CU Vet Students Vaccinate and Neuter Stray Animals in the Chula Community

The CU VET for Animal Welfare Club has started again this year to vaccinate and sterilize the stray cats and dogs on campus and in the neighboring areas.  The attempt has been carried out, for the fifth year, to reduce the overpopulation of dogs and cats, improve animal welfare, and the quality of life in the community.  The increased number of dogs and cats is a growing concern in the CU community, as these animals can carry rabies, a deadly disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.  

Started by a group of students in the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Chulalongkorn University, the CU VET for Animal Welfare Club tackles the problem of strays.  Veterinarian students can take what they have learned in class and apply the taught concepts in the real world.  Cooperating with the Public Relations Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Science and the CU Small Animal Teaching Hospital, the project has been running for 5 years since 2016.  This August, the club hopes to further improve the registry database of stray dogs and cats, while working on expanding the service to other areas on campus.

Pongsiri Nakpadungsook, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Veterinary Science and the President of CU VET for Animal Welfare Club shares that the project was launched give years ago when a group of CU vet students shared the same concerns for the well-being of stray animals that were abandoned on campus and in nearby areas.  Since then, the students have been performing the fieldwork and surveying the surrounding areas to keep track of the number of stray animals, providing vaccines and sterilization, and filing the animals in the database for future reference.  In addition to the fieldwork operations, the club has been hosting workshops and promoting activities to share tips and knowledge on basic animal healthcare, and providing educational content on Facebook on how to care for animals, animal welfare, and looking for homes for stray dogs and cats.

“Our membership is growing by the year, and we now have 50 club members, not including freshmen students.  Professor Dr. Chutamas Benjanirut is the club advisor, and in the past year we’ve neutered nearly 100% of the stray animals in the area of Satabun 2 Building, using the Trap Neuter Release tactic.  Special thanks go to the Office of Physical Resources Management, Soi Dog Foundation, Save Our Strays Foundation, and the CU Small Animal Teaching Hospital for making this endeavor possible.  These organizations have worked together to find new homes, provide vaccination, and thoroughly screen owners before adoption”, says Pongsiri.

Pongsiri adds that, for 2020, the club plans to collect data of strays for areas in and around the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Faculty of Dentistry, CU dormitories, the Office of Academic Resources, Satabun 2 Building, and Satabun 3 Building.

“Being a part of CU VET for Animal Welfare Club has given me the chance to learn more about animals, including controlling animal population, approaching animals, administering medicine, and cleaning wounds.  Most importantly, it gives me great pleasure to find homes for these abandoned animals.  My advice to homeowners looking for pets is to make sure you are completely committed to caring for a pet.  Do research or consult a vet well, since owning a pet comes with major responsibilities.  Moreover, don’t forget to look into adoptions.  It’s a chance for you to rescue animals from the streets and provide them with a better life”, Pongsiri concluded.

For more details on the activities and initiatives by CU VET for Animal Welfare Club, visit Facebook: Johnjud.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Line