Dear Friends of the Kabul Zoo and the Afghan Animals:
The following is an update of the good works that your donations are accomplishing in Afghanistan:
Afghan Animal Fund
Construction has been completed for the Mayhew Veterinary Clinic in Kabul. Funds from the Afghan Animal Fund will be used to purchase equipment and supplies to make this clinic operational.
The clinic sits on the outskirts of Kabul, in a largely agricultural area, and will meet the area's veterinary needs as well as provide training opportunities for many of Kabul University Veterinary School's senior students. Consultants from The Brooke Hospital for Animals will work with the Mayhew Clinic to help prepare it to meet the needs of the local animal population. The Brooke Hospital for Animals operates a mobile veterinary unit in Pakistan and has considerable experience in operating cost-effective field clinics adapted to the veterinary needs of the region.
As we continue to work with the Mayhew, we hope to fund a mobile veterinary unit for the clinicís use and provide funding to operate the unit and the veterinary hospital for 12-months. We also hope to fund the construction of shaded, outdoor facilities at the clinic where large animals (e.g., mainly horses, donkeys, cattle and buffalo) can be held for extended treatments. A full Plan of Action for these projects and a calendar for their completion will be provided on the Web site when those plans are finalized.
Kabul Zoo Fund
Nick Lindsay and Jim Gregory from the London and the Whipsnade zoos returned to Kabul on May 24 to continue the ongoing improvements for the zoo. While in Kabul, they will oversee additional construction that has been authorized by the Kabul Zoo's Plan of Action for major refurbishments and reconstruction. The plan calls for improving the living conditions of animals that are already housed at the Kabul Zoo. A timetable for that work will be negotiated with the City Mayor's office and other zoo authorities while the London team is in Kabul.
During the last 18 months, the Kabul Zoo staff has undertaken essential repair work, has refurbished many of the cages and has established higher animal husbandry standards. All the Kabul Zoo staff are working and receiving regular salaries. The animals are well fed and our partner, the Mayhew Animal Home, has an Afghan staff member (Dr. Ashraf) stationed in Kabul. He is ensuring that the funds we are providing are being spent wisely.
Nick Lindsay and Jim Gregory will be focussing on four main areas, looking to the long-term future of the Zoo. Their first priority will be to check to ensure that high standards of animal management are being maintained and continually improved. The second priority will be to develop a Plan of Action with Kabul authorities to complete renovations of the existing animal enclosures and holding areas. We expect that work to be completed within this calendar year.
Available funds are not adequate to totally reconstruct the Kabul Zoo. That will require a long term and ongoing commitment from the Afghans and from aid agencies. However, adequate funding is available to significantly improve the living spaces available to the animals that are currently in residence at the Kabul Zoo.
Thirdly, the London team will be discussing a business plan with City authorities to ensure that they are able to assume the zooís operating costs within the next 12 months. We expect the city to take over the zooís funding in phases, so that money from the Kabul Zoo Fund will continue to provide some operational funds for a limited period of time.
We have however committed to fund a full-time education and animal welfare officer at the Kabul Zoo for the next three years. That person will keep a watchful eye on the husbandry standards being maintained at the zoo and will develop and present programs to educate visitors about Afghanistan's long term wildlife and environmental needs.
The fourth priority will be to continue discussions on the long-term governance, advice and training requirements for the Zoo. The goal will be to engage interested parties (the University, the education system and others who could benefit from the facility) in planning for the long-term future of the Kabul Zoo.
The North Carolina Zoo and Zoo Society acting on behalf of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association is committed to upgrading the Kabul Zoo and protecting the health and the well-being of the zooís animals. We want to again thank all the donors to this project for the compassion and concern they have shown toward these animals.
Sincerely,
Dr. David Jones
Director of the N.C. Zoo
Russell H. Williams
Executive Director
N.C. Zoo Society
