HAPS rescue team
 rescued the poor dogs from
 Gido Washa /manmade Cave/
 the place where dogs are thrown alive

According to our report on June 2007 four dogs were found in the cave as shown in the picture.

Our next step was to gather information from the local community and veterinarians before taking any action to get in to the cave.

Based on this we consulted three different veterinarians including HAPS Vet for the possible behavioral change and its consequence that may arise due to being troubled in such very harsh condition for days and different people from the area where the cave is located.

The advice from the veterinarians was to give them sedative tablet with food to make them feel dizzy to avoid their aggressive behavior if in case.

The local people also informed us that this cave was very deep before but this time it is filled up with mud and stones from the surrounding higher areas and so many dogs were buried under while they were still alive due to too much mud getting in to the cave especially during the summer time flood.

According to the local community all the time when people feel that they did not want their dog any more they throw to that cave to make sure it will never get back home because there is no way to get out of it. They also pointed out that most of the dogs thrown are female dogs and puppies and pregnant females and they stay some days without food and water during winter when there is no rain water finally die of starvation. 

And they also told us that no one get in to it since long ago after people started to throw animals in to it, and even suggested the ground may go down when people step on it as it looks very loose while looking from the top and also there is a very bad unapproachable smell.

Finally it is decided to give the dogs food for their survival every morning until they get out of there with any possible option available and started to discuss the issue with different people to get more idea and many people suggested that a tall ladder which can feet the hole should be prepared.

We then bought a rope and borrowed two metal ladders and fixed them together to fit the height of the hole and organized a rescue team considering all the available information at hand.

Then the ground is tested in the other side of the water hole by pushing the ladder down and step the ladder on a flat big stone to keep it tight, the dogs provided with food putting a sedative tablet in it and finally three people get inside having all the necessary equipment.

It was terrible inside, there is a filled up water hole in one side of the cave and it is too muddy and bad smell there was also a heavy rain started after we began our activity, and collecting the dogs takes almost half a day long.

 

      

We also invited the Ethiopian National Television to record this event and broadcast it to the public to help create awareness so that people can understand how this action is cruel and look for another option and to show the public how much HAPS paid a life sacrifice to save these poor animals.

The four dogs are now at HAPS shelter, they are clean and healthy at the same time we requested the concerned government body to stand beside us to stop people throwing dogs to the cave to make this cave no more a hell for the poor dogs.

        

Homeless Animals Protection Society
July 07, 2007

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