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The Problem
The TCI island of Providenciales, also known as Provo, has only been commercially developed during the last 30 years, so the problem of stray dogs is relatively new. Dogs roamed the island in search of food, destroying fragile ecosystems in the process. They ravaged endangered shore birds and their nests, iguanas, and turtles and turtle nests.
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The introduction of dog breeds such as Pit Bulls to the
Turks & Caicos has resulted in more aggressive attacks
of people. |
Stray dogs posed a threat to Provo residents and tourists. The introduction of breeds of dogs such as Rotweillers, Pit Bulls, and Akitas to the islands and the subsequent mixing of these breeds with the local population resulted in more aggressive animals. Island residents reported dog bites and dog damage to personal property. Islanders and visitors alike expressed fear of being chased by dogs or contracting diseases from them.
The problem was brought to the national and international forefront when a television correspondent was attacked by a dog at a resort. This attack focused the attention of the TCI hotel owners association, local government, and concerned residents on the problems of stray dogs and the damaging effect on the tourism industry.
In previous years, the government employed a dog catcher who would trap or dart stray dogs and destroy them. This system failed when fishermen stole traps and the stray dogs became "trap wise." Beginning in 2000, a veterinarian was hired by the government for $100 a day to shoot stray dogs. The veterinarian hunted for stray dogs on the island three days a week, shooting an average of six to eight dogs each trip. Animals running at-large on the airport grounds or the sanitary landfill were fair game and were shot at-will. The operators of many of the resorts on the island have also asked the vet to shoot stray populations on their properties.
Animals who were not killed instantly by gunfire suffered long and agonizing deaths. Besides the danger posed to humans by accidental shooting, dead dogs were left where they are shot to decompose, creating additional environmental and health concerns.
The introduction of Canine Distemper to Provo was also recommended as a last resort to eradicate the stray dog population on the island. Canine Distemper is an indiscriminate virus that can affect companion animals as well as stray or feral animals. Dogs infected with distemper display red, runny eyes and nasal discharge. In later stages of the disease, they often collapse in the streets as vomiting, fever, diarrhea develop, followed by various disorders of the nervous system. This disease takes time to carry out its cycle in infected dogs and the virus, once introduced to an island, can never be eradicated or managed.
The Project Solution
SNAP and Global Wildlife Resources (GWR) traveled to Provo during the summer of 2001 to assess the situation and develop a proposed solution to present to the Turks and Caicos government. The resulting proposal recommended a multi-faceted approach to humanely ending dog overpopulation. The plan incorporated the efforts of the Turks and Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which operates various programs that include spay/neuter, humane education, and foster and adoption of dogs.
The SNAP/GWR proposal combined community outreach and education activities; humane trapping and euthanasia of wild, aggressive dogs; a trap/neuter/release program for community dogs; and a free sterilization program for owned animals.
SNAP’s primary piece of the proposal was a month-long spay/neuter clinic, which would involve bringing to Provo veterinary teams skilled in high volume, high quality spay-neuter surgery. The teams would consist of one veterinarian and two animal health technicians to the island for a week at a time during a four-week period. Each team would perform approximately 150 surgeries each week, resulting in a total of 500 spay/neuter surgeries being completed during the month. Volunteers on the island would support the medical team. Two private veterinary clinics existing on the island would serve as facilities for spay-neuter clinic surgeries.
The proposed spay/neuter clinics would adhere to the surgical guidelines developed by SNAP, which require that only veterinarians perform surgery. Animals would be sedated with IV Ketamine/Valium, intubated, and placed on isoflurane gas. Every animal would be placed on a heart monitor and pulse oximeter during surgery. One sterile surgery pack per animal will be used. A triple layer closure with absorbable suture materials would be required. Prophylaxis antibiotics would be given to every animal.
Due to space limitations, an outdoor, tented recovery area with collapsible dog cages would be required at either clinic. A volunteer or animal health technician would monitor animals continuously during recovery. All surgeries would be completed inside a sterile surgery suite. No surgeries would be performed in unsafe or unsanitary conditions. Veterinarians would have the right to refuse to perform any surgery for any health reason.
Animals proposed to be sterilized during this month-long clinic were free-roaming animals, which would be trapped, neutered and returned to the location where they were found; and a free sterilization program for owned animals on the island.
The trap/neuter/return program would be concentrated in several neighborhoods where there was a high concentration of human habitation and dogs roaming at large. A humane trapping program would be implemented by placing dog traps in these areas approximately one to two weeks prior to the arrival of the surgical team. Animals would be fed in and around the traps during this time to acclimate them to the traps. Just before the arrival of the surgical team, traps would be set and dogs would be captured.
Trapped dogs would then be brought into the surgical clinic, and the staff would be able to sedate the animals in the trap, remove them from the trap and sterilize them. Once sterilized, the animals would be then be returned to the location where they were captured.
All animals sterilized through the clinic program would be vaccinated against rabies and issued a rabies tag. Owned animals would also be tattooed for identification purposes.
SNAP would have contributed veterinarians and animal health technicians for this program. Local volunteers would have assisted with the feeding stations, trapping, and outreach activities. Local volunteers and businesses would have also provided transportation, lodging and meals.
The Program
Many of SNAP’s recommendations were included in the government-funded program that resulted from the initial consultation project. By proposing humane alternatives, SNAP and the other partners were able to change the course of stray dog control in the Turks and Caicos.
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Once confidence has been gained, and a human can safely approach the pen, the gate of the pen can be closed after the dogs have entered the pen for a regularly scheduled feeding.
Capture Pen Handout (pdf file)
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In mid- November 2001, a team of animal handling experts traveled to Providenciales for one month to kick off the stray dog control program. Participating organizations included the Turks and Caicos SPCA, Global Wildlife Resources, the Humane Society International/Humane Society of the United States, and the Pegasus Foundation. The resulting program improved the lives of both people and animals.
The team conducted public education every day through media interviews, school visits, community presentations, and informal interactions with people they encountered in the community. Team members handed out free dog collars so that island residents could identify their own dogs. As collared animals were shuttled to and from the veterinarians for sterilization, it was the first time the people witnessed their government acknowledging and caring for their dogs.
An entirely new capture method was designed: the colony capture pen. Animal handling and euthanasia of strays was conducted with calmness, respect, and care. Both children and adults embraced the methods and actions. Feral dogs responded remarkably well to the capture pens, casually walking in and out as the pens lay idle, and often responding to their capture by eating the table scraps which had baited them in.
In less than three weeks, a total of 362 free-ranging dogs were captured. Sixty of these dogs were collared and transported to and from the veterinarian for sterilization. Children applauded as animals were returned. During this period, the Turks and Caicos SPCA publicized their free spay/neuter program, leading to an additional 112 dogs being sterilized.
Three hundred of the captured free-ranging dogs were uncollared, thus they were euthanized. The international community hears of how feral dogs attack or threaten resort visitors and threaten the tourism industry. Yet it is not often publicized how these dogs compromise the lives of the local people. It is hard for most to imagine living in a neighborhood where one is afraid to walk at night for fear of being attacked and afraid during the day of having one’s children bitten. It is hard to comprehend what it is like to have dozens of dogs barking and fighting outside one’s window all night, every night.
Dogs transmit skin diseases to the children, cause property damage, and kill family dogs. Euthanasia was an important tool on Providenciales for providing immediate relief to people’s pain and suffering.
The euthanasia technique involved two steps. First, each animal was anesthetized with an intramuscular injection, usually using a syringe pole. Once anesthetized, dogs were then euthanized with an intravascular injection. It was not uncommon for children and adults to surround and witness and embrace the respect given to each animal.
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To encourage dog guardianship, free dog collars were distributed to identify dogs connected with people. |
The Outcome
The cultural change in animal stewardship and improvement in people’s lives continued beyond the first month kickoff phase of the program. The Turks and Caicos SPCA trained animal control officers to continue the capture of free-ranging dogs. The TCSPCA also provides the following services to the community:
Distribution of free dog collars: More than 1200 free dog collars have been distributed in Provo so that any dog with a connection to people will have a collar. Any dogs caught in the capture program with collars are spayed or neutered and returned to the location where they were caught.
Free Spay/Neuter: When dogs with guardians are collared, the TCSPCA goes into neighborhoods to collect them for spay/neuter, takes them to the vet for surgery, and return them with information on caring for dogs. During the first 14 months of the program, the TCSPCA spayed or neutered nearly 500 dogs belonging to island residents.
Educational Outreach: The TCSPCA has developed an educational curriculum for both primary and secondary schools focusing on responsible animal care. All public and private schools on Provo have been visited by TCSPCA volunteer educators.
Fostering/Adoption: The TCSPCA has fostered and found homes for more than 100 animals since late 2001. The TCSPCA has 10 foster homes who take in animals of all kinds sometimes for a month or more until adoption homes can be found. The SPCA has also arranged for animals to be transported to adoption homes internationally.
Animal Legislation: Currently, no animal welfare legislation exists in the Turks & Caicos. The TCSPCA, working in conjunction with government departments and the Feral Dog Committee, has drafted comprehensive animal welfare legislation, which stands ready to be adopted by the TCI government.
Community Assistance: As awareness of TCSPCA's programs increases, the organization receives and successfully responds to calls from residents concerning animal abuse, abandoned pets, or “nuisance” animals. These include unattended donkeys and horses, stray dogs in private yards, and dangerous dogs threatening people. TCSPCA has also designed an “Animal Bite Report” form on behalf of the Public Health Department for use by all medical organizations in the country.
Conclusion
SNAP’s initial leadership in forming the assessment team to travel to the Turks and Caicos, followed by SNAP’s role in developing a collaborative proposal with recommendations for a multi-faceted humane approach to stray dog control, has resulted in many positive developments in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Today, the Turks and Caicos government continues to support the humane approach to stray dog control initially proposed by the SNAP/GWR team. The team that traveled to Provo in 2001 not only assisted the local animal welfare organization but helped raise its profile in the international animal welfare community. As a result, the Turks and Caicos SPCA has greater capacity today to serve both the animals and people of their island through an ever-expanding list of programs.
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