The 15th June 2022 is International Working Animals Day and you'll find lots of information and how to help on SPANA's website.

The charity works with working animals – hard working horses, donkeys, camels and elephants – in a number of countries where locals are depending on their animals to help them bring in a livelihood such as in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and Central and South America.

Sometimes these working animals fall sick or get injured – and there may be no veterinary services to help them.  Perhaps their owners can’t afford them.

Enter SPANA which believes that all animals deserve the right to excellent veterinary care.  It gives free treatment to thousands of working donkeys, horses, camels and elephants every year.   They wouldn’t get treatment otherwise.

SPANA is highlighting the many animals in the world who have little or no access to vital veterinary care.  It focuses on the three t’s:

1. Teaching
2. Training
3. Treating

SPANA has mobile veterinary clinics which can travel to animals and help.   The charity provide training to owners in animal welfare and best practice.  They give treatments and check-ups.  They give free vaccinations and worming treatments.

Visit SPANA's website here

5 ways to help SPANA help working animals:

1. Find out about SPANA and what they do and where they work.  Be aware of the work SPANA do –such as providing free veterinary treatments and educating children in animal welfare.  They reach over 30 countries, and have 54 mobile veterinary clinics
2. Find out how you can help – this could include knitting for SPANA with the Big Knit for Vets 
3. Support SPANA through their shop – you could buy Christmas cards for instance or support an appeal or just donate
4. Give a gift of Health and Happiness to a working animal – these start at £5 for a comfy new bridle. 
5. If you’re a vet, you could volunteer!
   

Find out more about International Working Animal Day here

Here's a list of working animal charities

Two thirds of Brits don't realise working animals produce much of their food and drink  (The Mirror, 14 June 2022)

It's back! Don't miss this on Channel 5 on Tuesday 14 June 2022.

The programme is called Elephant Hospital and it's the world's largest elephant hospital nestled in the forests of Thailand in Lampang. It's open 24/7 and is a sort of NHS for elephants. The team of highly skilled and very dedicated staff never know what sort of problems the elephants will be arriving with but they all do their very best to help them.  

Paul O'Donoghue and Katheirne Connor head back to the hospital for this new series (four parts).  It cares for over 100 sick, injured or neglected animals every year.  And if the elephants can't come to the hospital, the vets go to the elephants!

This is a heart-warming series with uplifting and unexpected stories, be they treating an elephant with cancer or a baby elephant being fed with a giant milk bottle!  There's an elephant with severe diarrhoea, and a male elephant who has been attacked by another bull elephant.  It's all go, as the incredible team try to help each elephant as best they can. 

Find out more from Channel 5

I am looking for ways to donate to this hospital - watch this space

It's supported by Friends of the Asian Elephant and here is their Facebook page.

Their website is here.

#ElephantHospital 

THANK YOU to everyone at the hospital for all you do for these wonderful elephants. 

The World Elephant Day website has LOTS of information about ways to help elephants, whatever day of the year it is so please take a look at it here.

See our list of elephant conservation charities here

How about an elephant conservation holiday? 
Take a look at the range of choices 
with Responsible Travel

You could adopt an orphan elephant
from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Image ©David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

There are some really inspiring people around in the animal world.

Free the Bears rescue sun and moon bears from the most dreadful conditions and look after them in their sanctuaries in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  You may have seen the charity on the programme Bears About the House on BBC2 with Giles Clark back in 2020. 

In 2020, the coronavirus put an abrupt halt to any of the normal fundraising activities the charity undertakes to raise funds to care for the bears.  So they asked bear lovers around the world to help raise funds by spending a night in a cage!

51 bear lovers took part - and the amazing thing is that they raised enough funds to pay for the care of 240 rescued bears for two months by spending a night in a cage!

Visit their You Tube Channel here

Night in a Cage 2022

So on 14 May 2022 (or any night in May), they are asking us to raise funds and awareness for the bears by spending a #Nightinacage.  

Find out more and get involved here.