Animal welfare group, auto company join forces to check outbreak of rabies

The Lusaka Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) has called for urgent steps to be taken to check outbreak of rabies in some communities.

The call comes as the body received donation of a vehicle from CFAO Motors (Zambia) to address some of its challenges.

The society is believed to have recently supported the efforts of the provincial veterinary office that conducted a free rabies campaign in Lusaka, Chongwe, and Chilanga districts.

On Wednesday at the ceremony held in Lusaka, LAWS received a vehicle to help them effectively carry out rescue operations and vaccinations.

Moola Shuwanga, Customer Relations Manager, said providing mobility to Lusaka Animal Welfare Society would enable them carry out their community services more effectively and expand their area coverage.

She said this would further improve the response rates to calls received from the communities with regard to animal welfare.

Shuwanga claimed that rabies was among the top five priority diseases in Zambia and yet dog vaccination coverage was estimated at only about 20 percent.

It is hoped that the support rendered to the Society will help them increase their coverage and improve the vaccination rates.

“We remain committed to working with partners like LAWS to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal number three, which seeks to ensure health lives and promote wellbeing for all.

“Spraying and neutering helps control the population of strays in our communities and in turn will help control the spread of Rabies,” Shuwanga said.

Society Chairperson, Michelle Burrato, said: “We believe this extraordinary gesture of kindness, which is an indication and commitment by CFAO Motors, will make a significant difference to animal welfare in Zambia.”

Burrato further said the vehicle would ease the transportation of supplies, injured and sick animals and rescue operations, ensuring that work reaches every corner of Zambia more efficiently and effectively.

“We want to see our communities free from dog-mediated human rabies while improving animal welfare,” she said.

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