Pagoda Protocol: Pioneering Street Animal Welfare in Cambodia
Pagoda Protocol: Pioneering Animal Welfare in Cambodia
The Pagoda Protocol was launched in 2015 by our founder, Yulia Khouri. This innovative program was developed with the understanding that several key prevention steps are crucial for animal welfare, population control, rabies eradication, and public health enhancement and must be delivered together for the optimal and long-term impact. Here, at Animal Mama, we’re proud to be the first in the country to implement this consistent, comprehensive approach to animal care across Cambodia, especially among street and pagoda animals.
What is the Pagoda Protocol?
The Pagoda Protocol is a five-step preventative care plan designed to ensure the long-term health and safety of each animal we encounter:
- Rabies Vaccination: Protects animals and the community against the spread of rabies. However, without consistent population control through spay/neuter of the vaccinated animals, even a large scale vaccinations will not reach a desired long-term goal of Rabies eradication.
- Core Vaccination: Shields against common, preventable diseases.
- Spay/Neuter: Controls the population and reduces the number of animals suffering on the streets and supports Rabies eradication by consistency in numbers of breeding animals.
- Parasite Prevention: Keeps animals free from harmful internal and external parasites and prevents animal-to-human transmission, thus making a huge impact of public health, especially in children.
- Microchipping: Ensures animals can be identified and returned to their area or caregiver if lost and allowed us to track animals for a follow up preventative care.
Impact and Collaboration
Animal Mama was the first veterinarian hospital to insist that these steps be uniformly applied across the country when working with street and community animals. This protocol not only underlines the standard of animal healthcare, but also integrates local communities into a nationwide effort to foster animal welfare and public health.
To ensure these practices are maintained at the highest standards and no animals are left behind, we have consistently partnered with international veterinary missions like World Vets, Pawsome, and International Visiting Vets. These collaborations help us to ensure that the full Pagoda Protocol is implemented during all our missions, reaching as many animals as possible.
We also see that the Pagoda Protocol was adopted by other rescue agencies and adoption centers, giving wider recognition of the efficacy of this 5-step prevention plan.
Benefits of the Pagoda Protocol
The Pagoda Protocol not only improves the health and well-being of individual animals, but also has a profound impact on public health and safety:
- Reduced Risk of Rabies: By vaccinating animals against rabies, we significantly lower the risk of outbreaks, protecting communities and promoting public health.
- Healthier Animal Populations: Regular vaccinations and parasite prevention lead to healthier animal communities, which in turn minimizes the risk of disease transmission to humans.
- Sustainable Animal Populations: Through spaying and neutering, we manage the number of animal populations, ensuring that fewer animals face homelessness and hardship and create more impact in effort of Rabies eradication.
- Enhanced Tracking and Care: Microchipping allows for better management and care of animal populations, aiding in rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Join Us in Making a Difference
Your support is crucial. Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, or spread the word, you're helping Animal Mama extend this vital protocol to more animals in need. Together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of Cambodia's street and pagoda animals while safeguarding the health and well-being of the entire community. If you would like to join Animal Mama Hospital and participate in our missions – please, contact us!
