Peta’s ‘kapon’/ligation program

I’m writing about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ life-saving Klip program (also known as “Kapon/Ligation Immediately, Please”).

As you know, homeless and neglected cats and dogs are a common sight throughout the metro. They’re left to scrounge for scraps of food and clean drinking water just to survive. Many dogs and cats who have guardians also roam freely. The situation is worse in impoverished areas, where most residents cannot afford even basic veterinary care, including spaying and neutering, and as a result, the animal population spirals out of control. On our visits to these areas, we often find dead puppies and kittens as well as still-living newborn animals discarded in the trash.

But Klip is changing that. Since it started, we’ve spayed or neutered and vaccinated over 500 cats and dogs living in impoverished neighborhoods of Metro Manila. We transport animals to veterinarians for surgery and then return them to their grateful families. We also treat them for ailments such as mange, parasite infestations, and other health problems—all at no cost to their guardians.

Here is just one example: Ating the dog lives with her owner in a public cemetery in Pasay. When we first met Ating, she was almost completely hairless from sarcoptic mange, but her loyal owner still slept next to her every night. Ating also had a cancerous tumor that was rapidly growing. Ating’s owner loves her so much that she cried when Ating had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Thanks to Peta’s care, Ating is now fully recovered. She — and hundreds of other animals living in the cemetery — have been sterilized and vaccinated.

“Kapon” and ligation are the most important things that we can do to save cats and dogs from the suffering and death caused by their overpopulation. Desexing can prevent thousands of animals from being born only to suffer and struggle to survive on the streets, be abused by cruel or neglectful people, or be euthanized in animal shelters because there aren’t enough loving homes.

Sterilized animals live longer, happier lives with their human families. Spaying eliminates the discomfort that females endure during heat periods. Neutering makes male animals far less likely to roam or fight. Kapon and ligation eliminate the risk of some types of cancer, and reduce the risk of others. Sterilized animals are less likely to contract deadly, contagious diseases that are spread through bodily fluids, and reducing the homeless animal population also helps prevent the spread of rabies, in support of the Department of Health’s goal of a rabies-free Philippines by 2020.

ASHLEY FRUNO,
director of animal assistance programs,
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia