MAWS

AS WE CELEBRATE, LET’S REMEMBER THEM TOO.

As Botswana celebrates Boipuso, with culture, family and tradition at the forefront of our minds, there is something important we should not forget.

For many families, this is also a time when animals are slaughtered as part of celebrations and gatherings.

Please, let’s do it humanely.

Animals feel fear, pain and distress. They have instincts. They know when they are frightened. They should not be left terrified, chased, repeatedly restrained or made to suffer unnecessarily.

If an animal is being slaughtered:

- Keep the process calm.
- Handle the animal with care and minimize fear.
- Make it quick and use an appropriate, humane method.
- Do not allow unnecessary suffering.
- Never treat an animal’s fear or pain as entertainment.

Tradition and animal welfare do not have to be opposites.

Celebrate our culture. Celebrate our country. But remember the animals who are part of those traditions too.

They deserve to be treated with dignity — right through to the end.

TODAY IS WORLD RABIES DAY | 28 SEPTEMBER
Rabies is deadly. But it is preventable.

Rabies can affect dogs, cats, wildlife — and people.
Once clinical signs appear, the disease is fatal. There is no cure.

Know the warning signs:
Unusual aggression, confusion, restlessness, excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing, stumbling, seizures, paralysis or other sudden neurological changes.

If you suspect an animal may have rabies:

* Do not approach, touch or try to restrain it.
* Keep children, people and other animals away.
* Contact your veterinary clinic, MAWS or the relevant authorities.
* If you have been bitten or scratched, wash the wound thoroughly
with soap and running water and seek medical attention
immediately. Post-exposure treatment can save your life.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…
VACCINATE YOUR ANIMALS EVERY YEAR.

Rabies vaccination isn't a once-in-a-lifetime job. Your dogs and cats need to be vaccinated every year to maintain protection.

Visit your nearest veterinary office or visit the MAWS clinic for your animals rabies vaccines.

🇧🇼 BOIPUSO CLOSURE 🇧🇼

Please note that MAWS will be closed on Wednesday, 30 September as our team takes a day to celebrate Boipuso — Botswana’s Independence Day.

🚨 EMERGENCIES:
For genuine animal emergencies requiring urgent assistance, please contact MAWS on 764 994 40 or 735 737 74.

We’ll be back to our normal clinic hours on Thursday, 1 October.

From all of us at MAWS, we wish you a happy, safe and proudly Botswana Boipuso celebration.

WIN A BESPOKE MASTERPIECE BY ALIDA BRANCH!

🎨 A LEGACY IN OIL — CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR YOU

Thanks to the incredible generosity of acclaimed South African artist Alida Branch, MAWS – Maun Animal Welfare Society is giving you the chance to win something truly extraordinary:

🖼️ A 60 × 80 cm ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING, PERSONALLY COMMISSIONED BY THE WINNER.

Your masterpiece could feature:

🐾 Your beloved pet
🐎 A cherished horse
🦁 Wildlife
👨‍👩‍👧 Your family
👧 A child
❤️ Or a treasured memory

ONLY 200 TICKETS AVAILABLE!

🎟️ P200 PER TICKET
📅 DRAW: 30 NOVEMBER 2026

HOW TO ENTER

Make your P200 payment to:

MAUN ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY
First National Bank
Maun Branch
Branch Code: 282367
Account: 621 5722 7086

Reference: Your name + raffle

📱 Then send your NAME + PROOF OF PAYMENT (POP) to Roxanne Sinclair :
+267 714 62710

⚠️ Your payment and proof of payment must be received to secure your entry into the draw.

❤️ Every ticket helps support MAWS and our ongoing work providing veterinary care, welfare support, outreach and education to animals and communities across Botswana.

200 tickets. One extraordinary original. One very lucky winner.

✨ Could this masterpiece be created for you? ✨

MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES

SARITA CHOHAN
MAWS Secretary

Not everyone at MAWS is out rescuing animals or working in the clinic. A huge amount of what we do happens behind the scenes — and Sarita is one of the people making sure all those pieces come together.

As our Secretary, Sarita is also our volunteer coordinator, helping to book our visiting volunteers, assisting with their paperwork for the Botswana Veterinary Surgeons Council (BVSC), and making sure they have the information they need to prepare for their trip to Botswana.

And, as she puts it:

“I try to help as best I can and show up wherever I can be of help.”

We asked Sarita - Why do you do it?

“Animals need a voice. A voice needs support and community. Being a dog groomer, there is so much you feel you cant do on your own, but with a support system, knowledge and awareness, you know you can fight the good fight for them… because they deserve us to do so.”

What do you wish people understood about animal welfare?

“Animals were chosen specifically to be in your life for a reason. They have come to you in the purest form. And perhaps most importantly: Animal welfare is a RESPONSIBILITY. Not just something we leave to shelters, vets or welfare organisations.
When we choose to bring an animal into our lives, we take responsibility for another living being who depends on us completely."

Behind every volunteer who arrives in Maun, every clinic day and every animal we are able to help, there are people working quietly behind the scenes to make it happen.

Meet Sarita — one of the people behind the scenes at MAWS.

Last week, our team took a beautiful mama dog into our care under some of the most heartbreaking circumstances we have encountered. Her owner contacted us asking for her to be euthanized because she had killed and eaten her own puppies.

To some, she may have looked like a “bad” or “vicious” dog.

We saw something very different.
We saw a dog who was utterly desperate.

This sweet girl has most likely spent her life tied up, living on scraps, surrounded by rubbish and completely exposed to the elements. She was not treated as a beloved companion, but as a means of producing puppies — a source of income.

This is the dark reality of irresponsible breeding.

Far too often, people see the puppies as the product, while the mother is forgotten. Her nutrition, health, welfare and emotional wellbeing are neglected, despite her being the one carrying, giving birth to and raising litter after litter after litter.

A dog who is severely undernourished, stressed, confined and unable to protect herself or her puppies is living in circumstances where welfare and survival are already seriously compromised. A tragic survival instinct kicked in. She did not do this out of malice; she did it because her environment left her completely broken.

She did not deserve to be punished for the circumstances humans had placed her in.

So we chose a different path.

She is now safe at MAWS - the owner refused to surrender the other puppies, but without their mother at such a young age, their chance of survival is slim.

She has a soft bed, a full bowl of nutritious food and people caring for her without expecting anything in return.
She is resting and receiving the care she needs.

Our priority now is to get her healthy again. Once she has recovered, regained her strength and been sterilised, we will begin looking for a genuine forever home where she will be valued as a companion — not as a breeding machine.

She deserves that chance.

If you would like to help us give this girl the recovery she deserves, even a small donation towards her veterinary care, food and rehabilitation will make a difference.

Every p**a helps us rescue, treat and protect animals who have nowhere else to turn.

And her story is also a reminder of something bigger:

Breeding an animal comes with a responsibility to care for the mother before, during and after every litter.

Dogs are not commodities. They are living, feeling animals who depend entirely on us for their welfare.

Let's choose compassion over profit and responsible ownership over suffering.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ELEPHANT HAVENS WILDLIFE FOUNDATION

Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation

At MAWS, we are incredibly fortunate to work with a wonderful network of volunteer veterinarians who travel from all over the world to give their time and expertise to animals in need in Maun and the surrounding areas. Their generosity is what allows us to continue providing essential veterinary care to communities who might otherwise have very limited access to it.

But there are times when our volunteer vets have returned home and we have no visiting veterinarian on hand — and this is where an incredibly valuable partnership makes all the difference.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Elephant Havens for allowing their resident veterinarian, Dr Caron Botes, to assist MAWS on her days off.

Caron has become an invaluable source of support to our team. Whether it is helping with an emergency case, joining us on a community outreach, or simply being available to provide veterinary advice when we need it, her willingness to step in and help has made a tremendous difference.

For a small organisation like MAWS, having access to experienced veterinary expertise can mean the difference between being able to help an animal immediately or having to wait until our next volunteer vet arrives.

We are especially grateful that Elephant Havens recognises the importance of animal welfare within the wider Maun community and supports Caron in giving her time to assist us. It is an excellent example of organisations working together and sharing expertise for the benefit of animals and the communities who care for them.

Elephant Havens' work goes far beyond protecting elephants. Their commitment to conservation, community and animal welfare makes them a valued part of the wider Maun conservation community.

From everyone at MAWS — thank you, Elephant Havens, and thank you Caron!

We are incredibly grateful for your support, your generosity and your willingness to help when we need it most.

Together, we can do more.

MEET THE TEAM - BEHIND THE SCENES

DAWN TORRE
MAWS Chairperson

Dawn joined the MAWS committee when she moved to Maun in 2018, having already spent over 30 years in Botswana. Her Botswana journey began in Chobe in the mid-1980s, before she moved to Gaborone.

Since joining MAWS, Dawn has served as Volunteer Coordinator, Treasurer and, in December 2023, became our Chairperson.

Outside of her committee responsibilities, Dawn is also a collector of waifs and strays — and shares her home with 5 dogs and 5 cats!

When asked what drives her work in animal welfare, Dawn says:

“Being a voice for those who cannot speak has always been a drive and a passion, and working through MAWS, alongside a fantastic committee, allows us to achieve a little of this every day.”

Behind every MAWS case, there are people who give their time, energy and hearts to making a difference.

Meet Dawn — one of the people behind the scenes at MAWS. ❤️

PARVOVIRUS ALERT – PROTECT YOUR PUPPIES!

MAWS has seen many cases of canine parvovirus, particularly in unvaccinated puppies. This highly contagious and potentially fatal disease can spread quickly, but vaccination offers essential protection.

🦠 WHAT IS PARVOVIRUS?

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects dogs, especially young, unvaccinated puppies. It attacks the intestinal tract and can cause severe dehydration and life-threatening illness. There is no cure - some puppies manage to survive but most do not!

It is NOT a disease that infects humans.

SIGNS TO WATCH FOR:
Vomiting
Diarrhoea, sometimes containing blood
Loss of appetite
Lethargy or weakness
Dehydration
Abdominal discomfort

If your puppy shows any of these signs, seek veterinary care immediately. Early treatment gives your puppy the best chance of survival.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

If your puppy is healthy:

1. Make sure it receives its vaccinations according to your veterinarian's recommended schedule.

2. Keep puppies away from unvaccinated or sick dogs and high-risk areas until they have completed their primary vaccination course.

3. Follow an appropriate deworming programme.

4. Practise good hygiene and avoid contact with contaminated faeces or environments.

IF YOUR PUPPY IS SICK

Parvovirus can cause rapid fluid loss and severe dehydration. Puppies often require fluids, medication and supportive care.

Please do not delay seeking help or rely solely on home remedies.

Keep sick puppies isolated from other dogs and contact your veterinarian for advice on treatment and disinfection.

A MESSAGE FROM MAWS

Vaccinating your puppy is one of the most important steps you can take to protect it and give it a healthy start in life.

Please help us spread awareness and encourage responsible pet ownership throughout our community - Especially amongst breeders! Correct vaccination protocols are the responsibility of the breeder. If you buy a dog - you are entitled to ask the breeder to see the vaccination certificates!

💔 His suffering has ended.

This poor horse was eventually put down. Although it is heartbreaking to see an animal reach this point, sometimes the kindest thing we can do is end their suffering.

Many people dont understand why this was necessary and ask why a horse cannot be saved in the same way that a dog or cat might be. The answer lies in the enormous demands placed on a horse's limbs.

Some fractures in horses can be successfully repaired with specialist surgery - which comes at a huge expense as well as years of rehabilitation. Severe fractures, extensive limb damage, and certain debilitating deformities may not be treatable, particularly when the horse cannot bear weight comfortably or has a poor chance of recovery.

Small animals, such as dogs and cats, can have a limb amputated and still enjoy a good quality of life. They can adapt to moving on three legs, often remarkably well.

Horses are different. Their immense body weight and unique biomechanics mean that they need all four limbs to share the load of standing and moving. The remaining limbs are also placed under tremendous strain, increasing the risk of serious complications as seen in this horse. One leg is broken, the other had grown abnormally due to the strain of bearing the full weight.

Here in Botswana, the challenges are even greater. Horses need to travel considerable distances to reach water, move across uneven and sandy ground, and walk in search of grazing. A horse with severely compromised legs cannot meet these basic needs without experiencing significant pain.

A horse deserves to be able to stand comfortably, walk, graze, drink, and move freely. When that is no longer possible, and recovery or meaningful pain management is not a realistic option, humane euthanasia is an act of compassion.

We hope that his passing brings an end to the suffering he endured, and that his story reminds us of our responsibility to recognise suffering early and seek veterinary help before an animal reaches this point.

Rest peacefully, beautiful boy. 🕊️

Thank you to those involved in helping him cross the rainbow bridge.