Running a comprehensive, community based dog and cat welfare project in Praia de Faro

Harry Eckman: Co-Founder/Programmes Director - Change For Animals Foundation

Maria Pinto Teixeira: President - Animais de Rua

Why this isn’t simply a CNVR project

• Capturing information and data

• Showing effectiveness and impact

• Engaging communities, municipalities, governments and grant funders

• Natural Peninsula • 4.5km x 750m • Isolated animal population• Seasonal human population• Local fishing community

Praia de Faro - location

What the location meant from the perspective of a project

• Unique geography• Isolated animal community• No natural migration of animals• Manageable project area

• Feral colonies• Roaming dogs• Approx 200 cats • Approx 150 dogs• Widespread welfare concerns

Praia de Faro - animals

How the project developed

• Need for project data• Methods of capturing data • Animal - population dynamics, geographical diversity, health and

welfare• People – knowledge, attitudes and behaviour

• Input from expert partners • Sharing data• Supporting the wider animal welfare community

The project is divided into 3 stages

Assessments Finding out about everything before we do stuff

CNVR and wider welfare interventions

Doing stuff

Monitoring and

evaluation

Seeing if the stuff we did made any difference

Assessment stage

November/December 2013• Conduct animal population

census • Conduct community survey

August 2014• Repeat population census

and community survey

Mobile phone app

• GPS location of animals• Male/female, neutered/unneutered,

unknown, lactating, puppy/kitten• Body condition score • Signs of sickness • Signs of injury • Signs of ownership • Animal seen within property boundary

Community survey• 150 surveys (20-25% of population) • 20 questions• Ownership behaviour• How and where animals kept• Reason for ownership• Level of knowledge regarding basic care • Barriers to providing adequate care• “Problems" with animals• Perception of “stray” animals• Tolerance for street animals

Census results

• Initial discussions suggested 40-50 dogs and 200-600 cats• 130-150 dogs • 180-220 cats • Dogs: 75% male - 25% female• Cats: 48% male - 52% female• Dogs: 89% good body condition• Cats: 91% good body condition• 5% of dogs and cats displayed signs of sickness

Survey results

• 150 interviews• 60% owned one or more animals • 75% owned dogs male – 25% female• 40% owned cats male – 60% female • 47% of owned animals allowed to roam• 19% of owned animals sterilised• 45% of owners thought stray animals a problem• 65% of non-owners thought stray animals a problem

Implementation stage- cats

October 2014• Initial two-week CNVR

campaign• Vaccinate• Sterilise• Provide anti-parasitics• Other treatments

• Lusofona University• Blood sampling • Faecal sampling • Skin scrapes• Ear tip collection • Reproductive organ

collection

Implementation stage- cats

• Initial 2 week campaign• 161 cats: 89 males - 72

females • 74% of the cat population • More accurate assessment

of the population• Community engagement

Implementation stage- cats

• Follow-up CNVR• 202 cats sterilised• 98% of the cat population• Community reports new

cats• First published data: eye

parasite Onchocerca Lupi - identified for the first time in cats in Portugal

Implementation stage- cats

Revising the dog implementation stage

• Initial assessment suggested many unowned dogs• Ongoing assessment shows

no unowned dogs• Many dogs previously

abandoned and taken on by current owner

Revising the dog implementation stage

• Dog population a result of abandonment not breeding• Sterlisation serves health

and welfare role not population control• Encouraging responsible

ownership• Most dogs never seen vet

Implementation stage - dogs

June 2015• Collaboration between CFAF, AdR, 3 local veterinary practices

and the local municipality• 107 dogs reached• 71 sterilisations: 44 male - 27 female• Additional 36 dogs reached through community outreach• 67% of the dog population

• Challenging from veterinary perspective• Dogs aged from 1 to 15

years • Size ranged from 4 to 42

kilos• Wide variety of health and

welfare issues

Implementation stage - dogs

• Problems with owner compliance• Some owners initially

against sterilisation• Accepted when

vaccinations and anti parasitics offered • Could not reach every

dog

Implementation stage - dogs

Implementation stage - dogs

Implementation stage - dogs

Implementation stage - dogs

Implementation stage - dogs

• Several dogs have spent their lives chained or enclosed

• Now allowed some freedom because owners no longer worried they will mate

• Owners seemed to have "seen" their dogs for the first time

Implementation stage - dogs

"We are very poor… We love our animals but have had no way of doing the things we know we should be doing…This project is one of the best things to ever happen on Praia de Faro... It has changed the lives of not only the animals here but the people too.”

Implementation stage - dogs

Ongoing assessments – 2 years

• Ongoing CNVR of cat colonies • Continued dialog with dog owners ensuring ongoing compliance • Ongoing partnership with local veterinary practices • Repeat population counts and community surveys • Ongoing dissemination of responsible ownership materials • Replicable model project approach• Full publication of project data

We undertook this project for three reasons,

1. Help the animals and community of Praia de Faro

2. Capture data, understand the situation and share findings

3. Develop a practical and replicable model

What our work means for your work

The more we can show the effectiveness of what we are doing…

by gathering the information we need…

and presenting it in a way that shows the impact of our work…

the more we can improve the lives of animals and the communities they live with.

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/NxgODMzYnnM

• Dogs Trust• Faro Municipality• Parish of Montenegro • DGAV• OMV• Lusófona University and volunteers• Veterinary team - Kate Shervell, Lisa

Trueman, Zala Hajdinjak, Amy Lewis• Teresa Líbano Monteiro and Suzanne de

Callatay• Clínica Veterinária Central • Centro Veterinário da Estação • Clínica Veterinária de Faro

Acknowledgements and thanks• SNIP International• CASA Porto• Merial• WVS• Mission Rabies• Royal Canin• CIAA• MDC Exports• APAFF• Lex Hiby and Conservation Research• Atmos Arial Filming• Volunteers of Animais de Rua• Ilha de Faro community

For more information about any aspect of this project or advice on how to incorporate any aspect of assessment, monitoring, evaluating and measuring impacts into your work, please come and speak to us or contact us directly:

harryeckman@changeforanimals.orgmariapteixeira@animaisderua.org

Thank you!