The Strategy

The animal welfare concept exists of 4 areas, which run parallel to each other, resulting in successful animal welfare work and helping to gain long term control of the size of the stray animal population caused by uncontrolled multiplication, as well as spreading information about animal welfare.

1. Education- and PR Work on Crete

Animal welfare workers on Crete work together with Noah’s Ark’s Support Organization in this field. Many of the animal welfare workers who are living on Crete speak excellent Greek and are very familiar with the Greek mentality.

• The Animal Welfare Organizations on Crete serve as contact persons regarding animal welfare matters on Crete. Their work is executed in close collaboration with the German Support Organization and local veterinarians on Crete.
• The animal welfare workers provide information for tourists in the various areas and help them to support themselves.
• Wherever possible, the animal welfare organizations offer emergency help to wounded or sick strays.
• Animal friends on Crete spread the word about animal welfare in schools, in collaboration with the Support Organization, with the purpose of integrating it as a regular topic into the schools’ programmes.
• The Support Organization keeps in touch with other animal welfare workers and –organizations, in order to establish a broad network of animal welfare activity on Crete.
• Noah’s Ark’s Support Organization establishes contacts with other foreign animal welfare organizations and informs them about the up-to-date situation regarding animal welfare on Crete. Internet is used as a medium to achieve this goal.
• PR work is executed in collaboration with animal welfare workers on Crete and documented regularly on the web site, in Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support Organization Report and in the press.

We make realistic use of the resources and possibilities available to animal welfare workers on Crete. Each provides the resources he or she is able to.

Link: --> Animal Welfare Partners On Crete

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2. Animal Shelters & Foster Locations

Together with local animal welfare organizations, we investigate possibilities for the creation of new animal shelters and foster locations on Crete. If, and where possible, veterinarian sections or animal clinics form a part of this concept, depending on local circumstances and whether land is available.

The Animal Shelters are intended for:

• Discarded, older animals
• Discarded, or superfluous younger animals
• Wounded animals

The animals are under the medical supervision of local and foreign veterinarians; they are looked after and prepared for emigration to Germany.
This means, among other things: vaccinating, chipping, castrating, treatment against endo- and ecto parasites and examining them for traveling diseases. .

The animal welfare buildings are divided into zones and areas in order to minimize the number of infections.

2.1. Zones:
The animal shelter is divided into zones.
Images: Animal Shelter in Nerokouro/Chania.

2.1.1. Arrival Zone: This is where new arrivals are kept. They are examined, vaccinated, and either divided into groups or taken to the “quarantine zone”, depending on health situation, age, and gender. The arrival zone is separated from the ‘normal’ area.

The kennels for new arrivals are located at the front..

2.1.2. "Quarantine Zone": Animals with infectious diseases or serious wounds are treated in special, separated areas. The risk of infecting healthy animals has been reduced to a minimum by maintaining strict regulations for the staff. Only persons who have been authorized to do so by the veterinarian, are permitted to enter the “Quarantine Zone“.

Tiled Rooms

2.1.3. Compounds / Outside Compounds:Dogs that have been vaccinated and which are healthy and socially stable are held in packs of various sizes.
Animals with social problems and those that are extremely weak are kept in small groups, or, if there is no other option, on their own.

Outside Compounds

2.1.4. Inside Quarters:
The animal shelter and the rooms in the animal clinic are separated from each other.

Animal Shelter: Here there are inside quarters, puppy rooms, food storage rooms, hygiene quarters, storage and social quarters. The running of the animal shelter and everyday activities take place here.

Animal Clinic: The concept for the animal clinic quarters and operating rooms was designed by the veterinarians that work for Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support Organization, on basis of their experience of many years.

• Looking after strays-, resp. stray animals
• Castrations [see also Point 4]

2.2. Staff:

The animal shelter is run by employed staff or by volunteers, depending on the financial situation and local circumstances. Medical treatment is given by both local and foreign vets, in close collaboration. Vets that have been employed by Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support organization execute castrations or other kinds of treatment all over the island, following agreements that have been made.
Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support organization helps to establish contacts and arranges jobs for volunteers on Crete.

2.3. Mediation and flying/driving out animals:

Both dogs and cats are flown- and driven out on a regular basis. They are usually mediated to Germany. The dogs that are taken out of the country need to have a good chance of successful mediation or have to be in need of a certain treatment. Mediation of foreign animals is a matter of collaboration between the Support Organization and its many German partners.

Link: --> Topic: Foreign Animal Welfare

Foster travel parents help fly the animals out or they travel over land via organized transports.

2.4. Foster Homes and temporary locations in Germany

The animal welfare workers from Crete can fall back on foster homes in Germany and in future there will be a temporary station for them as well. For instance, for animals, which await treatment and for puppies aged 16 weeks and older.

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3. Support Organisation and PR Work

Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support organization provides information about animal welfare projects on Crete and in Germany.

Focus Points:

• Informing Members: The Support Organization provides information for its members through the Noah’s Ark Report, which is put together on a regular basis, and through the web site.
• Financing: The financing of animal welfare institutions, which are run by Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support Organization, is managed by the Support Organization. Figures and statistics are communicated to the members on a regular basis.

PR Work & Internet:
This is the central information point, from which the latest info on facts and projects is communicated.

• Information Management: Information from Crete is processed and published.
• Central PR Work: Press bulletins and campaigns are prepared and executed. All press communication is put together in close collaboration with Noah’s Ark of Crete’s board members, animal welfare workers on Crete and the veterinarians.
• Local contact persons: they organize and manage helpers, mediations and material donations. Some of these local contact persons are also in contact with both us and each other through the Internet.
• Production of info material: Flyers, info letters, post cards etc. are put together, printed and made available for the animal welfare workers, using info from Crete. If possible, these are produced in both Greek and English versions.

Post card

A0-Poster

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4. Castrations

The animal welfare concept, which has been put together by Noah’s Ark of Crete’s Support organization sees an effective possibility to master the problem of the strays on Crete, by a combined strategy of castration projects and education campaigns.

• The veterinarians’ main job is to castrate. Helpers, tourists or Greek locals bring the animals in. They are castrated in operating rooms and veterinarians’ practices on Crete. After a post-operative observation period, the animals are marked and taken back to where they came from
• The vets will execute mobile castration projects outside the animal shelters on demand. A further team of vets from Germany is available for this purpose. The organization is the direct result of an initiative by veterinarian Thomas Busch named “Vets Wanted”. .

Links:
--> Vets Wanted
--> Castrations