribly infected wound on his back. Like hundreds of thousands of street dogs, Bravo had been left to suffer alone.  His injury was infested with maggots that fed on the infection and had started to feast on his flesh. 

Fortunately, for Bravo, we caught his condition in time. He is still in our care and healing nicely. Your support makes such a difference to the lives of the street animals, and for that we all say ‘Bravo’.  

Taro’s Rescue Story

Unceremoniously dumped in a cardboard box, what could Taro possibly have done to deserve such a fate? Who would treat an innocent animal in such a shameful way?

We will never know, but sadly he is just the latest in an increasingly long line of animals being abandoned at the doors of Lanta Animal Welfare. Our staff found Taro early one morning last week when they arrived to work. He was terrified and shaking. His only defence from the driving rain was that flimsy cardboard box. 

We are now looking after Taro until we can find him a new home, one in which he will be loved and cherished. The home he deserves.

As Summer Begins to Wind Down

Even though the summer is almost over, we continue our important rescue and sterilization work here on Koh Lanta and the surrounding areas.  While the stories included in this report have happy endings, we have animals that sadly don’t make it.  We always try our best to ensure that all animals are cared for to the best of our abilities and that no animal is left behind.

Everyone here at Lanta Animal Welfare is grateful for your support.  Please feel free to contact me if you’d like information about any of our rescue animals, and do go to our Website to see the rescue animals that are available for adoption. 

Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Links:

• Celebrating our Founder's 60th Birthday