Encouragingly, the team also found some owners willing to
bring their animals back for regular revisits, meaning that by
the end of their time there the Kiwi Care Team were pleased to
observe some definite improvements in these horses' physical
condition. Whilst it would be easy to label the owners as hard
and uncaring, Stephanie says that some were very concerned
for the well-being of their animal, however the reoccurring
trend seemed to be that they simply did not know how to
look after their sick or injured animals, "Of course there
were those that just wanted to cash in on the free treatment in
hope of free goods, and then once around the corner and out
of sight the saddles would be swung back on, whips cracked
and hooves heard scrabbling for grip on the concrete roads
as they were forced to gallop flat out to God knows where".
The team say the ESAF vets they had the opportunity
to collaborate with were amazing; they worked hard
and were open to learning as much as possible from
the Kiwi Care Team vets, dentists, farriers and nurses.
"
It is one thing going somewhere as a tourist, but to actually
immerse yourself in the culture and do as the locals do is a
whole other ball game," says Stephanie, before going on to
add that working with the charities was incredibly rewarding.
"I learned so much, and took a lot away from it. I hope that I
was somewhat able to have the same effect on the people we
worked with. Unfortunately as we know, change rarely happens
immediately, but with plans on the horizon for the very near
future, I look forward to returning to Egypt where we can
pursue what we have started in attempt to help implement
change for the better through education, encouragement and
Kiwi Care Team welcome enquiries from people who
are interested in volunteering, or enquiries from
anywhere in the world where there are animals
positive reinforcement. A major thing we noticed was that
the majority of the locals simply knew no better in their way
of treating and caring for their animals. Euthanasia wasn't an
option (though in many cases, had it been western society,
there would have been no second thoughts to euthanasia being
the best and most humane option)." Although the team's main
focus was with the horses, donkeys and camels - small animal
vet Charleen also spent her days training veterinary graduates
on the importance of sterility in surgery and assisting ESAF
with getting their TNR (trap neuter release) program running.
Since returning from Egypt, the Kiwi Care Team went to Fiji in
August of this year for two weeks - a collaboration with Animals
Fiji who are based in Nadi - to visit and provide help for the
horses there (there are no equine vets/specialists or farriers on the
island). The focus was on hoof care, hoof trimming and shoeing,
as well as dentistry and basic animal care and welfare. The
organisation's relationship with Fiji is to be a regular set up, with
the volunteers visiting a couple of times per year from here on
in - a trend they hopes to see continue with the other countries. A
mission to India has also been confirmed for March 2013, which
(pending funds) the team hope to tie in with a return trip to Egypt
with the farrier team from the UK.