The HIS Kalimpong Animal Shelter is the only one of its kind, situated in a remote area of the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, not far from the borders of Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet. Due to the fact that many of the outlying villages do not have motorable roads, nor hospitals, and often no phone lines, or electricity, the work of Kalimpong Animal Shelter is difficult and unusual, requiring much ‘barefoot’ doctoring, with staff and vet walking or driving long distances.

The Clinic at the Kalimpong Shelter

View from the shelter

When the Kalimpong Animal Shelter began an Animal Birth Control programme in 1998, it was based on the protocol laid down in the Help in Suffering (Jaipur) Animal Birth Control Programme Manual. Help in Suffering had already endured the difficulties of establishing an ABC programme in the city of Jaipur in l993, where, until that time, dogs were being poisoned by strychnine. A similar situation existed in Kalimpong, a quiet resort town, at the altitude of 4100 ft , about 2 hours drive from Darjeeling in North Bengal. There were many starving puppies, many diseased and hungry dogs, and a general attitude of disgust towards these ‘dirty’ animals, at which stones were thrown, kicks directed, boiling water thrown, and worst of all - a blow of the khukuri (Nepalese knife).

Vaccination camp, Darjeeling

Sanjeev collects a dog for the ABC programme in Kalimpong

Kitchen and staff canteen

The HIS ABC Protocol was adapted to suit these different conditions. It was decided to target the township of Kalimpong as the core area, and, once all the dogs in the town had been sterilized, identified and vaccinated, the programme would begin moving into increasingly widening circles, reaching remote villages, and ensuring that there was an annual return to these villages, so that the message of the importance of vaccination for dogs and livestock, could be inculcated.

Rescued pups will be vaccinated, spayed and found a new home

After four years, between 1998-2002 the post-bite vaccination record of S.D. Hospital, Kalimpong revealed that there was no human rabies death seen from the Kalimpong ABC Zone, but sadly the hospital still sees several cases every year coming from the distant villages of the Darjeeling District, Kalimpong Sub-Division.

Although there is a need to maintain the Kalimpong ABC programme, as there are always some dogs to be found in need spaying, increasingly our staff are moving into surrounding areas, sometimes driving for a couple of hours followed by a lond walk to reach a particular village, often as the result of a request by either the Municipality or the village Panchayat (local governing committee). In the last few years villages in Sikkim, and on the Teesta River have been covered. Sometimes the shelter vehicle, a small Maruti Gypsy, collects the dogs, brings them to the shelter, and, after spaying, identification with ear notch, and vaccination, returns them to the village. At other times, a mobile clinic is established where dogs are spayed on the spot and given back to the villagers who own them the same day. The team remains in the vicinity for several days, moving between villages, and re-visiting the spayed dogs for a check-up. This is a laborious way of working, the instruments needing to be sterilized in a pressure cooker, sometimes on a wood stove, tables needing to be set up in an open field or room donated for the day, and people carrying their dogs sometimes for an hour by foot so that they can be operated and vaccinated.

For example, Singji is a remote village some three hours’ drive from Kalimpong, situated on a ridge to the north, among forest, rice paddies and maize fields, with rolling mountains and small villages. During a five day camp carried out by KAS fourteen dogs were spayed and around 85 dogs vaccinated, the purpose being to make the people aware of the need for vaccination against rabies, a fatal disease once contracted.

Many villages have written to KAS to request the help of the shelter in spay-vaccination programmes, and local volunteers have enthusiastically delivered leaflets and spread the news, in Samthar, Pudung, Etchey Busty, Munsong, Pedong and Rambhi to name a few. So far as we are aware, there have been no reports of rabies from these villages.

In Kalimpong, the people bring the community dogs to the vet

Dr Naveen Pandey is vet in Charge at Kalimpong Animal Shelter

Municipality: Any ABC programme in India would be a big failure unless there is proper coordination and understanding between the shelter and the municipality. KAS is privileged to have established a good working relationship with the municipality and the Chairman, Mr C.K.Kumai, in particular. The Kalimpong municipality has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KAS which guarantees there will not be any mass poisoning or other means of killing of stray dogs in Kalimpong due to the fact that DGAS Kalimpong Shelter has been carrying on a sustained ABC for last seven years. From time to time Kalimpong Shelter receives formal requests either from the Municipality or from village Panchayats to visit distant locations to spay and vaccinate animals.

Mr Donald Karthak, KAS trustee

ARV programme: Many dogs were vaccinated against Rabies this year (see box). The task ahead is difficult due to the occurrence of a sylvatic cycle of Rabies. Kalimpong sub-division has many remote villages bordered by forest and wild animals, particularly jackals, at times attack the rural dogs and the livestock, causing a rabies outbreak. The rural animals in such areas being vaccinated reduces the rabies spread but still there is a chance for the deadly virus to get hosts as vaccinating 100% of the population is practically not possible. It is understood that the Indian Government soon plans to allow the use of oral rabies vaccine. If this situation eventuates, and if funds are available, aerial vaccination of wild animals could prevent the agonizing death of humans and animals from rabies. The means of eliminating this disease are now available through vaccination so it is tragic that every year in the Kalimpong Hills region, several people die of rabies.

Newcastle disease vaccination project: Until our team started vaccinating against Newcastle Disease in the village poultry, so many birds suffered and died from this cruel disease. Since our programme commenced three years ago the variegated, many-coloured free roaming birds are now to be seen again in the backyard of every village house. DGAS team knocks every door in the morning between 6am to 8 am vaccinating their birds as the birds are housed indoor at night to protect from inclement weather and predators. After 8 am its difficult to get the entire population at a time which is required for a successful immunization programme. The outbreak of ND is not encountered in our immunization zone any more. This zone is increasing in radius. Volunteer vet Dr. D.P. Pandey has been instrumental in mobilizing people’s support and confidence.

Arpan Karthak, manager, helps Dr Yogesh Sharma treat a dog at KAS.JPG

Castration: It has been observed throughout India and especially in the villages that goats and pigs as well as cattle are castrated without using any local anaesthetic, often with poor equipment. In our education and outreach programme vet in charge, Dr. Naveen Pandey, has explained to village people the pain that animals undergo through the traditional method and advised owners to refrain from practicing primitive means of castration. Instead he has demonstrated and performed clean surgical castration under mild general and local anaesthetic.

Cattle Poisoning: Many villagers used to grieve the loss of their cattle from a urinary bladder cancer which caused the animals to urinate blood. This cancer is caused by ingestion of a local bracken. Repeated awareness efforts by the shelter staff has now resulted in a major part of the cattle farming communities ceasing to use this bracken fern as bedding for cattle and we have observed a significant reduction in these cases.

Dr. Graham’s Homes School: Dr. Graham’s Homes was established in Kalimpong in l906. The school consists of a mixture of boys and girls, boarders and day pupils, sponsored children and free paying children. The school has more than fifty cottages, each cottage having a few dogs as permanent residents. KAS has spayed all the female dogs living in the vast territory of the school. We have been annually vaccinating the entire dog population in the school premises.

The core funding for the Kalimpong Animal Shelter is received from our affiliated sister society, Animaux Secours, Arthaz, France. The Animal Welfare Board of India, HIS (UK), HIS(NSW) Animal Liberation (NSW), and Lifebridge Foundation (USA) have also assisted with funding, as well as many other local and overseas supporters. It is due to our supporters that we are able to carry on our work, under circumstances which are often difficult and challenging in this disadvantaged area. There are no other animal shelters in this remote region, and the Kalimpong Animal Shelter has been instrumental in changing the attitudes of people towards the animals with whom they share the earth.