Mbwa Wa Africa Animal Rescue

• Founded in 2013, Mbwa Wa Africa (Dogs of Africa) Animal Rescue is a non-profit organisation based in Usa River, Tanzania, with a registered charity in Scotland under the Name of Friends of Mbwa Wa Africa with the charity number SC045521 • Whilst Tanzania is famed for its wild animals little or no provision is made for its domestic and companion animal populations. Education and health care for human beings is amongst the most neglected on the continent. • Animal welfare education does not feature and cases of abuse and neglect are constantly seen. • The population at large does not have the tools to understand that healthy happy animals lead to healthier happier communities. • In urban areas such as Meru District of Arusha almost all households have one or 2 dogs which are seldom vaccinated or neutered and live under harsh conditions which reflect not only the owners’ poverty but their ignorance of basic animal husbandry. • Improved livelihoods are reflected in an uncontrollable increase in dog populations and there is no mechanism for reproduction control. • Rabies is common and packs of feral dogs roam the streets at night. • Veterinary services available to livestock are rudimentary but are greater than those available to companion animals. There is a dire need for such services. • Current dog population control by the city authorities is done by mass poisonings and shooting. • Municipalities lack the funding to carry out their duty of rabies vaccination. • Dogs in Tanzania are used as household guards. Most citizens perceive that dogs needs to be incarcerated because they are vicious and need to remain so in order to deter intruders. • Mbwa Wa Africa was founded to help address companion animal welfare needs in the community, with a spay/neuter programme, a community and schools education programme and a rescue and rehoming programme. • It runs the only rescue kennels in the region.