By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust organization has recently concluded a two-day capacity-building training on the treatment and prevention of fly strikes that have claimed the lives of domestic animals in the country.
The synergy, the group says, is meant to augment the knowledge and skills of Future Vets, an association comprising college and university students, to arrest the further spread of fly strikes and save the lives of many other animals that have been affected by the epidemic.
Dr. Kebba Daffeh, former Director of Veterinary Services and a renowned animal welfare advocate, disclosed that the training is necessitated by the recent spread of fly strikes on animals in the country, noting that domestic animals such as dogs, sheep, donkeys, and horses have been adversely affected by the epidemic that has caused significant dead among them.
According to him, the Horse and Donkey Trust has been playing a lead role in animal welfare and thought it wise to organize such training for Future Vets in their quest to arrest the situation in the country. He added that the training is designed to seek the best possible treatment methods and prevention for livestock assistants, paravets, and farmers alike in battling safe animals.
He revealed that when flies strike these animals, maggots immediately enter their wounds where they live to harm the animal further; observing this situation when left unattended leads to their possible death, which has been more prevalent in dogs and other domestic animals.
Dr. Kebba Daffeh, who is a veterinary expert, said that they are having challenging problems in the country regarding fly attacks, he said not only on dogs but on other animal species, adding that it is more prominent on dogs.
“We have never seen a fly attack of this magnitude; many dogs and other animals have died due to the fly attacks,” Dr. Kebba Daffeh said.
He said the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust has been receiving cases of fly attacks and has done it in their formula for dealing with the cases of fly attacks, which has been very successful. “The rationale of the training was to bring everybody to share experiences on how to deal with the fly strikes problem in the country.”
Edrisa Nyass, senior Paravet at the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, said his organization has received many maggot cases, especially during the past rainy season, noting that Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust have recorded a higher number of cases of dogs that have been affected maggots on their wounds.
He revealed that many cases reported to their organization had been treated successfully through swift intervention, calling on animal owners to report immediately to animal welfare advocates and veterinarians any case found on their animals to stop the further spread of the disease in the country.
Madam Claudette Sarr-crook from the Care Natural African Beauty Foundation gave a detailed presentation on the significance and use of Alea Vera medicine that can be used to cure wounded animals.
