We wish to individually thank everyone who made it possible:

Shandana Minhas
Nimra Bucha
Joshindar Chaggar
Sunil Shanker
Ali Hayat
Imran Yusuf
Zoe and Rachel Viccaji
Sami Shah
Sabeen Mahmud, Zaheer Kidvai and everyone at T2F
Najaf Bilgrami and Rashid
Ayessha Quraishi and Adil Sartaj
Omar Hussain

One of these kittens was spotted huddled in fear by the edge of Khayaban-e-Bahria. It’s sibling had taken refuge in a tree on the divide across the busy road and was calling out to its sister. A boy in the vicinity said a car had dumped the four kittens earlier in the day, in a box. We began to search for the missing two. One was found hiding behind a garbage dump and another perched precariously on the divider in the center of the road. It’s quite a miracle none of them were run over in the hours after being dumped. These little survivors are healthy, cute and bravely coping with abandonment, though the smallest is still mewing for it’s mother. They need to be adopted by a loving home. PAWS will bear vaccination, deworming and veterinary check up costs. Please come forward.

SNOWWHITE AND THE THREE DWARVES

This beautiful white cat with blue eyes, currently being fostered by one of Karachi’s guardian angels, is still wondering why her family dumped her. She is people friendly and talkative and was clearly was a part of a human family and lived inside a home prior to being abandoned. Her kittens are very cute and ready for adoption. They, and their mama, are in need of a forever family. PAWS will bear all vaccination, deworming and veterinary check up costs.

Weak and emaciated, Brownie was barely holding on to life when PAWS rescued him. Days of treatment and tender care turned him into a handsome young dog. He was later adopted by a loving family.

Nomi was limping badly, trying to pull a cart with a broken front leg when PAWS came across him.

Someone found Azaadi in a corner of their garden one afternoon, lying there dazed. They immediately called PAWS for help. A quick checkup at the vet’s and plenty of rest later, Azaadi was back flying free in the sky.

Dear Friend of PAWS,

There are few things as satisfying as helping our furry four legged and winged friends get back on their feet. Some of them, like Nomi the donkey, spend their lives helping their caregivers earn a livelihood to support entire families. We owe it to them to look after their health and well-being, especially in times when they need us the most.

In a country like Pakistan, the environment and animal welfare are often dismissed as non-issues and countered with the argument that human beings come first. We are trying to create awareness about the fact that we are all interconnected in the web of life, and need to address different issues simultaneously. It is this change of attitude about our lifestyles and our responsibility towards other sentient beings that we share the earth with, that will hopefully nudge us towards a more sustainable future.

While PAWS does not have a shelter or clinic of its own yet, volunteers help rescue injured street animals and coordinate with private veterinary clinics for their housing and treatment. Through nearly 13,000 fans on our facebook page, we provide guidance and advice on animal care and help find homes for animals up for adoption. We are also developing a humane resource pack for schoolchildren to promote compassion towards animals in Pakistan.

In response to the floods of 2010 and 2011, in which livestock perished by the millions, we began a campaign to replace farmers’ lost livestock so that they could regain their livelihoods. In addition, over a series of relief trips we provided veterinary treatment and medicines to flood affected animals in Sindh.

PAWS is now working to establish a 24-hour ambulance service, veterinary clinic and animal shelter on a suitable piece of land in Karachi. This would also be a space for people to get together for environmental and animal welfare awareness related projects around the city and a place for learning. To achieve this goal, we are currently concentrating on raising money towards this project.

PAWS relies on the generosity of animal lovers like you to help animals in need. If you share our dream, please consider donating.

Make cheques payable to: Pakistan Animal Welfare Society
Mailing Address: 5-3-1, Sector 15, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi 74900, Pakistan

Title of Account: Pakistan Animal Welfare Society
Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank
Bank Address: WTC – Clifton Branch, Karachi, Pakistan
Branch Code: 072
Account Number: 01-1508933-01
Swift Code: SCBLPKKXXX

We hope you’ll help us with your contribution. For ways in which you can volunteer with us, please visit our website for details: pawspakistan.org/support/

With best wishes,

Mahera Omar
Maheen Zia
Co-Founders, PAWS
pawspakistan.org
facebook.com/pawspakistan

PAWS is officially registered in Pakistan as a non-profit Company under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984. Our accounts are audited annually by chartered accountants Salman & Co.

“Why waste time on animal rights when humans don’t get their rights here?” is the usual response to the idea of animal welfare or animal rights in Pakistan. Meanwhile, animal lovers and activists strive to change the mindset that makes both these issues mutually exclusive.

More here.

PAWS partnered with Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP) to identify 68 beneficiaries in 22 villages of District Jamshoro in Sindh. These beneficiaries were widowed women who were heads of their households. The gift of a goat provided them with ongoing income for their families through the sale of milk, ghee, meat and kids, as well as supplemented their own diet and agriculture.

Funding for the project was made possible through generous donations by individuals to PAWS. The goats were procured by TRDP through a purchasing committee which sought quotations, evaluated them and purchased from the lowest bidder. A veterinary doctor verified the health of the goats, after which TRDP delivered the goats to the recipients along with fodder for two months.

In return the women agreed to report about the health of their goats in their monthly village meetings, and promised to get their children enrolled in school from the additional income generated. They also agreed to not sell their goats for at least a year.

A detailed report from TRDP is online here:

Trdp Paws Report

Link to the campaign is up here.

As a result of the success of this campaign, and in light of the additional flooding of 2011 caused by torrential rains, PAWS has decided to make this a year-long collection. You may make a goat donation here.

Who was Richmond Crawford? Who was Lady Nanette Constantine? What is PAWS? Well, all of them have one thing in common. They were/are fond of animals and represent different generations which carried the flag for our ‘agreeable friends’ in Karachi. Let’s talk about them one by one.

More here.

The most important thing to know about spaying and neutering is that it saves lives. In every community in every U.S. state, there are animals sitting in animal shelters waiting for homes. Only about half of those dogs and cats will ever get one. The other half will be euthanized.
Making the decision to spay or neuter your pet means fewer pets—pets as sweet, loving, healthy, and deserving of companionship as your own—will be euthanized for lack of a home.

More here.

KARACHI: The Karachi zoo will be cleaned and renovated after this Ashura, announced Shaukat Zaman, a health director, on Saturday. He had gone to inspect the zoo, along with the zoo’s director, Mazhar Khan, on the directives of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Muhammad Hussain Syed.

Meeting called by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation
Karachi Zoo Management
District Commissioner House, Karachi
Thursday, December 1, 2011

Participants:

KMC Administrator Muhammad Hussain Syed (MHS)

Dr. Kazim Hussain
Veterinarian and Acting Director, Karachi Zoo

Uzma Khan (UK)
Member, Management Committee, Lahore Zoo
Biodiversity Director, World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pakistan)

Rab Nawaz (RN)
Director, Indus Ecoregion Programme, World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pakistan)

Umeed Khalid
Conservator Wildlife, National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW)

Mahera Omar (MO)
Maheen Zia (MZ)
Co-Founders, Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Madiha Javed (MJ)
Express Television

Minutes of the Meeting:

A management committee for the Karachi Zoo will be set up to oversee its policy matters and finances. The zoo should be an independent body with its own Board of Directors. Currently, it is under the management of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and so does not have the authority in the running of its own affairs. The zoo also needs a full-time director as it is the veterinarian who is filling in as director temporarily. A consultant can be hired to make plans for upgrading the facilities at the zoo. (MHS)

It is important to understand why zoos exist in the first place. Their role is education, and not conservation. WWF can help Karachi Zoo set up an education program which would include developing educational materials and providing training for its staff. Generally, the Karachi Zoo is considered to be more of a picnic spot, with no emphasis on creating awareness about the importance of conserving wildlife in their own habitats. WWF would be happy to hire an education officer for the zoo. The Lahore Zoo and Safari have a master plan. There is a need to develop such a vision for the Karachi Zoo as well. (UK)

We should focus on local species and try to create more awareness about their conservation, rather than acquiring more and more foreign species. In addition, any animal that is acquired must be from one zoo to another, and not from an animal dealer. (RN)

Last year the zoo earned an income of Rupees 2 crore and 30 lakhs. But since the funds are not under the zoo’s control, it’s requirements are not able to be fulfilled. (KH)

Lahore Zoo has its own bank account. There is transparency in their management since the committee has to approve any expenditure before the funds are utilized. Once such a system is in place in Karachi as well, then one can move forward with better zoo management. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) provides guidelines and support to zoos about “animal care and welfare, conservation of biodiversity, environmental education and global sustainability”. Members of the WAZA network are obliged to comply with their code of ethics, and such an organisation is a great resource for the Karachi Zoo. (UK)

The National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW) is responsible for issuing No Objection Certificates before any private party trade in wildlife. Certain international conventions, such as CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, aims to ensure that “international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.” Pakistan is a signatory to this convention, and therefore must not illegally acquire animals from the wild for any of its zoos. (Umeed Khalid)

In an ideal world, there would be no zoos. Wild animals belong in the wild and not meant to lead a life in captivity. Captive animals, especially those kept in inhumane conditions, send a wrong message to zoo visitors. This message is enforced most strongly amongst young children, who then grow up to believe its okay to cage wild animals. A prime example is the barren, tiled enclosures of the indigenous fishing cats that are kept in solitary confinement. Their enclosures bear no resemblance to their natural wetland habitat. The focus of being able to see wild animals up close should be on the importance of protecting their original habitats, which are fast depleting in Pakistan. Capturing wild animals from their natural habitats, and separating the young from their mothers, as in the case of the 4 baby elephants, is another practice which the Karachi Zoo must not condone. (MZ)

It is important to use this opportunity to introduce better zoo management practices and upgrade the existing facilities, so that the right kind of message be sent out to our future generations. At the same time, it is also important to remember our city animals and revive the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), so that the system of animal inspectors is once again initiated and a humane stray dog management strategy is implemented. (MO)

Not every initiative requires funds. Social media, such as facebook, can be used to engage the public and create awareness about protecting wild animals and their habitats. Learning from the successful example of the Mohatta Palace Museum, perhaps the Karachi Zoo could also be managed as a public-private sector partnership. (MJ)

It was jointly decided that a follow up meeting will be held soon.