Kathu Mayor Dr Chaianan Suthikul said that sterilization is very important, as it results in sustainable animal population control. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to lose their jobs and need to return to their hometowns, he said.
“Sadly, many pets were dumped. However, they need to be sterilized and vaccinated to prevent any new unwanted puppies and to prevent the spread of rabies” Dr Chaianan said during the opening ceremony for the event.
“The project also supports pet owners and animal feeders by reducing their costs,” said Tassanee Chaethong, Palad (Chief Administrative Officer) at Kathu Municipality. According to Soi Dog’s data, it costs around B650 per month to keep a pet dog or cat, not including annual vaccination, deworming, flea and tick prevention or expenses in case of pet sickness.
Kathu Municipality hopes to create a better community for humans and animals, and a continuous sterilization project is the key, “Cause a good animal welfare is correlated to good human wellbeing”, Ms Tassanee pointed out.
Soi Dog’s Mobile Clinic has been operating since August after a pause during the island lockdown and will continue to each area throughout Phuket till February 2021. For more information about the mobile clinic, email clinic@soidog.org