Perth Voice Interactive

THE sight of an elephant chained and suffering in a stark Egyptian zoo seven years ago sparked North Perth teacher Janet Thomas’ entry into animal activism.

The asian elephant had been locked to a short chain and had stood on concrete with no shade for 35 years. With its big 5kg brain—elephants are one of the only animals known to ritualise mourning—it had full cognisance of its suffering and was in poor mental health.

“I contacted a welfare group in Cairo and I just happened to get on to the right man,” Ms Thomas says.

Negotiations were difficult but eventually led to a few hard-won changes. “We got her off her chain through the day, we got her a shelter, we got some better food for her,” Ms Thomas recalls. “Then we moved onto the chimpanzee enclosure, which was horrible.”

She quickly realised the job ahead was enormous: she was supposed to go on to a job she’d lined up in Pakistan, but she changed her mind and headed back to Australia to set up Animal Aid Abroad.

“From there we now help in Egypt, Israel, Afghanistan, about five places in India, Nepal, Thailand… we’ve just taken on a new project in Indonesia.

“All of the places we work in are very poor regions. We don’t go where there are existing programs, we go where they’re poor and desperate.”

AAA focuses on aiding smaller groups that operate locally, rather than swooping in with a team of foreign boots on the ground for a short stay. One group she funds in Afghanistan was started by a soldier in the British army who, during his tour of duty, was touched by the poor treatment of street dogs. He now partners with locals who know how to best raise the issues with their countrymen.

A big focus is on the plight of working animals, often donkeys or horses worked so hard they collapse and die.

Sometimes, animals like badly treated performer monkeys can be rescued, but it’s often too idealistic for westerners to roll into town and remove peoples’ working animals.

For many poor farmers the beasts of burden are essential contributors to feeding their families, so volunteers instead teach them how to improve welfare.

“They educate the owners on how to treat the animal better, how to look after it,” Ms Thomas says.

“They provide them with some sort of medical attention because they get so injured, they’re always whipping them or putting harnesses on them that wear huge holes in them.”

Often the changes are simple and don’t interfere with the work: simple things like leaving a donkey in the shade while pausing for lunch, instead of by the side of the scalding road, can ease suffering.

Ms Thomas says her teams teach that “the animal will work better if they did these things”.

Always on the hunt to raise cash, Ms Thomas is having a garage sale.

She says it is “100 per cent profits to charity”.

The garage sale is on at 45 Emmerson Street North Perth, October 25 from 8.15am to 12.30pm. It’ll be an animal-friendly event with water bowls and treats along with all the bric-a-brac on offer for humans.

by DAVID BELL