Mayhew Afghanistan, our branch based in Kabul, has surpassed one of its key goals in the delivery of our vital dog population management programme in Kabul. Since July 2019 our team has neutered a total of 25,024 dogs in the capital!

This landmark accomplishment is a direct result of the strategy we developed from our first dog population survey. The first survey was carried out in 2015 with the intention to humanely manage the free-roaming dogs in Kabul, improve animal welfare, and prevent the spread of disease. Our strategy involved neutering 40% of the dog population each year – which equates to approximately 10,000 dogs. Since this number is dependent on annual “dog-sighting” population surveys to determine the following years’ numbers, Mayhew Afghanistan’s annual neutering goals remain fluid because of how data is collected.

Our team’s achievement is even more impressive given that it was accomplished during the challenges of the last two years with COVID-19 and then governmental changes in Afghanistan, which lead to a temporary suspension of our programmes.

“We believe that educating communities is the key to spreading the word about the benefits of neutering. This milestone success demonstrates how our strategy is assisting local and national governments to proactively deliver programmes in a more humane and effective way. We also hope that this important initiative will help to build capacity within the local veterinary profession through access to training, as well as working to empower the wider community’s understanding of the importance of neutering.”

Caroline Yates

Head of International Projects and Relations

‘Game-changing’ new Animal Birth Control Centre

In July 2019, Mayhew Afghanistan opened the country’s first city-wide Animal Birth Control Centre within the Kabul University Vet Faculty’s compound. The opening of the centre allowed for us to start delivering on the second phase of our strategy: making Kabul a healthier place for both the free-roaming dogs and the local residents.

The creation of the ABC Centre was a result of Mayhew Afghanistan’s proposed strategy having been accepted by local and national authorities, and by Mayhew signing a landmark agreement with Kabul Municipality to stop the inhumane poisoning of free-roaming dogs in the city with strychnine (a strong poison) hidden in meat.

Our 14-strong veterinary team at the Centre are all local Afghans, who are supported by Kabul Municipality dog-catchers and animal care staff.

A special thank you to Fondation Brigitte Bardot for supporting our neutering programme in Kabul – without your support none of this would be possible.

Mayhew Afghanistan

Read more about Mayhew Afghanistan's work to help improve animal welfare - from addressing issues surrounding the free-roaming dog population to securing safer and healthier communities for both dogs and humans.

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