ABOUT US

Our Mission & Approach

Our mission is to create sustainable animal welfare in Cambodia and end suffering for Cambodian cats and dogs.

ARC complies with the high “Gold Standard” for Shelter Medicine (ASV) in order to work within ARC’s Capacity for Care and assure the five freedoms for all animals entering our ARC Rescue & Rehabilitation Center.

To achieve this, ARC focuses on four key pillars:

1. Humane animal overpopulation control, increased animal health, care & refuge for animals in need
2. Inspiring human behavior-change & emergency response assistance
3. Improving the quality of veterinary care
4. Supporting the implementation of animal welfare legislation

By working closely with local communities and putting human behavior-change at the center of our efforts, we create sustainable and long-lasting change for cats and dogs in Cambodia.

Community Outreach Program

There is a common misconception that pagodas are a safe-haven for animals, which unfortunately encourages people to dump their unwanted pets there. Monks and caretakers often want to help, but they are unsure of how to care for the animals. Scarce food, overcrowding, and infectious diseases all contribute to a high mortality rate.

This is why community outreach is one of the most important pillars of our work. We are building close relationships with monks and caretakers in each pagoda to increase their knowledge and engage them in feeding, sterilizing and medicating the animals.

We also visit schools and community events to educate the public about responsible pet ownership, and encourage people to adopt, rather than buying from pet shops.

Tackling Overpopulation

Stray animals dominate Cambodia’s streets, and the problem continues to rise. Local communities are often unable to care for the animals. This allows diseases to spread easily and enables the trend to sell animals to the cruel and barbaric cat & dog meat trade.

To effectively address overpopulation, we operate a sustainable spay/neuter program in targeted areas of Phnom Penh. We do this in close participation with the local community, to ensure that we gain their support for spaying and neutering, and ultimately caring for the animals around them. Read our blog post to learn more about the importance of desexing.

Ending the Cat & Dog Meat Trade

Recently, ARC has reached a milestone in the fight against the cat & dog meat trade in Cambodia. Our extensive discussions with the Deputy Governor of Siem Reap – the dog meat hot spot in the Kingdom – have paid off!

On 6 July 2020, the Siem Reap Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries officially banned the slaughter and trading of dogs for meat in Siem Reap! We are thrilled about this achievement and motivated to continue our lobby work to achieve the same results across the rest of Cambodia.

This first-ever study on the dog meat trade in Cambodia (English), which we conducted in partnership with FOUR PAWS International in 2019, was the basis for this successful discussion.

Improving the Quality of Veterinary Care

In Cambodia, aspiring veterinarians study for four years at the University of Agriculture, to receive their full qualification. The degree concentrates primarily on the care of livestock including cows, pigs and buffalo, and little is taught about dogs and cats. There are few practical lessons and we find that even after graduating, students are not able to perform simple procedures or operations.

In order to increase the standard, we train local veterinary staff by employing them alongside an experienced expatriate vet, who teaches and guides them. In the future we hope to work more closely with the university, to improve the standard of veterinary care outside of just our centre.

Finding Homes for the Forgotten

While on outreach missions to pagodas and communities, we often come across animals that require immediate veterinary care.  We take responsibility to rehabilitate each animal and ideally release them back to the community.

Where this is not possible, for health or other reasons, we try to find a foster home and hopefully, adopt them into a forever home.

If you interested in adopting or fostering a rescued animal, meet them all here.

It all began in 2016 when our founder, Tina Mayr, spotted a terribly neglected dog living within the grounds of a high school in Phnom Penh. He was suffering from several health issues and had difficulty walking, as his fur had grown uncontrollably due to years of neglect.

Tina was truly shocked, not only by his appearance but also by the indifference of the students and their unwillingness to help the dog. She reached out to local clinics in Cambodia but the scale of the problem far overwhelmed their capacity.

Through this experience, Tina was inspired to establish Animal Rescue Cambodia, and since then we operate under the following principle:

“I used to say: ‘Somebody should do something about that.’ Then I realized, I am somebody.”

The dog, Henry, had a full recovery and became ARC’s ‘ambassadog’.