Bali: No paradise for dogs and cats

Across Bali, dogs wander the streets, neighborhoods, and beaches. Often called “strays”, many of these dogs are actually owned and roaming close to home. Though Balinese care for their dogs, a lack of understanding about dog behavior and proper care often leads to unintended cruelty and suffering from neglect. 

It’s common to see dogs and cats that are skinny, suffering from a variety of skin diseases, untreated wounds and injuries.  Abandonment is common as locals don’t have the information or resources to properly care for their animals or prevent unwanted litters from being born.  Puppies may be left near rivers, abandoned in neighboring villages or dropped off at the local garbage dump.

While most Balinese do their best to care for their animals and don’t want to resort to hurting or abandoning them, without humane education, access to veterinary care, and an understanding of how healthy dogs and cats are good for communities, even the dogs and cats of responsible owners need help.

Changing Bali for animals, one community at a time

IFAW is proud to be partnering with the Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA) in an exciting new project that inspires communities to take responsibility for providing better care to dogs and cats.  By supporting communities to develop and implement plans tailored to each village and its animals, we are empowering them to improve the relationship between people and animals for decades to come.

To help communities enact lasting change, IFAW and BAWA hold regular community meetings and offer comprehensive assistance. Medication and regular wholesome food changes dogs and cats from skinny, parasite-riddled creatures into happy, healthy animals. Vaccinations keep puppies safe from diseases like Parvo and Distemper, and protect all members of a village (both two and four-legged) from Rabies. 

By teaching communities about normal dog behavior we prevent bites and decrease aggression, and dogs that may have been condemned to a life on a chain or in a cage can finally be set free.

Our mobile clinic and ambulance responds to animals in crisis and distress, and we teach people about the importance of spaying and neutering to end the practice of abandonment. While adults learn that a happy, healthy community can only exist with happy and healthy animals, classroom visits and creative children’s programs are creating a whole new generation of compassion.

Because we believe that each individual and each community can serve as a model to inspire change, IFAW and BAWA are building a foundation to improve the lives of all of Bali’s dogs and cats - one village at a time.