Tunisia, Africa, is one of many countries with a stray animal problem. Not enough people are spaying and neutering their pets, leading to many homeless cats and dogs. Sadly, Tunisia has taken an inhumane approach to the issue by killing dogs and cats as a way to control the population. Many animal lovers are fighting back against this cruel practice, including veterinarian Raoudha Mansour.
Mansour has humane ideas for controlling the stray animals. So, she has taken matters into her own hands by turning her home into an animal shelter. She regularly welcomes dogs and cats into her space until they can find forever homes.
A Life-Saving Shelter
Mansour is a vet that fosters about 25 dogs and 150 cats at a time. She even takes in special needs pets. All the animals live in her home because if they continue to live as strays, they could be killed by the government. Mansour makes sure all the animals are fixed and up-to-date on medical care.
“I practice my profession on animals that came from the streets and I want to provide another life for them. I am very happy with this life,” Mansour said. “Many people ask me how I can stand seeing difficult cases, but I would say I am very lucky to be able to treat them.”
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Mansour began operating her home shelter in 2007, and she has continued helping animals since then. She receives donations from other animal welfare organizations, often in the form of food and medicine, but for the most part, she supports the animals on her own.
Dedicated Vet Refuses to Give up
As long as dogs and cats still need help in the community, Mansour will continue her mission. The government believes killing strays is the answer, but Mansour and fellow volunteers are focused on sterilizing strays instead. They are vaccinating and performing neuter operations to control the population, but the government doesn’t seem interested in following a humane solution.
“They kill animals in collective sniping operations. This is a bad thing. These animals have a soul and they have a right to live with us,” Mansour said.
Tunisian authorities have plans to vaccinate 80% of stray dogs and give away rabies shots for free. However, this doesn’t guarantee the safety of the dogs, and Mansour can only care for so many at a time. The strays of Tunisia deserve a better life, and volunteers will keep fighting to make sure they get that.
If you’d like to support Mansour’s mission, you can donate on her website.
Featured Image: Instagram
