Photos by Dr Lynley Tulloch and Angela Glover 

Dr Geoff Neal, lead veterinarian for South Pacific Animal Welfare (SPAW) is currently in Tongatapu with his team of volunteers offering much needed vet treatment for the island's animals. They say Tonga has the greatest need in the Pacific because vet care is not easily accessible here.

SPAW comes regularly to Tonga, up to four or five times a year, and their free clinic at Tokomololo gets busier on every visit.

The SPAW programme introduced volunteer veterinary care to the Kingdom of Tonga, including Vava‘u in 2010 and on Niue in 2011, and the organisation has run joint programmes with local agencies on Fiji and Taveuni, and on Upolu and Savaii in Samoa.

On this trip they have a Tongan student vet nurse Kalenita Palu (21) on the team.

While much of the work is neutering animals and giving treatment for parasites, there are also some difficult and unusual cases.

On Monday Dr Neal delivered a calf suffering from a mutation called Schistosomus reflexus, a rare and fatal abnormality.

 “We did a standing caesarean in the paddock tied to the coconut tree,” he said. “Basically the calf is inside out, and it would never have been able to be born naturally and it’s actually not ever going to have lived ... So it’s stuck inside her and the only way it is coming out, is out the side of her.”

Dr Neal has been volunteering for SPAW since 2013. SPAW is predominantly focused on Tonga, which has the greatest need and the lowest external resourcing. There are no veterinarians in all of Tonga. Both Samoa and Fiji have some veterinarians.

Animal welfare

Dr Neal believes that the welfare issues with animals in Tonga all stem from this lack of easily accessible care.

“Basically there is a lack of access to stuff. Parasitism, uncontrolled breeding, malnutrition, skin conditions. Not because there is a degree of neglect, in fact probably the opposite. They do care for their animals but they cannot access the resources they need to do that including dog/cat food, flea and worm treatments and health care and medications. This does not exist. It’s not that they don’t want to get help it’s just not accessible.”

That is where SPAW steps in to help out. At the clinic today there were dogs in all shapes and sizes, as well as cats and kittens. There have even been some ducks brought in this week. All the veterinary care is free.

Dr Lynley Tulloch told Matangi Tonga that the SPAW clinic is literally run off its feet for the week here. They hope to do around 250 neuter and spay operations, which will stop some of the uncontrolled breeding. It's their last day tomorrow, Friday.

Helping the team, Kalenita Palu has already done a year's training as a vet nurse at Unitec . She will be graduating next year with a certificate and then plans one more year to get a diploma. She loves the practical experience at the SPAW clinic.

Kalenita grew up on a farm in Tonga.  “As a child I had a life that was rich with nature and animals. I had lots of pets - cats, dogs, goats, pigs and chickens."

She would like to see more employment in the veterinary industry in Tonga, and hopes to do further studies and become a veterinarian. She would like to open a Vet Clinic in Tonga in the future. “It's going to take a long time! Five years as a vet and practical.”

Kalenita has enjoyed her time at the SPAW clinic. "You get used to the routine like catheter and surgery. It helps you with your study and you are also doing something for the community and animals you love,” she said.

The lead vet nurse on this trip is a SPAW trustee, Laura Harvey, an Academic Leader in Animal Health, Lecturer in Applied Animal Health,  Environmental and Animal Sciences at the Department of Environmental and Animal Sciences at Unitec.

A local supporter Angela Glover has set up a fund to help raise money for SPAW, called Charlie's Fund which has a web page, to help them treat the animals in Tonga.

Angela says it is “incredible” what SPAW are doing in Tonga, and she has seen an improvement in the awareness of animal welfare and increasing attendance at the vet clinics.

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Article updated on:

7 December at 13:43, par.2. “SPAW comes regularly to Tonga, usually twice a year,’ changed to “SPAW comes regularly to Tonga, up to four or five times a year.”