VICTORIA, Seychelles — The Seychelles Animal Welfare Institute has launched its second large-scale mass sterilisation programme at the Ex-BBC Agriculture Centre at Grand Anse Mahé, in a campaign aimed at tackling the growing challenge of animal overpopulation. The work is being led by the institute’s founder and chief executive, Dr Svetlana Broussova, alongside a team of seven visiting veterinarians from Russia.
The campaign, which began yesterday and is set to continue until February 21, is part of the ongoing twinning agreement between Victoria and Rostov-On-Don in Russia and is being conducted in collaboration with the Agriculture department. According to Girra Pierre, senior officer within the Animal Welfare Unit, the procedures being carried out by the Russian team this year differ significantly from those of the previous year, with a more surgical approach being adopted this time.
The initiative also includes specialised training sessions for the Seychelles veterinary team, with the goal of building local capacity. Sterilisation procedures are scheduled by appointment. The fee is R500 for female dogs, R300 for male dogs and female cats, and R200 for male cats. The fees, the institute explained, reflect the cost of importing the pets’ medication and equipment from Russia, which makes the procedure expensive. Pet owners are encouraged to bring their animals to the centre, regardless of where they are located.
