In February 2023, AMRRIC Education Officer Michelle and Veterinarian Dr Ruth Pye kicked off the programs season with a trip to Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) to deliver a companion animal health and education program.
Flying over the captivating Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area to deliver a veterinary and education program to their remote homeland communities
This program was the second time AMRRIC visited and serviced four remote homeland communities in the area, offering desexing, antiparasitic, and education services to each of these communities. This trip occurred during the wet season in the Top End, meaning the usual roads to the communities become inaccessible due to rain and everything must be accessed via small airplanes! AMRRIC staff packed all the necessary materials for a portable surgery into the 4 seater planes and flew community to community over the course of the week to deliver the program.
Programs such as these require an immense amount of logistical coordination and organisation – from packing the right amount of surgical materials and packing them into appropriate sized containers for plane travel, organising the plane schedule, planning education sessions around surgery times and school timetables, organising accommodation, and coordinating the on-ground delivery of the program itself. This program was funded by Warddeken Land Management (WLM) and thanks to their and Nawarddeken Academy’s ongoing efforts and support, this program runs smoothly and the pets in these communities have shown very positive health outcomes. AMRRIC and WLM have also worked together to support this program and the health of companion animals in the communities for the periods in between programs by providing AMRRIC donor-subsided antiparasitic medication and delivery training to on-ground WLM staff.
This program is a wonderful example of how a targeted animal management program, supported by on-ground staff through continued collaboration, can truly contribute positively to sustaining the good health and wellbeing of companion animals and their communities in very remote regions..
A huge thank you to Warddeken Land Management and Nawarddeken Academy for all their work and support that makes this program possible. Thank you to residents as well for welcoming the AMRRIC team and the program into their communities. We look forward to our next visit!
