The program in Maningrida was in full swing with Dr Ted Donelan and his merry female band of helpers during Sept/Oct 2009. On this trip he was joined by Dr Jan Allen of AMRRIC, Dr Kim Benning (Veterinarian and new Animal Management Officer from the Central Desert Shire,NT), Dr Emma Kennedy (Elcho Island, AMRRIC Member and Veterinarian), Alexandra Farrell and Abbie Couper (both veterinary students of the Uni of Melbourne), Sacha Woodburn (UQ veterinary student and researcher) and Alison Taylor (Kippax Veterinary Hospital and Canberra AVA).

 

 

Some excerpts from the September 2003 visit- by Dr Ted Donelan.............

 

In 2003 Dr Ted Donelan was approached by the Maningrida Council with a view to developing a dog health program. As part of this program, Dr Donelan undertook to provide a comprehensive and ongoing veterinary service to the Maningrida Community. This service has now been in operation for more than five years.

 

In 2006 the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) asked for the program to be extended to include Maningrida’s 32 outstations covering an area of some 10,000 square kilometers. The outstation dogs form a significant part of the Maningrida dog community, and apart from any welfare or other considerations, access to them is an essential component of any general disease treatment or prevention program.

 

Five years ago most dogs in Maningrida had never seen a veterinarian. Like many remote indigenous communities, Maningrida had longstanding problems in relation to the management of the health and welfare of animals within the community, and little or no access to normal veterinary services, medications, information or education to help to change the situation.

 

The most common problems related to animal welfare and public nuisance. Dogs were breeding uncontrollably, external and internal parasitism was rife, and most dogs were in poor body condition and obvious ill-health. Scavenging for food was the norm with spreading of rubbish. There was constant noise and nuisance from territorial aggression, mating, fighting and pack behaviour; and there were serious public safety concerns with dog bite injuries - to children in particular - from aggressive animals. There were also major public health issues. The animals live in very close contact with their owners and there were concerns about hygiene and human health. The occurrence of zoonotic diseases (those that spread from animals to humans) was readily apparent. Canine scabies (mange mite), an external parasite endemic to most indigenous communities, is one example. The irritation and skin lesions that develop in humans as a result of infestation by the dog mange mite can have serious consequences, including kidney disease.

 

Another highly significant issue relevant to the program is the internationally established link between animal abuse and child abuse: in any household, it has been shown that if animal abuse is occurring, it is highly likely there will be human abuse and vice versa. (See Dr Frank Ascione, AMRRIC Dog People Conference, Darwin 2006). Instilling in children and adults empathy towards animals therefore becomes a key objective of the program.

 

Whilst it is clear that indigenous community members loved their dogs and were distressed by their condition, in general they did not share the current attitudes of mainstream Australian society with respect to animal welfare and the concept of individual responsibility to care for animals. The development of a dog program was complicated by a general feeling of mistrust within the indigenous population regarding the attitudes of dominant white culture towards camp dogs. There was a perception (often based on personal experience) that for many Balandas (white people) the solution to the dog problem was mass killing of dogs.

 

As of the last visit in Sept 08 more than 100 operations were performed in the field, bringing the total number of animals surgically desexed to well over 600. This is placing steady downwards pressure on reproductive capacity and there are measurably fewer litters being born. Again, the reproduction control effort has to be maintained by surgical and medical means, but what is now required is an acceptance of limits on the number of dogs being kept. This is much more difficult to achieve.

 

The Maningrida DHP continues to contribute to several important human health research programs. Indigenous community members were trained and employed in the program. Extensive agency and community consultations were undertaken and some educational activities were undertaken with the school. Significant efforts have been undertaken to support ongoing parasite treatments between veterinary visits.