To make matters worse, this incredibly crude and painful method is approved by the Philippines’ Committee on Animal Welfare (CAW) under the country’s Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (RA 8485). Which makes one wonder what sort of people and organisations sit in this committee!!!

I won’t post links to the video evidence or the pictures here, but very clearly, this is totally unacceptable. Fortunately, a movement has started to combat these outrageous killings. You can lend a hand simply by signing the petition. And don’t worry, in my own experience, this site doest NOT inundate your inbox with spam, so it’s completely safe. Here’s the link: Tambucho gassing is not euthanasia

Of course, we all realise that the stray dog and cat populations need to be regulated. However, ruthless killing is NOT the way. The so-called Trap / Neuter / Return (TNR) scheme is! A lot of research has gone into this and time and again it has been shown that TNR works effectively and humanely.

If this gassing, and let’s not forget, other inhumane methods of killing animals for whatever purpose is allowed to continue, we should all be ashamed of being part of this species. If you want my opinion, we’re messing up our stewardship of our own planet. Should you be religiously inclined and believe that God himself put us in charge, then I feel that he could not have made a worse choice

Smeagol at ASU awaiting treatment

It is a dog we called Smeagol and he was found by an acquaintance of ours. Fortunately, he started feeling much better already with the ivermectine treatment against demodectic mange and good food. After a few weeks, just before I left, he looked like this:

Smeagol at ASU feeling better already

Well, the good news is that after his adoption by Doreen, an Aklan State University VetMed student, she’s nursed him back to health so that we are extremely happy to be able to report that he now looks much and much better. His fur has not come back fully yet, and chances are that it will never completely come back, but at least he’s a healthy and playful dog now, enjoying the company of his family. Excellent news!!!

Smeagol is now taken care of by Doreen

Taking a rest

Chan Bautista, our first volunteer

Chan is a student at the School of  Veterinary Medicine of Aklan State University (ASU) in Banga. During term he lives in Kalibo, not too far away from us. Chan is also the proud guardian of a beautiful Poodle named Keannah.

Keannah at the beach

In fact, he entered Keannah for the Kalibo Dog Show last February. What a beautiful doggie!

On behalf of our animals, I’d like to say “Thanks for helping out Chan, best of luck!” …

From ape to man

Anybody that has ever owned a dog or cat, or indeed many other pet-species, will attest to the fact that, contrary to scientific belief, it is blatently obvious that such animals very clearly display their emotional state and, not surprisingly, that we can largely recognise these emotions for what they are. Why? because we, as mammals, have largely the same range of emotions!

As a geologist (I took a number of palaeontology courses), I’m convinced that concepts like antropomorphism are fundamentally wrong: it’s the other way around! Humans, who only entered the evolutionary spectrum some 5 million years ago and primates some 55 million years before that, share a common evolution with our fellow mammal species for gazillions of years. Hence, this leads me to believe that it is virtually impossible for us to be the “inventors” of even the more complex emotions. Rather, we possess a (super?)set of those emotions that were already well developed by our common ancestors. Such emotions developed because they gave the possessor some evolutionary edge over those that didn’t. I dubbed this idea the “genetic-evolutionary theory” Therefore, to me it is no surprise at all that animals posess the same emotional spectrum as we do, especially the species “close” to ours. If I think about it, the statistical odds that a species that occurs only very very late in evolution is the sole inventor of some evolutionary advantage is, well, probably zilch I would imagine. Recognising such emotions however appears to be an entirely different matter and that is probably why we have to devote an entire branch of science to work out the differences and similarities across species.

How about some typical “human” emotions or behaviours then, or at least those that many people would consider typical of our own species. You will find that complex emotions and behaviours are not even limited to primates. Altruism is a nice example. Not too long ago a video clip turned up in which a Chilean stray dog tried to rescue its buddy from a busy road after he or she had been hit by a car. You can see that video here. How about “culture” then? Well, National Geographic showed a wildlife series in which a certain group of elefants regularly visited a cave where they apparently were harvesting certain minerals to augment their diet. Strangely enough, other elefant herds in the region had not caught on to this habit and so it is shown that groups of individuals exhibit regional variation in their behaviour, i.e. display culture. Another example of this is a group of Japanese makaque monkeys that frequents hot springs. Apart from the fact that they obviously enjoy the warm water, their nearby neighbours completely ignore the springs. Another striking example: wildlife rangers in South Africa recorded many years ago that a babboon couple abandoned their troup and for days stalked AND killed a lioness that had killed their baby a few days before. How’s that for premeditated revenge!

So to sum up emotions and complex behaviours such as: happiness, anger, jealousy, murder, altruism, kindness, joy, grief, kidnapping, child care, fear, hunger, pain, to name only a few, it’s all been done before! In this respect, I don’t think the human species has contributed much to the emotional landscape. Apart from “religion” perhaps …

Meet Ginger guys! She is an (estimated) 10 months old German Shepherd (Deutsche Schaeferhund) that was found wandering around Rotterdam and was brought to the shelter by the police. As is often the case, nobody came for her, so after two weeks she was up for adoption. Being a volunteer at the shelter, I had already walked her a number of times and she had become my favourite.

Admittedly, I did have some second thoughts. After all, we already have two old timers Jackie and Tessa and 5 cats. How would they react? Ginger is such a beautiful and young dog, she would have little trouble finding a home. Or would she?

Ginger during a walk. Just look at those eyes!

She’s very, very energetic (well, she’s still a pup technically speaking though weighing in at 33kg) and has been taught next to nothing. She’s not been trained to walk on a leash since during my shelter walks it became apparent that she missed out on a great career opportunity as a sledge dog. So perhaps she would not have been that easy to re-home after all. In any case, we decided to adopt her to give her a nice life away from people that abuse the breed and so I can work on my dog training skills. Yes, I AM a certified dog trainer but our Tessa and jackie are such fabulously good dogs that I haven’t been getting much practice

Such a beautiful German Shepherd

One final word though: as of Ginger’s arrival our Dutch home is officially pronounced “FULL”. With 3 dogs and 5 cats this is about all our house can take. Of course AARRC in the Philippines is in no way affected by this statement!

At the request of Maureen Hurly, one of the group’s active members, I emailed the authorities and, very nice I must add, got a reply. If you want to read the discussion. Here it is.

Dear Sir, Madam,

It has come to my attention that a dog named Brindi has been kept in an animal control facility for over a year, without the rightful keeper being allowed to visit.

Apart from the fact that it is completely unethical for authorities to keep an animal in confinement while it’s perceived “threat to society” has not been properly and unmistakably established, I would have you know that it is even more unacceptable to spend tax payers money (and indeed, to force the keeper to do the same) on such trivial matters.

As a certified dog trainer and active member of my community, I would expect the authorities to take a far more constructive course of action which would:

* benefit the animal
* benefit the keeper
* benefit the community

and it’s not rocket science! Send the dog and the keeper to a qualified and well established dog trainer and the problem is solved in an efficient, cost effective and constructive manner.

What is happening now defies all logic and, in actual fact, is a disgrace to the city of Halifax for the world to see. I strongly suggest that you reconsider your strategy in this matter and do what’s right for ALL involved.

Sincery yours,

Michel J.L. van der Kleij.

—–

Sir,

This matter is before the courts and I am not able to comment on specifics .

It appears, based on your comments, that you may not have all the correct information.

Thank you

Supt. Bill Moore

—–

Bill,

Thank you very much for your reply, however, I beg to differ.

True, by now the case has become so complicated that an outsider such as myself can’t possibly know all the details. But the fact that the matter is before the courts is EXACTLY my point: legal proceedings would be entirely unnecessary had proper and animal-behavioural methods been applied. That would have saved the city and individuals involved a lot of money and aggravation. It appears that the whole affair has simply escalated beyond what seems appropriate in such matters.

I realise that, now the matter is in the hands of the courts, there is very little you can do at this point. Still, I would like to respectfully request that, wherever possible, you do everything in your power to ensure that the case is resolved in the most (animal)friendly possible way so that both community and all involved will benefit from a mutually agreeable solution.

Kind regards,

Michel.

A recent article in the Examiner tells us of a representative who wants a cruel and heartless pastime to be registered as “cultural heritage”.

That representative, and indeed the government, fails to recognise cockfighting for what it really is: a national addiction to gambling. Nothing more, nothing less. It has no more to do with Philippine culture than, say, having to go to the loo everyday.

I realise that in our own country, much to my resentment, use of soft drugs is legalised under certain circumstances and that many individuals engage in the drug scene in one way or another. Some make a good living from it. Others, the addicts, are forced to steal to get their daily fix. There are those that use (soft) drugs and carry on living, if only a little shorter. So intertwined with life over here it most certainly is, but calling drugs part of our cultural heritage? NO WAY!!!

Gambling, of course, makes the poor even poorer and the rich even richer. It induces crime and spreads poverty. Additionally, it is simply torture of living creatures that suffer badly and unnecessarily, all in the name of, wait for it, “entertainment” … In short this is definitely NOT what I would want my national cultural heritage to associate with. Should’t cultural heritage be about things that you are really proud of? So what pride can one possibly have over a pair of innocent birds that are forced to kill each other (which they would never do in nature)?

Furthermore, the people that frequent these gruelling and bloody events only teach their offspring that (animal) suffering and drawing blood is “fun” and that gambling is an acceptable pastime. So will these youngsters be guaranteed a peaceful and crimefree society when they grow up? I think not!

Cockfighting must be banned, it’s bad, bad news for filippinos!

Innocent victim of gambling addiction

Recovering after sterilisation in our garden

Nabas enjoying a decent meal

Sadly enough, not all the animals that we try to save make it. Another one of our beloved guests has slipped through our fingers and died last night. Ginny. Poor little Ginny.

She had a tough life by the looks of it, of only around 2 years. Completely emaciatiated and her little body covered in mange. She had probably been hit by a car judging by her rear hind leg’s limp and the fact that she lived near a very busy road where drivers are not known for their compassion towards other living creatures, human or animal. We tried to give her the best possible treatment. Tried to feed her so she would regain her strength. But all to no avail.  Perhaps the (heart)worms got to her, or some horrible virus, we really don’t know at this point. We’d like to think that we gave her a happier life than the one she had known before: we took her to the beach on many occasions and allowed her to make new friends. She had some good and tasty meals too at first. Alas, her appetite dwindled a few days ago and she died on the morning she would have been taken to the clinic.

Farewell my dear, dear Ginny. At least you knew some love and proper care before you died. We won’t forget you, ever!

An equally sad story is that of our sweet old timer Nabas. In fact, it was Nabas who alerted me to the deplorable state that some local dogs were in as I was driving through her town. So eventually we managed to take Ginny and Jackson as well. Nabas was neglected and left to fend for herself by her owner. When she arrived at our kennel, she really enjoyed the dog food that we gave her. We cleaned her up and although she was clearly not used to being handled, she was a friendly soul. It turned out she was almost completely blind, had numerous smaller tumors as well as arthritis. Still, she enjoyed the regular meals, more comfortable housing and attention she was getting.

So all in all, it didn’t come as a surprise when we heard that poor old Nabas had died. I felt sad, very sad, that we didn’t get to her a few years ago so that we might have given her a better life. In the end, she was only with us for a month and we can only hope that during that time, she felt much better.

Rest in peace dear Nabas!

Ginny shortly after she arrived in our kennel

Nabas having a well deserved rest in her kennel

First of all, one of the 5 cats from the Bagobos Resto-Grill in Numancia that we caught there to be spayed and neutered, gave birth to 3 beautiful kittens. Since this young family will stay with us for the next 3 months or so, we named Mom “Flower”. She’s very shy when out of the cage that we set aside for her, but inside she’s as sweet as ever and a caring mom.

Flower and her 3 kids

Then the night before we returned to Manila, little Frodo called out from one of the gardens of our neighbours opposite the street. After a few years of rescuing in the Philippines, let me assure you that you develop ears that are well tuned to the cries of kittens. So a quick search in the dark with a flashlight revealed this little fellow:

Frodo in action

Oh and I shouldn’t forget to mention the Bagobos cats themselves of course. Having only a single trap at present, it took us a few days to catch a number of them, but eventually we got 5. Most of them are feral and can’t be handled easily. We’ll return them to the Bagobos restaurant after their sterilisation and medication, so they can continue their job of keeping the rats and mice under control.

4 of the 5 Bagobos cats awaiting sterilisation

Maplo, our very first guest in the dog kennels, didn't survive

Apart from Maplo, all our present rescues are doing fine. A quick recap:

Ino is a female dog of around 8 months old that we found in Sebaste, Antique. She’s shy at first but getting to know us and now developing her playful side. She was diagnosed with demodectic mange, fortunately in the early stages.

Ino rolling in the grass

Ginny is a very young dog that is extremely emaciated, suffering from advanced demodectic mange and probably had an accident of some sort in the past, since she has restricted use of her hind left leg. She’s a curious little character however and has no trouble walking on a leash.

Ginny still a little camera shy

Now that especially Ino and Ginny are getting used to us, we take them to the beach along with our own dogs (all rescues originally), Falco, Snowy and Arwen. Ino really opened up and wanted to play, but she will have to wait a week or so due to her recent sterilisation and arrival. Ginny is a little on edge but clearly enjoys the outings, taking a keen (but careful) interest in her totally new surroundings.

Walk along the beach

Horacio is a feral cat that we caught in a trap that we used to retrieve our escapee Dayang (see previous post). He was sterilised too and after he’s completed his medication of anti-biotics for the operation, we will set him free.

Horacio, our temporary guest

Our final guest is a dog named Jackson. When we picked up Nabas (also see the old abandoned dog in the previous post), bystanders pointed out both Ginny and Jackson to us. He’s a grumpy little fellow, a little underweight, and suffering from demodectic mange. His whole body is affected, but the skin is nor keratinised yet. He should be fine after ivermectine injections.

Jackson receiving treatment at ASU

Not really a rescue story, but very interesting nonetheless, was the encounter I had with Eddy at Aklan State University when I was there for the sterilisation of our rescued animals. Eddy is a fabulous Korean chap: he was camping inside one of the treatment rooms for days so he could be with his sick dog Georgie (perforated intestines due to eating sharp bones) all the time, taking turns with his wife to keep the business going, a travel agency on Boracay island catering especially to Koreans. He’s linked to our site where he’s got some pictures of Ino, Jackson and Horacio. Here’s the URL of his Blog in Korean, so if you’re into the Korean language or want to check out the pics, go take a look: Mr. Subak

Eddy looking after his best friend Georgie

UPDATE: I heard from a friend of Eddy that Georgie died after all. So sad for Eddy to lose his friend …