“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.

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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.

After the devastating floods of 2010, a non-profit organisation wants Pakistanis to think a little differently for Eid-ul-Azha this year. PAWS, the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society, is asking citizens to think about saving animals instead of sacrificing them. The volunteer-run group says that because so many families have lost their cattle and livestock in the floods, what those families need most is not meat for a meal, but livestock to help them generate income and rebuild their lives.

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80% of the flood affected population relies on agriculture and animals for their livelihoods. Around 1.2 million livestock and 6 million poultry have died throughout the country. The hundreds of thousands of animals that have survived are in urgent need of emergency fodder, shelter and veterinary support.

So it’s no trivial act that the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), in collaboration with the Karachi Animal Hospital, organized a relief mission to Thatta and Makli in Sindh to provide veterinary treatment to the flood’s animal victims.

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THATTA, Aug 30: Man and the beast are equally hit by the floods but man being more intelligent and resourceful managed to shift to safety leaving cattle, dogs and cats to fend for themselves.

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We left Karachi at 9am for the 100km drive to Thatta on the National Highway. Our team included veterinarians Dr. Zulfiqar Haider Otho and Dr. Shalla Hayat of the Karachi Animal Hospital, Baqai veterinary students Mashood Ahmed, Mohammad Saifullah and Suroop Chand, volunteers Francis Liaquat Khushi, Emmanual Liaquat Khushi, Benjamin Khushi and Viyay Arif Massieh, and PAWS co-founders Maheen Zia and Mahera Omar.

The massive devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan has affected over 17 million individuals, killed 1,536 people and destroyed 1.2 million houses. In the last couple of days, hundreds of thousands of people and their animals have fled their drowning villages and taken refuge around Makli, an ancient necropolis on the outskirts of Thatta. The situation was pretty tense once we got to the Shell fuel pump just before Makli. While waiting at the pump for the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) team to escort us to Makli, we noticed people thronging the highway desperately trying to get their share of food and water from any relief truck entering the city.

We’d barely got on the road to Makli when our driver made an abrupt u-turn to avoid an angry mob looting a truck full of relief goods up ahead. We got onto the main Thatta road instead, and headed towards the EDO Agriculture and Livestock’s office. A handful of 4×4 vehicles of non-government organizations, ambulances, private cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, donkey carts, Suzuki pick-ups and the odd armed forces truck could be seen in the city. Hundreds of displaced families were camped in makeshift shelters with their animals on the main roads alone. Many more were squatting on the outskirts with barely any access to food, water or shelter for either themselves or their animals.

A couple of our team members had visited Thatta a few days earlier where they witnessed the heart-breaking scenes of the mass exodus of people and their animals from the surrounding villages to the city. It reminded them of scenes from the 1947 partition of Pakistan from India. The same kind of bullock carts, the same sea of humanity on foot mile after mile, the same worried looks on peoples’ faces, not knowing where exactly they would end up and when they’d be able to go back home. Most had sent their women and children ahead on trucks, and were now on foot with all their animals. Some were trying to help their baby buffaloes back on their feet, but the young animals simply couldn’t keep up with the rest of the herd. Again and again our team members spotted one or two men huddled on the side of the road over their collapsed animals, eventually having to leave them behind. There were even reports of people flinging their collapsed cows and buffaloes over the bridge on the Thatta – Sujawal road and into the river water.

Once at the EDO’s office, Zahid Hussain Jalbani, Site Manager WWF Makli, introduced us to Vickio Chohan, EDO Agriculture, Thatta, and Dr. Qaisar Jatoi, District Officer Livestock, Thatta. They inform us there are approximately 300,000 small and large animals around Makli for which there is an extreme shortage of fodder. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture estimates 3.6 million hectares of standing crops have been damaged or destroyed, and fodder for the animals has been either washed away or damaged by silt. With so much of farmland inundated by floodwaters, both people and animals have lost a vital source of food.

After the updates by the local officials, we spent the rest of the day providing veterinary treatment to injured or sick buffaloes, cows, goats and other animals in the Thatta – Makli area. WWF arranged for two volunteers who led the way on a motorbike. People seemed pleased to see us and eagerly pointed out the injured or sick animals in their vicinity. They were extremely grateful to us for providing much needed veterinary relief to their animals, as they cannot afford to lose even one of them. A few even brought their dogs over for a checkup.

It was a hot day, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees Celsius. Women, children and small animals huddled under every inch of available shade. A baby buffalo and an old woman were taking refuge in the shade of a small thorny devi bush. The smaller animals like goats and chickens were generally under the shade of charpais (beds). There was even a duck under one! We spotted pet pigeons perched on top of their cage, free to fly around as they pleased.

Most of the men had taken their livestock out to graze in nearby fields and would return later in the evening. Women would walk far to the nearest watering hole to fetch murky water for their families and the smaller animals that were too young to walk to the water themselves. We saw a woman by the roadside pouring water on her buffalo’s head to keep it cool.

The care and concern of the people for their animals was evident wherever we went, whether it was at a well-run camp in the city, by the roadside on the outskirts, or in makeshift shelters amidst cactus and tombs on the hills of Makli. Some hadn’t received any relief goods from the government authorities themselves, yet were busy making sure their remaining animals survive.

A total of 28 cases were treated by our two volunteer veterinarians assisted by the veterinary students.

Veterinary Treatment of the Flood’s Animal Victims in Thatta and Makli

Due to the increasing chaos in the city, WWF advised us to head back to Karachi well before sunset. As we left Thatta, a slow moving Rangers truck full of relief goods was being mobbed near the National Highway. Even the armed personnel were helpless once surrounded by hundreds of desperate people, angry at the authorities about inadequate arrangements for the displaced families.

80% of the flood affected population relies on agriculture and animals for their livelihoods. According to the Ministry of Livestock and Dairy Development, around 1.2 million livestock and 6 million poultry have died throughout the country. The hundreds of thousands of animals that have survived are in urgent need of emergency fodder, shelter and veterinary support.

At least 7 trucks of fodder (wheat straw) are required to be sent in daily to feed the animal population around Thatta and Makli. Each truck will cost around Rs. 80,000 (934 USD). A supply chain of food has to be set up on war footing to prevent starvation amongst the remaining livestock, which are a valuable source of income and draught power for the people. For many poor refugees from small farming communities, their livestock is their only remaining capital.

Please donate generously to PAWS so that we can continue to help the voiceless victims of the tragic floods in Pakistan.

PAWS is a non profit organization registered as a Company limited by guarantee under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984. It is run totally by volunteers and does not have a shelter, business venue or paid staff. All the funds raised go directly towards rescuing and treating animals as well as awareness raising and advocacy work.

You can donate to PAWS by cheques, bank drafts and deposits or direct bank transfers.

Make cheques payable to: Pakistan Animal Welfare Society

Mailing Address: Office No. 8, Hamilton Court, Complex G-1, Main Clifton Road, Karachi 6, 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

Donations to PAWS are tax exempt under section U/S 2(36)(c) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

PAWS accounts are audited annually by chartered accountants Salman & Co.

The Brooke
World Society for the Protection of Animals
Vets Care Organization
WWF Pakistan
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore
City District Government, Karachi

URGENT APPEAL – Pakistan floods (The Brooke)
Pakistan: Floods engulf a country

Dr. Zulfiqar Otho and Dr. Shalla Hayat of the Karachi Animal Hospital check a blind donkey rescued by PAWS.

All creatures on earth are sentient beings. There is not an animal on earth, nor a bird that flies on its wings – but they are communities like you. 

The Quran 6:38

Swiss animal rights lawyer, Antoine Goetschel, recently made international news when he defended a dead pike in a case of cruelty by a local fisherman who was overheard boasting about landing the fish after a ten minute long struggle. The basis of his argument was that fish are sentient beings and that the fisherman had caused the pike needless pain. Islam is a religion where the sentience of all animals has been declared in the Quran. However, the expected application of such a belief is sadly amiss in Pakistani society. In fact, many of the most vocal advocates for animal rights in the history of Pakistan have been non-Muslim.

Under British rule, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was passed in 1890 for the entire subcontinent. Earlier, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), modeled after the RSPCA in the UK, had been established in Karachi in 1878 by a group of animal lovers who convened a public meeting at the Frere Hall gardens. After Partition in 1947, India and Pakistan made their own amendments to the original 1890 act. The West Pakistan Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was ratified in 1961 to include rules regarding the licensing of farriers, bits and harnesses for animals, draught hours for buffaloes, restrictions on loading animal drawn vehicles, and the age of service of working animals.

The act, however, needs to be reviewed and further amended to meet the requirements of the current times. The Government of India, for example, established an Animal Welfare Board in 1962 which was set up in accordance with their Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960. Some of the functions of this board are to advise the government on any amendments required to the laws, and to stop the killing of stray dogs and enforce the Animal Birth Control program throughout India. This has institutionalized the entire animal welfare movement by strengthening existing laws and ensuring they are implemented. The board requires, for example, the setting up of SPCAs in each district with an attached hospital on land given by the local administration.

In Karachi, up to the 1980′s, the SPCA had a functional animal shelter with a capacity of 150 animals. Lady Constantine, a Swiss resident of Karachi, was the society’s president at the time. She had limited funds and manpower, but was untiring in her efforts to work for the cause of animal welfare. Unfortunately, her death in the early 1990′s spelt a break in this century-old tradition of service to animals in the city. Soon after Lady Constantine’s death, the SPCA shelter land was taken away by the government and the special animal court at the Sindh High Court wound up. At present, Punjab is the only province in Pakistan where the SPCA is still active. The city of Lahore has an office and shelter for the society’s work on the premises of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

In such an absence of institutionalized support, the efforts of some individuals and organizations that are working towards the betterment of animals, is nothing short of heroic.

The Brooke Hospital for Animals is an international equine welfare organization whose motto is ‘healthy working animals for the world’s poorest communities’. The Brooke was established in Pakistan in 1991, and has centers in 12 districts across Pakistan. They have managed to turn entire communities around in their attitudes towards their beasts of burden, empowering both man and beast in the process. In 2009, for example, Brooke helped 280,000 working horses, donkeys and mules. It is also estimated that the work of this single organization supports the livelihoods of approximately 1.5 million people in 250 poor communities in Pakistan.

For more than 10 years, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and its member society, the Bioresource Research Centre, Pakistan (BRC), led by dedicated campaigner Dr. Fakhar-i-Abbas, have worked tirelessly to put an end to the cruel practice of bear baiting. In 2007 alone, BRC persuaded over a 1000 mosques in high-prevalence areas to preach against bear baiting. Over time, bear baiting incidences have seen a sharp decline. BRC also has a bear sanctuary in Kund (near Peshawar) that houses rescued bears.

The world’s largest NGO and Pakistan’s biggest charity, the Edhi Foundation, also maintains an animal shelter in the outskirts of Karachi. This shelter is home to several cats, dogs, donkeys, crows and kites.

U.S.-based veterinarian, Dr. I. H. Kathio, regularly contributes his expertise to the training of future veterinarians in colleges across the country. He also supports several veterinary clinics by donating medical literature and equipment, and is available to vets for consultation on complicated cases.

Urging the public’s moral conscience to consider the poor state of animal welfare, there are voices in the media which keep animals in the news. Three names, in particular, deserve mention for highlighting the cause of animals in the print media – senior columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee and journalists Bhagwandas and Faiza Ilyas.

Tiger the puppy, just moments after he was rescued by PAWS from a mangrove swamp in Karachi.

Our own organization, the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), was founded in 2004 in response to the poisoning and shooting of stray dogs in Karachi. It has had a modest start and at present is run entirely by volunteers. While we do not have a shelter, office or paid staff and all funds raised go directly towards rescuing and treating animals and awareness-raising and advocacy work, we have managed to attract over two thousand supporters on facebook who wish to see better conditions for animals in Pakistan.

In the last decade there have also been a number of noteworthy events relevant to animal rights. In early 2000, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and a U.S. based organization, Engineers and Scientists for Animal Rights, in collaboration with the Pakistan Arts Council, held an exhibit of drawings by 6 to 8 year old children expressing their concern for animals. The drawings were compelling, especially considering that the children had never been exposed to any animal rights literature or website before.

Dr. Jerry Valask, a renowned U.S. Surgeon, also visited and spoke at the PMA House against the use of animals in medical research, and Pakistani media Geo TV and SouthAsia magazine were recognized at the Humane Society of the United States’ prestigious Genesis Awards in Beverley Hills.

In conclusion, while stray dogs are still poisoned with strychnine or shot, adequate veterinary facilities are scant, and illegal animal trade flourishes in Pakistan, all of the above are reasons to hope this will not remain the case. In addition to precedents in faith, there are historical precedents to persuade us to be kinder to animals. Pakistan’s founding father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah is a reference point in any discussion that touches upon the vision for the country. It is often overlooked that Mr. Jinnah was an animal lover. It is a legacy equally deserving of being honored.

Article by Maheen Zia and Mahera Omar, co-founders of PAWS. Printed in May’s issue of SouthAsia magazine.

This grand and endangered visitors to Pakistan are captured and sold to Arab hunters. Read the Dawn exposé here.