APT Overseas
The nature of the Trust's work
is changing with the times. People lead such busy lives these days that
we find it increasingly hard to get volunteers or helpers who are able
to give their free time on a regular basis. However, we were fortunate
to be left an amazingly generous legacy from the late Muriel Hopkins, which
has enabled us to fund the work of other animal welfare organisations,
both locally and overseas.
Kusadasi, Turkey
John Howlett set up his organisation, Animal Lifelines, following a holiday with his sister to the Turkish resort of Kusadasi, where they were horrified at the treatment of the street cats and dogs. This is an account of his recent trip to Turkey.
16th Snip Trip
Another successful trip, sterilising 78 street cats, but still without
independent and suitable transport, were only able to do four female dogs.
So frustrating as the German charity, helping at the municipal dog shelter,
are still paying for all street dogs to be sterilised. The only cost to
us is for the anaesthetic to be used in the blowpipes darts.
The Marchig Trust awarded us a grant of £2,000, approximately £1,000 was used this trip, the remainder is still in the organisation account to be used next trip.
Our wonderful long time supporter, the Animal Protection Trust, donated £500, they noted our need for a couple more cat traps, which can be fabricated here cheaply, and wished to pay for this to be done, the residue to be spent on the street cat work. Many thanks to Mrs Jacqueline Ward-Reel and all the Trustees. Another dedicated Trustee of the Animal Protection Trust, Mrs Allison Brewer, very kindly donated £100, she has been a keen supporter of our work since we started eight years ago. More long time supporters, Ray and Maureen Wheeler donated £500, also assisting with the supplies from Mr J.D.Dash at the St.Anne’s Veterinary Group in Eastbourne. I was able to take many flea and tick sprays, having been warned that there is a real problem with ticks this year. Mr Dash has kindly provided much of our first aid medicines and veterinary products for many years, and Ray and Maureen have helped so much. My sister Jackie and supports raised £250, and again Jackie stumped up the airfare ensuring every penny of donated funds are spent directly on the work.
I must thank Sue, Jane and Silvie so much for their practical help and
the fundraising work in town. They organised quiz nights for the ex-pat
community, with raffles etc. This does well to fund their own work during
the season, but stops during the winter months as most of the supports
go home for Christmas, so they were more than happy to assist me, not having
the funds to start their work. Jane has a small car and with her help I
was able to do four dogs. One young dog in good condition, had the most
beautiful colouring, a black muzzle fading around the eyes to a light honey
coloured body. She had a good nature, and would have made a wonderful pet.
It is sometimes heartbreaking to put them back on the street, they are
better off there than in the shelter though, and some do well on the streets.
On days without transport we caught cats close to the clinic in the centre of town, many of the cats we saw here were ear-tipped. The tourist season was starting, the centre getting busy makes it difficult at times, but when Jane could help her car allowed us to target some problem areas that a reliable grapevine always identifies for us. One area in a new beachside estate kept us busy for several days. In the 28 days I was there we caught and sterilised 78 cats, 54 female and 24 males, unusually there were no injures and no kittens to take care of. I hope this is a good sign. The tick problem only seemed to affect the dogs. One we treated must have had over 20. I was able to leave several of the tick and free sprays with Sue and Jane. Purely for ecomony Erdinc, our new vet did all the cats and Nevzat, our long term vet the dogs.
One of Jackie’s supporters, Mrs Mary Salmon, read our appeal for funds
to purchase a vehicle that could be used as an animal ambulance and donated £3,000,
a wonderful and generous gesture she says it can be used in any way to
solve the transport problem.
We are still undecided what would be best, I spent some time looking for suitable second hand van but all were very highly priced. With no real safety requirements or roadworthiness rules and no legal requirement to have insurance cover, if it has an engine that turns the wheels it has value. We have decided to keep our options open for now, if a suitable vehicle becomes available we will get it. I shall try to devote some more time to it on the next trip.
No date set for the next as yet, I will get out dates as soon as we have the flights booked.
Many thanks to all the wonderful people who have powered this modest project for so long now, your donations have brought animal welfare in a practical and effective way, and as a concept, where one did not really exist before. So much more needs to be done, but we have achieved so much more than I could have imagined possible.
A huge thanks to all out friends.
John Aidan Howlett.