Animal Welfare India Project #56907

Help homeless animals access life-saving treatment

by Manali Strays

Project Report | Jul 11, 2025
March - July 2025 Update

By Becky metcalf | Co-founder

WVS Taskforce training programme at Manali Strays

4-Month Impact Report (Mid-March to Mid-July 2025)

Dear Supporters,

Thanks to your continued generosity, the past four months have been a period of growth, outreach, and impact at Manali Strays. From emergency rescues to long-term care, training programmes to facility upgrades, your support has helped us transform lives, both animal and human. Here’s what we’ve accomplished together:

Animal Rescue

Between March and July, we rescued 288 stray animals in distress, providing them with the medical attention, shelter, and compassion they urgently needed. Some of the types of cases we worked on include, road traffic accidents resulting in broken legs, pelvic fractures, deep wounds, and respiratory problems; maggor wounds from open wounds being left untreated during the monsoon; and skin probelms which are also common during the wrm damp months of monsoon.

Adoption

Our adoption programme continues to grow, with 27 animals finding loving homes. These adoptions represent not just happy endings but hopeful new beginnings for both pets and their new families. We are seeing an increase in cat adoptions, whcih is great as local superstitons and beliefs have always meant that cats are not looked upon kindly.

Spay/Neuter

Tackling the root of animal suffering requires proactive intervention. In this period, we performed:

333 dog sterilisations and 19 cat sterilisations, helping reduce future street populations and prevent suffering at its source.

Vaccination Programmes

623 rabies vaccinations, safeguarding both animals and the wider community from this fatal disease
354 DHPPi vaccinations, protecting dogs against deadly viral infections like distemper and parvovirus

Pet Treatments

We provided 1,099 veterinary treatments to pets, which included 785 new medical cases with 314 follow-up treatments.

Veterinary Training and Collaboration

In May, we were honoured to host the Worldwide Veterinary Services (WVS) Taskforce at our facility for a hands-on surgical and clinical skills training programme. Eight veterinarians from across India participated in the intensive training, led in part by our own vet, who is a former WVS staff member.

The training prgramme was so successful that we are now discussing future collaborations. We are proud to be contributing not only to animal welfare, but also to the development of veterinary capacity across India.

Facility Improvements

We began construction on two significant infrastructure projects to improve the lives of the animals in our care.

The first is a new enclosure for Koko and Rocket, our two rescued rhesus macaques. This has been made possible by a kind donor who sponsored the build as a birthday gift for his daughter, a heartwarming example of compassion in action.

The second is a major expansion of our inpatient facilities, including the construction of 15 new kennels with attached runs. We also started replacing ageing fencing and are creating 7 individual outdoor enclosures, offering dogs in our care more space, safety, and comfort during recovery.

Education * Outreach for School Children

Education is an important aspect of our work. We took Ninja, a puppy we rescued back in December after he was orphaned and attacked by other animals, to an education session at a small community library. The children attend the library sessions on Sundays and were eager to meet Ninja and learn about how to interact with dogs appropriately to reduce the risk of dog bites cause less stress to animals.

3rd Annual SnowTails Event

Each year in collaboration witht eh Lahaul Snow Marathon, we hold a small event for pet dogs and their parents. The SnowTails race is a short fun run in the snow to raise awareness of our work in the mountians, highlight the plight of stray dogs in the harsh climate of northern India, and rasie general awareness about aninla welfare. This year we had particiapnts come from as far away as Delhi and Mumbai.

Looking Ahead

This period has reaffirmed the power of your support and the dedication of our team. As we move into the next season, we aim to continue scaling up our rescue efforts, deepen our community engagement, and raise the standard of care for every animal that enters our gates.

Your trust in us is what makes all of this possible. Thank you for helping us save lives, restore dignity, and build a safer future for animals in the Himalayas.

Warm regards,
The Manali Strays Team

WVS training participants learning key skills

More kittens are being adopted

One-on-one care for sick dogs at Manali Strays

Compassion education for school children

SnowTails fun in the mountains

Permalink

Mar 18, 2025
March Update

By Becky Metcalf | Co-founder

3-Month Impact Report (25th Novemeber - 18th March)

Dear Supporters,

Over the past three months, thanks to your generous contributions, we have continued to make a significant impact on the lives of stray and vulnerable animals in our community. Your support has helped us rescue, treat, and protect hundreds of animals, while also expanding our medical capabilities and outreach efforts. Here’s what we’ve achieved together:

Rescue and Adoption

Rescued 287 stray animals, including 271 dogs, 11 cats, 1 Honey Buzzard, 1 horse, and 3 Rhesus macaques.
Successfully found loving local homes for 18 dogs and cats.

One such rescue was Ninja. When he was just four weeks old his mother died and he was found sleeping on top of her dead body while crows were pecking at her body and also attacking him. His face was swollen adn he had wound son his tiny body from being pecked by the crows. After rescuing him, we started his treatement and worked on getting im healthy. Now, at four months old, he has fully recovered and his a happy healthy puppy full of energy.

Medical and Sterilisation Programs

Conducted 275 canine sterilisations and 23 feline sterilisations, reducing the number of unwanted litters and improving overall animal welfare.
Provided 487 pets with medical treatments for a variety of health conditions, along with 231 follow-up treatments to ensure their recovery.

Rabies Vaccination and Outreach

We administered a total of 1,479 rabies vaccinations during this period, significantly contributing to rabies prevention and public safety.
We carried out a large rabies vaccination drive in collaboration with Mission Rabies during their Rabies Action Week, successfully vaccinating 1,026 dogs across Kullu district.
Following this campaign, two of our staff members were invited to Goa by Mission Rabies and World Veterinary Services (WVS) to participate in their mass vaccination project, where an incredible 10,000 dogs were vaccinated in just 10 days.

Facility Improvements

With funds received during this period, we were able to purchase an inhalant gas anaesthesia machine and an electrolyte and blood gas analyser, vastly improving the quality and efficiency of our veterinary care. These important items add to the veterinary equipement we have already been able to obtain for our patients, including haematology and biochemistry analysers, microscope, and digital x-ray.

Looking Ahead

Our mission remains stronger than ever. With your continued support, we aim to rescue and treat even more animals, expand our sterilisation efforts, and strengthen our rabies vaccination programs. Every donation helps us provide vital care, medical treatment, and a second chance for street animals in need.

Thank you for standing with us in this journey to create a safer and healthier future for animals in our region. Your support makes all of this possible.

Ninja before and after treatment

Links:

Permalink

Nov 25, 2024
November Update

By Becky Metcalf | Co-Founder

The new surgery layout and treatment area

This quarter has been an impactful period for Manali Strays, marked by successful rescues, expanded community outreach, and the strengthening of our veterinary care services. As we continue to focus on rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming stray animals in the rural mountain town of Manali, we are proud of the progress made and remain grateful for the support from our community and donors.

In October, we were asked to help the wildlife department to carry out an important sterilisation camp in Kaza, Spiti. The street dogs in this town face extreme hardship during the long winter season with lack of food. This means they often resort to chasing and attacking wildlife. Stray dogs in this Himalayan region threaten and kill various wildlife species, including snow leopards and lynx. They also hunt smaller species like marmots, ibex, the woolly hare, Himalayan fox, and blue sheep. Therefore, by sterilising the dog population, we are indirectly helping to protect these important wildlife species. We sterilised 100 dogs initially, and plant to return in the Spring of 2025 to carry out a much larger scale project, covering the entire Spiti Valley, with the aim of sterilising as many dogs as possible.

Manali Strays was also selected by Mission Rabies to take part in their Rabies Action Week (25th to 29th November). They donated 1500 doses of rabies vaccine for us to use in our locality. Rabies remains a huge problem in India, and in the rural villages where Manali Strays operates, rabies is often overlooked and under reported. By spreading awareness, educating the local communities and vaccinating as many dogs as possible, we hope to eradicate this deadly disease from the area once and for all.

Here are some of our Main Achievements

Rescue and Rehabilitation

Rescued 276 stray animals, including 256 dogs, 13 cats, and 2 injured Owls, 1 raven, 1 parakeet, 1 pigeon, 1 calf, and 1 Rhesus macaque.

Successfully found homes for 14 dogs and cats locally.

Other Veterinary Services

Conducted 565 sterilization surgeries, contributing significantly to population control.

Treated 579 pets for medical problems, with 335 additional follow-up treatments.

Administered 693 rabies vaccinations.

Community Engagement

Organized 6 awareness workshops in schools, educating over 600 attendees on animal welfare, rabies prevention, and responsible pet ownership.

Facility Improvements

We improved our surgical suite, so that the operating room and prep/recovery room are separate but joined by a double swing door. What used to be a treatment room for pets is now the operating room. A separate room is now for autoclaving and storing surgical kits. A door has been made directly from the prep room to the back of the facility where the kennels are located making it easier to move dogs for surgery. A treatment area has been created that includes our small diagnostic equipment (microscope, haematology and biochemistry analysers, other laboratory items). This has improved our workflow and made things far more efficient and streamlined.

Challenges

Extreme Weather Conditions: The summer months are very hot, the monsoon is very wet and winter is very cold. Buildings in rural India have no double glazing or central heating so trying to keep sick animals warm is extremely difficult.
Limited Resources: With an increasing number of rescues, our operational costs for medical supplies, food, and transportation have risen significantly.

We are extremely gratieful to our donors, volunteers, and the local community for their unwavering support. Together, we are making a difference for the animals in Manali and far beyond.

Catching dogs in Spiti for sterilisation

Permalink

1 2 3 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.