Treat animals the way you would wish to be treated. That's the messagethat young members of a dog and cat rescue group are trying to convey topeople in the capital.
At a recent workshop onmethods to stop smugglers from bringing dogs across the border, a youngman sat quietly in a corner, typing on his laptop.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan, 27, doesn't advertise the fact that he is head of theonly group in Hanoi for rescuing dogs and cats. He works at aneducational software company by day; in his spare time, he supervisesthe group, which currently has more than 400 official members.
The group was established in 2012 by Nguyen Trang An and Nguyen LuongTuyet Nhung, who read online about dog and cat rescue efforts in Ho ChiMinh City. They were most impressed with a group named Loving Animals,led by Vi Thao Nguyen.
An and Nhung wanted to dosomething about the growing number of abandoned dogs and cats in Hanoi,so they decided to establish a similar rescue team in the capital. Atfirst, they could only rescue about 10 dogs and cats each month. Butmany people found out about the group on Facebook and registered tojoin.
Currently, they rescue nearly 40 dogs and catseach month. When they receive an animal, they classify it according tohealth status. In severe cases or when animals need emergency aid, theytransport them to veterinary clinics. Otherwise they take them tomembers' houses until their health is stable. Occasionally, however,there's nothing they can do.
"One-third of therescued dogs and cats are unable to survive because they are too weak orhave starved too long. The team buries them in outlying land andhandles the situation in accordance with animal disease preventionregulations," Tuan says.
While the group's foundersare young, age is far from a prerequisite for membership. "Uncle Diep inDong Tac street is a typical case. He is more than 60. Though he doesnot directly go rescuing, he is one of the most active members who feedthe animals at home or find new homes for them," Tuan says.
Sometimes the members find themselves in crazy situations. Tran Dang,24, an employee of a hotel in Hanoi, recalled the time he went with NgocQuang, the youngest member, 16, to rescue a cat stuck in a high tree.
"Quang and I arrived and saw the cat on top of thetree," Dang recalls. Luckily, a nearby resident allowed Quang to climbonto his roof and even lent him a ladder.
"In manycases, I just climb the tree, worried, with a knife or scissors in mymouth in case the cat is trapped. I feel a bit like in action movies.Luckily I have learned martial arts!" Quang says with a broad smile.
Another unforgettable day, some kittens were moved by the mother catto a very high position, where even she could not jump. The volunteershad to listen to the kittens' mewing and use flashlights to identifywhere they were. Then Dang had to hold Quang as he reached off thebalcony to pull up the kittens.
This story indicatesthat along with harbouring a love for animals, group members must bealso very persistent and clever. Courage doesn't hurt, either. "There's arisk of encountering snakes or centipedes in the damp corners on theroof," Dang says.
One day, Huyen Trang heard akitten crying in a vacant lot. Trang searched for advice from theinternet. The next morning, she put some food into a small cage and hungit from a string. She sat watching the cat until the end of theafternoon, when the kitten was so hungry that it had to enter the cage.When Trang successfully lifted the cat up, she realised that she herselfhad forgotten to eat lunch.
Another member, ThuyVan, 24, saw a thin, dirty cat with a string on its neck near a dumpnear her house. After school, she spent two sessions sitting next to thetrash to catch the cat, with danger always imminent. "While I wascutting the string on the cat's neck, it was so scared that it bit myfriend," says Van.
Dang recalls saving seven kittenshiding under a pile of timber at a school with his bare hands. Eachtime he caught a cat, it bit him.
Group head Tuansays the group is now looking for a place to take care of cats and dogsbefore finding them permanent homes. "The ideal location is an openspace away from the city centre so people won't be affected by barkingor the bad smell," he says.
Dr Tuan Bendixsen, chiefrepresentative of the Animals Asia organisation in Vietnam, says thegroup plays an important role in raising awareness about how to treatanimals.
"This is the first group in the northernregion rescuing dogs and cats, so they might face difficulties! But withtheir youthful enthusiasm, I believe they will soon grow as anorganisation. Animals Asia will support them during this difficultperiod," he says.
To reduce the number of strays,Bendixsen recommended sterilising pets. "If we keep dogs and cats whenthey are small, beautiful and cute, then release them when they get old,the number of wild dogs and cats will increase horribly," he says.-VNA
At a recent workshop onmethods to stop smugglers from bringing dogs across the border, a youngman sat quietly in a corner, typing on his laptop.
Nguyen Thanh Tuan, 27, doesn't advertise the fact that he is head of theonly group in Hanoi for rescuing dogs and cats. He works at aneducational software company by day; in his spare time, he supervisesthe group, which currently has more than 400 official members.
The group was established in 2012 by Nguyen Trang An and Nguyen LuongTuyet Nhung, who read online about dog and cat rescue efforts in Ho ChiMinh City. They were most impressed with a group named Loving Animals,led by Vi Thao Nguyen.
An and Nhung wanted to dosomething about the growing number of abandoned dogs and cats in Hanoi,so they decided to establish a similar rescue team in the capital. Atfirst, they could only rescue about 10 dogs and cats each month. Butmany people found out about the group on Facebook and registered tojoin.
Currently, they rescue nearly 40 dogs and catseach month. When they receive an animal, they classify it according tohealth status. In severe cases or when animals need emergency aid, theytransport them to veterinary clinics. Otherwise they take them tomembers' houses until their health is stable. Occasionally, however,there's nothing they can do.
"One-third of therescued dogs and cats are unable to survive because they are too weak orhave starved too long. The team buries them in outlying land andhandles the situation in accordance with animal disease preventionregulations," Tuan says.
While the group's foundersare young, age is far from a prerequisite for membership. "Uncle Diep inDong Tac street is a typical case. He is more than 60. Though he doesnot directly go rescuing, he is one of the most active members who feedthe animals at home or find new homes for them," Tuan says.
Sometimes the members find themselves in crazy situations. Tran Dang,24, an employee of a hotel in Hanoi, recalled the time he went with NgocQuang, the youngest member, 16, to rescue a cat stuck in a high tree.
"Quang and I arrived and saw the cat on top of thetree," Dang recalls. Luckily, a nearby resident allowed Quang to climbonto his roof and even lent him a ladder.
"In manycases, I just climb the tree, worried, with a knife or scissors in mymouth in case the cat is trapped. I feel a bit like in action movies.Luckily I have learned martial arts!" Quang says with a broad smile.
Another unforgettable day, some kittens were moved by the mother catto a very high position, where even she could not jump. The volunteershad to listen to the kittens' mewing and use flashlights to identifywhere they were. Then Dang had to hold Quang as he reached off thebalcony to pull up the kittens.
This story indicatesthat along with harbouring a love for animals, group members must bealso very persistent and clever. Courage doesn't hurt, either. "There's arisk of encountering snakes or centipedes in the damp corners on theroof," Dang says.
One day, Huyen Trang heard akitten crying in a vacant lot. Trang searched for advice from theinternet. The next morning, she put some food into a small cage and hungit from a string. She sat watching the cat until the end of theafternoon, when the kitten was so hungry that it had to enter the cage.When Trang successfully lifted the cat up, she realised that she herselfhad forgotten to eat lunch.
Another member, ThuyVan, 24, saw a thin, dirty cat with a string on its neck near a dumpnear her house. After school, she spent two sessions sitting next to thetrash to catch the cat, with danger always imminent. "While I wascutting the string on the cat's neck, it was so scared that it bit myfriend," says Van.
Dang recalls saving seven kittenshiding under a pile of timber at a school with his bare hands. Eachtime he caught a cat, it bit him.
Group head Tuansays the group is now looking for a place to take care of cats and dogsbefore finding them permanent homes. "The ideal location is an openspace away from the city centre so people won't be affected by barkingor the bad smell," he says.
Dr Tuan Bendixsen, chiefrepresentative of the Animals Asia organisation in Vietnam, says thegroup plays an important role in raising awareness about how to treatanimals.
"This is the first group in the northernregion rescuing dogs and cats, so they might face difficulties! But withtheir youthful enthusiasm, I believe they will soon grow as anorganisation. Animals Asia will support them during this difficultperiod," he says.
To reduce the number of strays,Bendixsen recommended sterilising pets. "If we keep dogs and cats whenthey are small, beautiful and cute, then release them when they get old,the number of wild dogs and cats will increase horribly," he says.-VNA
