By Becky Metcalf | Project Leader
A Season of Challenges, Progress and Hope in the Himalayas
The past four months have been incredibly busy at Manali Strays, bringing both challenges and exciting developments.
The monsoon season is always one of our most demanding times of year. The warm, wet conditions bring an increase in serious wounds, many of which become infested with maggots before the animals reach us. These cases can be particularly distressing, often requiring extensive treatment, careful wound management and weeks of dedicated nursing care. Throughout the season, our veterinary team has worked tirelessly to give these animals the treatment, comfort and chance of recovery they deserve.
One of the highlights of this quarter was welcoming a wonderful team from UK Vet Nurses Worldwide, who spent two weeks working alongside our veterinary staff. They shared valuable knowledge and practical skills, including advanced wound dressing techniques, wound management and X-ray positioning. Our team is already exceptionally skilled, knowledgeable and dedicated, but we firmly believe that learning should never stop. Sharing experience with international veterinary professionals helps us continually refine our techniques and work towards the highest standards of animal care. We were also delighted to welcome Dr Rohin from the popular television series The Yorkshire Vet, who generously gave several days of his time to volunteer with us.
Our work also took us far beyond Manali. Members of our team travelled to the remote, high-altitude region of Spiti, working alongside the Animal Husbandry Department to help sterilise dogs in some of the most challenging environments imaginable. Delivering veterinary services in these isolated mountain communities is never easy, but it is essential to improving animal welfare in areas where access to veterinary care is extremely limited.
Another major achievement was our mass rabies vaccination campaign, carried out in collaboration with Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and Mission Rabies. Together, we successfully vaccinated 2,300 dogs across remote villages of the Kullu Valley. Each vaccination represents another dog protected against this deadly disease and another step towards safer communities for both animals and people.
We also have some exciting news from our hospital. Manali Strays now has a veterinary ultrasound machine! To our knowledge, it is the only dedicated veterinary ultrasound machine in Kullu district and one of just a handful across the entire state of Himachal Pradesh. This is a significant step forward for veterinary care in our region, giving our team access to an invaluable diagnostic tool that will help us identify medical problems more effectively and make better-informed treatment decisions.
From treating severely injured street dogs during the monsoon to reaching isolated Himalayan villages, preventing rabies and continuing to improve the quality of veterinary care, these past three months have demonstrated just how much can be achieved through dedication, collaboration and compassion.
During this period, we carried out the following:
To everyone who supports Manali Strays, thank you. Your generosity allows us not only to help the animals who desperately need us today, but also to build a stronger, better-equipped veterinary service for the animals who will need us tomorrow.
We are incredibly grateful to have you alongside us on this journey.
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