Workshop November 2022

19/12/2022

In spite of rain and thunderstorm, the November 22 MNCDog Project workshop managed to brake its own record by performing 53 spay/neuter surgeries in six days, one of these days being the field day. Fortunately Karen Blixen Camp had provided us with a tent, so that the rain didn’t prevent us from completing 10 surgeries in the field.

As usual, the team consisted of veterinary students and supervisors from Denmark, Kenya and USA. Local vet tech, James Nayetuni, had done a huge effort beforehand in organizing which dogs to be picked up at which boma on which day. Each morning at six, he would leave Mararienta with 2-3 cages, a pickup and driver, provided by Karen Blixen Camp, to collect the dogs planned for surgery. So when the students and supervisors turned up at the clinic at 8.30, the first load of dogs were there, waiting to be anesthetized.

Outside of the 10 day workshop periods, James contributes to the project by being in charge of the vaccinations (Rabies, Canine distemper and Parvovirus) in Mara North Conservancy. This fall, he has been especially busy, as he has gone back to studying at the University of Nairobi, doing a master program in Veterinary Public Health. The MNCDog project is extremely grateful to Animal Protection, Denmark, for sponsoring James’ eductation.

To help James manage all of his assignments, Danish veterinarian, Dr. Sofie Skak Johanson (a former MNCDog project student participant), has assisted James since October 2022. She will also contribute to the project by collecting data for research in the form of a survey with the dog owners who participated in May and November 2022.

In 2021 we tentatively introduced a school program as part of the workshop. This has now become fully integrated into the program, so each time pairs of students go to a Mararienta school to talk about the purpose of the project and to demonstrate the surgeries we perform. This time an additional school program pilot was carried out: The Boerhinger/Ingelheim ‘Stop Rabies’ campaign. Dr. Jerlyn Sponsellar, former supervising surgeon in 2021 and 2022, is now head of B/I’s anti-rabies campaign. She has hired former student participant (now veterinarian) Dr. Leonard Kibet, to be the local person in charge. The future goal is to fuse our two school programs into one, covering both dog health, human- and community safety, sustainability and nature conservation. We are extremely proud and glad that Dr. Sponsellar chose Mararienta as the location and MNCDog Project as partner for the first of a series of worldwide Stop Rabies programs.

It is now the second time we are able to use the great clinic which was restored in the spring and is sponsored by Karen Blixen Camp Trust. It makes a huge difference having a permanent, easy-to-clean and well-functioning space, and we are very grateful to the always helpful maintenance team at KBC and of course to KBCT.

The November workshop was only possible because of the support we get from our main donor, Animal Protection, Denmark and the additional contributors KBCT, e-Vet, Kruuse A/S and Zoetis. Furthermore, more MNC camps are now supporting the project: Saruni camp has been with us for some time, this time followed by Kicheche Camp. For this we are so happy, as it demonstrates that the MNCDog project is a project that benefits the entire conservancy, not only the area around KBC. To all our sponsors: Thank you!!

Of course, a final thanks to the November 2022 team:

Students:

DENMARK

Anna Caroline Schultz

Anna Kristine Larsen

Laura Buchwald Olsen

Mathilde Burchardi

Peter Liingaard Hansen

KENYA

Peterkin Nzomo Munywoki

Naomi Kibet Chebichii

Njuguna Moffat Maina

USA

Samantha Dolan

Supervisors:

Project leader, veterinary surgeon Dr. Rikke Langebæk, University of Copenhagen

Veterinary anesthesiologist Dr. Helle Harding Poulsen, University of Copenhagen

Veterinary internal medicine Dr. Stephen De Vincent, Tufts University

Veterinary surgeon Dr. Esther Macharia, University of Nairobi

Veterinary surgeon Dr. Specioza Chelang’at, University of Nairobi

Assistant anesthesiologist Dr. Katrine Calberg Winther, University of Copenhagen 

Assistant surgeon Dr. Hannah Sofie Skak Johanson 

Logistics:

Veterinary technician James Nayetuni