St John's, Antigua, May 16 2006 (Antigua Sun) -The Caribbean Animal Welfare Conference, hosted by the Antigua & Barbuda Humane Society, promises a means through which the resource-strapped Caribbean region can share experiences with the world about animal care and disaster management.

Executive Director and President of the A & B Humane Society, Karen Corbin said it was important for the individual agencies to share information and ideas.

“We don’t always have all of the information at our disposal so it is important for us to come together and share, network and exchange ideas. Our own humane society has had 15 years experience so we have some ideas to share as well,” Corbin stated.

The agenda includes disaster reduction and preparedness for animals, humane education, cruelty investigations and responsible animal welfare. An evening session on marine mammals would be conducted by Dr. Naomi Rose, the marine mammal scientist for Humane Society International (HIS).

Corbin said disaster management training was timely now that the hurricane season is so near. Remembering Hurricane Luis, she said there were dead dogs and livestock littering the country. “It was just disastrous,” she concluded.

The training would reduce the economic losses and help public health and safety as well.

Held at the Jolly Beach Resort from 15 – 17 May, the conference was officially opened Monday morning by the Minister of Agriculture, Charlesworth Samuel. This is the first time such a conference is held in a Caricom country.

Samuel noted that the country’s success as a tourist destination could be measured by the extent that the rights and protection of animals were given attention.

With that in mind, he said it was timely that Antigua & Barbuda was in the process of finalising its Dog Registration & Control Act and will soon pursue the Dog Act, which concerns the care of all animals generally.

The principal presenters for day one were Mark Yates, the disaster management director for WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals), WSPA Veterinary Field Officer Juan Carlos Murillo, and Regional Director of WSPA Gerardo Huertas.

Overall, there were over 140 participants from 26 Caribbean countries and from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The conference is sponsored by The Pegasus Foundation; WSPA; Humane Society of the United States (HSUS); Humane Society International (HSI); and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
 
Source: http://www.antiguasun.com