ANIMAL HEALTH IN COMMUNITIES
We are a non governmental, not-for-profit organisation, based in Austria, dedicated to supporting animal welfare and health in communities, through the development of sustainable street animal management programmes in areas where our work is needed the most.
In many places in the world, cats and dogs are left to roam freely without supervision, being at risk for suffering from serious illnesses or malnutrition or experiencing traumatic injuries or harassment
The free-roaming of cats and dogs can also cause public health concerns, like the transmission of diseases, fecal contamination of public spaces, nuisance, and they can show aggressive behaviour towards humans. Furthermore, predation and violation of livestock and wildlife, ultimately threatening livelihoods and the balance of ecosystems, presents a common problem.
In response to the overpopulation of street animals and public pressure, the responsible authorities, feeling pressured to achieve fast results, and lacking the necessary human and financial resources, can end up opting for inadequate and inhumane dog population management measures (e.g poisoning, electrocution).
In order to avoid the consequences of free-roaming, and mostly with good intentions, some animals are being chained or kept inside small enclosures all their lives which can not only result in behavioral problems but ultimately in an unhappy existance. Dogs are after all domestic animals and keeping them without stimuli or social contacts to humans or other dogs and keeping them without insufficient food, water or shade are major animal welfare concerns
We envision communities where animals and human beings can live healthy and in harmony with each other and with the environment.
To provide veterinary care to street animals, raise awareness and support communities to responsibly care for their animals.
Lara graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lisbon in 2012.
Since 2016, she has worked in the field of animal health and welfare, in cat and dog population management and disease surveillance projects, with an increasing interest in Public Health and a One Health approach. Since 2019, she has dedicated her proficiency to Bons Amigos and CoVets in Cabo Verde.
Lara currently lives in Portugal and works as a freelance for CoVets. Together with the local partners, she is responsible for the remote co-ordination of campaigns and oversees the implementation of activities on the ground. She also provides communication and fundraising support, amongst other necessary tasks.
What she loves the most about this work is how the impact goes beyond improving animal health and welfare.
The community outreach projects result in a proximity to people and the continued interventions build up trusting relationships not only to the people in the communities but also to their animals.
Sarah currently practices as a small animal vet in Austria, focussing general animal medicine and osteopathy in her professional life.
During her final year of studies, in 2019, she joined the team in Cabo Verde for an internship.
She stepped into the world of animal welfare providing medical care for stray animals and since then Sarah has worked with campaigns on different islands of Cabo Verde, helping with organisational tasks from Austria and trying to support the CoVets wherever she could.
“I am convinced that every living being is entitled to a good life and this work is my small contribution to this belief”
Verónica graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Évora, Portugal.
In 2015, she had the opportunity to collaborate with the association on Santiago Island in Cabo Verde. For three and a half years, she worked in a community setting, promoting the health and welfare of animals, especially abandoned and/or mistreated ones. She participated in various deworming, neutering, and disease treatment campaigns, always striving to raise community awareness about the importance of animal care. This experience not only strengthened her skills as a vet but also taught her about empathy, resilience and the value of teamwork.
In 2019, she moved to Nacala, Mozambique, where she stayed for two and a half years. There, she worked with the Italian Association LVIA on the development of a book on goat management and provided support to several villages, raising awareness about animal care.
She currently lives on São Miguel Island, in Azores, where she is developing her project and works veterinary practices. The collaboration with CoVets allows her to continue her commitment to animal health and welfare.
Cristina has a degree in Early Years Education, a postgraduation in Family Mediation and a Veterinary Assistant Certificate. Her dream has always been to expand her work to focus on connecting children and animals. She believes that allowing children to grow up around companion animals will positively influence both their education, growth and well-being.
In 2023, she had the opportunity to join the CoVets team on a mission in Cabo Verde, where she participated in awareness-raising activities with the population and educational classes in schools. Additionally she provided support in preparing animals for surgical procedures and/or with treatment and post-surgery care. The experience, personal growth and cultural exchange left their mark on Cristina, who has since returned to Cabo Verde on other missions. Cristina currently lives on São Miguel Island, in the Azores, where she works at a veterinary practice. The collaboration with Covets allows her to combine animal welfare and educational and awarness-raising activities with children, which she finds most fulfilling.
Alice graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lisbon in 2022. She is currently the President of VSF-Portugal (2023-2025) and is doing a Veterinary Public Health Residency at the Ohio State University, in the USA
Collaboration with CoVets provided Alice with significant personal and professional growth. Since 2019, she has participated in multiple population management campaigns in Cabo Verde, first as a volunteer and intern and later as a collaborator. During the campaigns she participated in a number of roles, from surgical work to raising awareness of animal welfare issues and conducting surveys. Along the way, she met extraordinary people that taught her a lot of valuable skills, including problem solving, teamwork and cultural sensitivity.
According to Alice, the work CoVets does has undoubtedly made a meaningful impact on her life, just as it has positively affected Cabo Verdean communities and their animal populations.
Towards the end of her studies in Veterinary Medicine at the LMU Munich, Germany, Valentina discovered her interest in animal welfare projects and dedicated many months of internship at a spay-and-neuter-clinic in Granada, Spain. After her graduation in 2018 she travelled around the world, working in different countries for animal welfare organisations and clinics that conducted high volume castration and vaccination campaigns for stray animals.
In 2019 Valentina travelled to Cabo Verde for the first time and got engaged in the association’s castration campaigns. She was fascinated by the country’s beautiful and diverse nature and took the possibilities to offer great help to the stray animals. Since then she took part in various campaigns on the country’s many islands mainly carrying out surgeries.
In Germany, Valentina completed a post-graduate certificate in small animal surgery and practice management and currently works in a veterinary clinic.
Working for CoVets Valentina sees how much the medical treatments are necessary to improve the health of cats and dogs and how much the educational projects are appreciated by the communities. What she loves most about her work is that giving medical aid to animals stretches beyond treating diseases but changes lives for the better, ends suffering, makes people aware of how to take care of their pets and contributes to One Health.
CoVets extends across multiple regions, focusing on improving animal health, welfare, and the interconnected well-being of humans and ecosystems. Each region presents unique challenges, from managing stray animal populations to addressing public health risks and promoting sustainable coexistence.
The project on Brava Island began in 2016 after a group of residents requested assistance to manage the street animal population ant to improve animal and public health on the island. Since then, we have visited the island approximately once a year for a campaign and we have organised activities in all communities of the island.
Presently, the canine and feline populations on the island exhibit good overall health, good body condition, and show lower levels of parasitism. In addition, we feel the community trusts and value our work and we are able to revisit the same caregiver and animals each campaign. Few animals are seen unsupervised on public roads, and most of those observed are already sterilized. However, some challenges remain, and continuous effort is needed to sustain the positive results and address these challenges effectively. The cat and dog population management programme is still ongoing and is operated is in close collaboration with the City Council, the Delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Brava, and, more recently, the conservation-focused non-governmental organization BiFlores.
Results
Not everything can be measured in numbers. More than data, we are only happy if we can see a change for the better within the communities.
Recovered from an advanced stage of vector-borne disease transmitted by ticks.
Was amputatated after a road traffic accident. She couldn’t have adapted better to her new condition.
the best company for hikes in Brava, Cabo Verde, now that she doesn’t have to tend to any more puppies ever again.
The most famous dog from Tarrafal São Nicolau, Cabo Verde, got even more famous for wearing a collar.
Apparently she was a street dog and used to steal hen eggs in the community. When she got sick someone from the community luckily brought her to be seen by a vet for treatment.
On arrival, she was thin, weak and sad, covered in ticks, dehydrated and suffering from severe aneamia. She was diagnosed with tick fever and we immediatly received the appropriate treatment, which took around four weeks. Day by Day she recovered more, starting to not only enjoy the regular food but also cuddles ands attention.
When she physically recovered, she was adopted with the promise that she would never have one single tick ever again. Tick fever is a very common disease in Cape Verde, but unfortunately not all cases have the same happy ending.
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She was taken to the veterinary practice in Praia, Cabo Verde, in October 2019. On arrival, she was thin, weak, scared and sad, covered in ticks, dehydrated and suffering from severe aneamia. She was diagnosed with tick fever and immediatly received the appropriate treatment, which took around four weeks. Day by day she recovered more, starting to not only enjoy the regular food but also cuddles and attention.
When she physically recovered, she was adopted with the promise that she would never have one single tick ever again. Tick fever is a very common disease in Cabo Verde, but unfortunately not all cases have the same happy ending.
After arriving at our campaign in Nova Sintra, on Brava Island, Cabo Verde with an old open fracture which had been caused by a road traffic accident, it was decided that the best option for Tripé would be an amputation. She was also neutered during the same campaign.
Since then, it has been a joy to see her every year when we visit Brava. She lives in Nova Sintra, is cared for by several people, and has an inseparable canine companion. She and her friend always come to say hi and receive their deworming tablets.
She lives in Nova Sintra, is cared for by many people, and accompanies hikers on their walks around the island. She was known to have a lot of litters, with many of the puppies having an uncertain future.
She was finally castrated in October 2021, during our castration campaign. She has been a very happy dog ever since and usually shows up whenever our team is campaigning in her town, receiving not only her deworming pill but also plenty of affection.
A few days after surgery, it was reported that he was looking sad. We went to check on him, in Casa para Todos, where he lives in Tarrafal. Due to him licking the wound, the stitches had come out and the wound got infected. As he needed medication for several days, we decided to take him in and he spent the whole week with us for treatment.
While with us, we got him used to a collar and taught him how to walk on a leash. It seemed natural for him, he would walk with his tail up, looking proud as punch. Once he was fully recovered, we took him back home. But guess who waited outside our residence door on our last day to say goodbye! It was Preto Show – what a surprise! He must have grown fond of us and perhaps also of the nice treats we had for him.
After that episode, each time we go back to the island, we check on him and give him his deworming tablets. What’s more, being such a lovely dog, he participates in our awareness-raising activities. Our goal is to give children information about how to approach a dog in a safe way and how to read an animals’ body language. During these education lessons the children also have the opportunity to listen to Preto Show’s heart and to walk him on a leash. Now all children in the city know him and call his name when they see him.
