darwinanimaldoctors

51 Animals Treated in the First Week of February

darwinanimaldoctors — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:31:23 +0000

Numbers, numbers and more numbers! This week we treated a total number of 51 animals on the Galapagos! The more animals we spay/neuter the less impact invasive species have on the unique ecosystem of the islands. Working for a better future for one of the most important wildlife spots on the planet has never been more rewarding; it definitely is something that cannot be counted or measured! However, if you want to see more numbers and detailed information on how many animals we spayed/neutered during each day of the week, click on the link below to download the full report from our clinic in Excel format.

Weekly Report 06.02.2012 – 10.02.2012

48 Animals Treated in the Last Week of January!

darwinanimaldoctors — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:18:47 +0000

Great news! We treated 48 animals this week, which, added to the number of animals treated in the first three weeks of the month, makes a total number of 174 cats and dogs spayed/neutered in January! Darwin Animal Doctors works to protect the environment of the Galapagos by humanely reducing the population of invasive species on the islands. Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 23.01.2012 – 27.01.2012

Busy Week on Galapagos – January Week 3

darwinanimaldoctors — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:11:09 +0000

Wooof! We had a busy but really successful week on the islands! 47 animals were treated during the third week of January 2012, which, added to the number of dogs and cats treated in the first two weeks, makes a total number of 126 animals spayed/neutered in January so far! Useless to say why this is a great success for us. Preserving the globally important Galapagos islands has never been more urgent and important, so we are glad we are achieving such good results in our mission! Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 16.01.2012 – 20.01.2012

Another great week for DAD on Galapagos! – January Report – Week 2

darwinanimaldoctors — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:33:00 +0000

So between January 9th and January 13th, i.e. in 5 days, our professional veterinarians treated 44 dogs and cats on Galapagos! If these animals weren’t spayed/neutered, they and their offspring would have only been a threatening factor for the wild flora and fauna on the fragile Galapagos islands, that’s why it is urgently important to preserve the islands’ wide biodiversity by humanely reducing the population of invasive species, and we at DAD are doing our best to ensure that. Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 9.01.12 – 13.01.12

35 Animals Treated During the First Week of 2012 – January – Week 1

darwinanimaldoctors — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:24:25 +0000

That’s right! We marked the start of the year with a total number of 35 animals treated in the first week of 2012. The ever increasing number of invasive animal species is threatening many endangered ecosystems around the world, especially the fragile and unique Galapagos islands. This threat comes from the devastating effect introduced species like cats and dogs have on the local (mostly endemic) wildlife of the islands, which plays a vital role not only for the local environment, but for the whole planet.

So we at DAD are doing our best to humanely reduce the number of introduced species by spaying/neutering as many animals as possible and 35 is definitely a good number! Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 03.01.12-06.01.12

Our First Year in Galapagos

darwinanimaldoctors — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:31:30 +0000

Happy Holidays everyone! We have many reasons to celebrate them. Darwin Animal Doctors just started up in 2010, but in one year, thanks to all of your help and effort, we have managed to do amazing things to save animals in our favorite UN World Heritage Site.

In 2010, we started out on Santa Cruz Island, but in the ensuing year, our vets have served every island of Galapagos, by invitation of each island government. We are still the only veterinary project treating all types of animal on Galapagos year round, from cats and dogs, to giant tortoises and sea lions and other endemic animals. Our most important work is probably the spay/neuter of cats and dogs year round. As our Santa Cruz Island vet Dr. Jose Galecio puts it, “Yes, with Spay and neuters we stop cats and dogs from breeding which limits the number of invasive species on the islands.”

During our largest capacity campaign, we treated over 500 animals in two weeks. On our busiest adoption effort, we adopted out 15 sterilized animals in Galapagos in one day! And we also taught weekly humane education classes in Galapagos that were so successful, that the government invited us to begin teaching them to branches of Galapagos government. And LUSH Cosmetics gave us a wonderful, generous grant to develop this plan further!

With all your help and support we can make 2012 even more impressive! Need last minute gift ideas? Look at our Cafe Press store. Need to do a search or shop in general? Use the Good Search toolbar, and select Darwin Animal Doctors as the beneficiary. Keep updated on our activities on our blog and Facebook page.

Thank you everyone!

Tod Emko

President, Darwin Animal Doctors

DAD Keeps the Great Work in Galapagos – December Report – Week 3

darwinanimaldoctors — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:09:14 +0000

Wooof! This week we got to treat 34 animals on Santa Cruz, which, added to the number of animals spayed/neutered during the first two weeks of this month, makes a total number of 128 animals treated in December so far! All the spayed/neutered dogs and cats were under the professional care of our vets, who keep working hard on ensuring the future of this globally important UN World Heritage Site by humanely reducing the number of invasive species on the islands.

We would also like to welcome Dr. Caterina Fiegna of Italy, who will be a DAD veterinarian at our Santa Cruz clinic for the next two months. She already hit the ground running performing sterilizing surgeries her very first day on Galapagos!

Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 19.12.11 – 23.12.11

48 Animals Treated in Just a Week! – December Week 2

darwinanimaldoctors — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:36:36 +0000

Amazing indeed! This week we treated 48 animals in the Galapagos islands! The last two days were the busiest as we spayed/neutered 15 dogs on Thursday and 10 dogs and 2 cats on Friday. By spaying/neutering these animals, we ensure the future of the fragile ecosystem of the islands that would otherwise be threatened by the fast increasing number of invasive species! Click the link below to download the full report complete with treatment numbers (Excel format).

Weekly Report 12.12.11 – 16.12.11

DAD Moves to a Bigger Clinic and Housing Space that Can Accommodate Up to Ten Volunteers!

darwinanimaldoctors — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:45:41 +0000

That’s right! In August of this year, we transitioned into a new facility in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. After intensive remodeling in late July and early August, we moved from our modest two-room facility into an impressive two-story 6-room building!

The new facility boasts larger waiting and surgery rooms, a recovery room and supply storage, living space for our staff veterinarian, and two dorm-style rooms that can house up to 10 volunteers for campaigns!

Darwin Animal Doctors president, Tod Emko, first got a look at the place in early July during a routine visit to the island. While it was in need of some serious repairs and upgrades, the possibilities for the future were obvious and work commenced immediately. With the help of DAD ally NovaGalapagos, a lease was obtained and work began on upgrading the electrical and plumbing systems. A volunteer (your intrepid reporter) began to tear up the old tile floors in preparation for painting.

The work on the floors, plumbing and electrical system were accomplished in short time, and work began on building custom bunk beds for the volunteer dorm rooms. While the beds were being completed, Dr. Jose organized moving the equipment and supplies from the old clinic. With the help of volunteer Alisha sky, the beds were finished mere hours before the volunteers arrived for the August campaign. Custom shelving went up in those last few hours, just in time to be stocked with donated supplies brought by the volunteers.

This new facility was a huge investment in the future of the Galapagos Islands by
Darwin Animal Doctors. Help us make that future by joining or donating today!

Karstan Lovorn, Lawyer and Conservationist

The Animal Medical Center of NYC Sends Seven Volunteers to DAD’s Clinics!

darwinanimaldoctors — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:34:43 +0000

The November 2011 Darwin Animal Doctors (DAD) veterinary relief trip was a two week adventure to the Galapagos Islands which consisted of 6 veterinary technicians and 1 small animal veterinarian. The group focused efforts on a dog and cat spay/neuter campaign on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal islands. We reached out to the local community through a television news commercial and live interview session with news reporters. The news interview informed the local community of the DAD mission statement and encouraged locals to bring in their domestic pets to get spayed/neutered and to get a routine examination to address any health concerns. The hope was to make a connection with the community and let them know that we are there for the service of their animals. Overall, it was a successful mission and the campaign prevented the births of hundreds of unwanted litters that would only add to the exploding population of stray animals. The campaign also brought essential medical supplies and medications to supply both clinics. We worked with visiting fourth year veterinary students and local veterinarians on cases which was a great learning experience. We learned how to work in a third world veterinary clinic and shared medical knowledge and surgical techniques with local veterinarians and visiting veterinary students. Lastly, the campaign made great strides in organizing the Santa Cruz clinic so that it could become a more streamlined work environment.

Lucy Chou, Vet Tech, Animal Medical Center