AMRRIC - Animal Management in Rural & Remote Indigenous Communities

What an amazing fortnight our team have had in the West Daly Region! 🤩

Big thanks to our community partners West Daly Regional Council and Thamarrurr Development Corporation as well as our brilliant volunteers Dr Peter and Dr Abby, and incredible team members Dr Simone, Dr Tori, and nurses Aimee and Megan. 🐶🐈🩺

Looking forward to sharing more details soon and wish our hard working team a safe trip home tomorrow 🚙

Teamwork makes the dream work! Check out the antiparasitic sandwich production line the awesome Thamarrurr Development Corporation Rangers in Wadeye set up. Making sure there is enough antiparasitic treatments for all the pups in town 👏🐶

In June, AMRRIC collaborated once again with Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council (CASC), this time to conduct a community-wide companion animal census, as part of AMRRIC’s Needs Assessment project.

The team was made up of AMRRIC vet nurse Lani, and AMRRIC volunteer vet Dr Luke. They were supported on the ground by CASC staff Bowman and Lizzie, we are grateful for their assistance and ongoing support of the animal management program. AMRRIC's Dr Bonny also visited on the first day to support the census and provide AMRRIC App training.

This census helped us understand the health needs of companion animals in Cherbourg, and continue developing the CASC staff's App management skills. AMRRIC is excited to work with communities to make sure that companion animal population data is known, accessible and available to all relevant organisations.

We work under a mantra of no survey without service, so throughout the program we delivered antiparasitics to all the animals we saw. We were able to deliver 533 doses of antiparasitic, using a combination of treatments to suit the needs of each animal. A big thank you to Boehringer Ingelheim Pet Health Australia for providing these, your support is invaluable!

We want to acknowledge the community of Cherbourg, as well as all of the collaborators of the veterinary visits – Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science, Darling Downs Health Unit, RSPCA QLD and Boehringer Ingelheim Pet Health Australia. We are looking forward to continue working together towards a healthier animals, community, country!

Happy National Science Week! 🧪🔬

We are excited to announce that Dog Mob Cat Crew has been granted another opportunity to share animal management science in remote Indigenous communities as part of National Science Week 2024.

This is our third year sharing with students the role of science in animal management, especially using innovative technology for animal health and disease surveillance, and the value of science in keeping communities, people, and pets happy and healthy.

Stay tuned for more details on the Science Week program, we can't wait to share the cool things our ed team & the students get up to!

Every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Read more about it in this wonderful post by Reconciliation Australia.

9 August is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world living across 90 countries.

Here in Australia, the current population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has recently reached over one million: https://bit.ly/4dCidwD

We are still in the International Decade of Indigenous Languages which was proclaimed to to draw global attention on the critical situation of many Indigenous languages.

Globally, Indigenous communities speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures. In Australia, there are more than 250 Indigenous languages including 800 dialects. Each language is specific to a particular place and people.

First Languages Australia is working with regional language centres nationally to develop a map of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages that reflects the names and groupings favoured by community: https://bit.ly/3yrOUhD

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Our Vet Team travelled over 2,400 km in April to visit WA’s most remote communities! Thanks to an awesome partnership with Ngaanyatjarra Council Group Health - funded by a WA Animal Welfare Grant.

The team went to six communities in the NG Lands: Warakurna, Wanarn, Warburton, Kiwirkurra, Papulankutja, and Irrunytju. Over nine days they team offered veterinary treatments including 85 desexing surgeries, and they administered antiparasitic doses to 520 dogs and cats.

There’s a lot of prep work that goes into making a remote Vet Visit a successful. Our team packed surgical gear into our 4WD vet vehicle and travelled down from Darwin to Alice Springs. We are so grateful we are able to provide access to this important veterinary care in the NG Lands and their much-loved animals. Our Vet, Dr Kirsty said can see the benefits of regular vet visits – she loved seeing all the healthy, happy dogs in the communities.

Thank you to all our partners that helped make this program possible. We are looking forward to the next time we visit the NG Lands!

Today we celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day! 🌈

This year's theme, "Strong in Culture, Stronger Together" acknowledges the importance of maintaining children's connection to culture, mob, and community as a foundation for strength and resilience.

AMRRIC is privileged to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children through our animal management education programs, and we are grateful to experience their incredible spirit and resilience. We are committed to supporting cultural connections, through culturally sensitive education modules, language translations, and collaborative approaches to school visits.

We seek to empower children to be proud of their culture, stories, kin and community. In honour of this, we want to share again the awesome children that have featured in our Dog Mob Cat Crew music videos! We love the way that education can be shared through language, storytelling, and music.

Celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day by watching and sharing the music video below: https://vimeo.com/amrric/dogmobcatcrew?share=copy

The kind of work that AMRRIC does is very dynamic, and can often involve lots of figurative (and literal!) bumps in the road. In April, an AMRRIC vet team was ready to deliver a program in Central Australia, but due to flooding, we had no choice but to reschedule.

Luckily, our team was redirected on short notice to the communities of Ngukurr and Urapunga. All thanks to awesome collaboration with Roper Gulf Regional Council (RGRC)!

The vet team was made up of veterinarian Dr Helen, vet nurses Megan and Leesa, and the Animal Program Manager from Roper Gulf Regional Council, Kay. They provided parasite treatments, responded to veterinary consultations as requested, and offered dog and cat desexing across the communities of Ngukurr and Urapunga.

The community members were very happy to receive access to veterinary services for their much-loved dogs and cats, especially because of the trust with Kay. Collaboration and trust-building is crucial to AMRRIC's work, and it's what helps get great outcomes from our programs.

The team were able to deliver some great outcomes – they administered doses of antiparasitic to 110 dogs and 30 cats through door-to-door engagement, desexed 31 dogs and cats, and provided essential treatment to two animals that needed urgent veterinary support.

In this time, the death of a community resident plunged the community into sorry business. The team adjusted their service delivery to support the community in their grief, whilst also navigating last minute staffing changes.

We are so proud of their efforts, and grateful for the support and collaboration from RGRC. The program was a great success!

It's World Ranger Day! Today we celebrate all the incredible rangers who dedicate themselves to protecting Country.

AMRRIC is privileged to collaborate with a variety of Indigenous Ranger groups in Australia, and we witness first-hand the impact that traditional methods of preservation have on the health of Country, people, and animals. Indigenous Rangers have a unique, critical and continuing role in managing and protecting Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.

AMRRIC works with Rangers with a focus on companion animal health and biosecurity surveillance, undertaking companion animal census, contributing to animal management strategies in community. We are able to learn and gain deeper understanding into traditional forms of land care and the cultural significance of animals.

Thank you Rangers for all that you do! Join us in celebrating these amazing, skilled individuals in the comments. 👏

The beauty of Mataranka Springs 💙

AMRRIC Vet Nurse Megan said her highlights from the Ngukurr vet program were completing a tricky surgery on the program, and the quick stop at Mataranka Springs for a deserving dip on the way home!

The vet team had a special guest at lunch 😄🐾

Translation Thursday! 🗣️

We are so happy to share the newest translation of our Cats on Country animation in Anindilyakwa!

This animation highlights the importance of surgical desexing to prevent cat overpopulation at the community scale. Translations are important in supporting remote Indigenous communities to learn about very important animal health information in their first language.

We thank the fabulous team at First Nations Broadcasting Australia for doing the translations and narrations, and for their generous support of our work. Also a huge thank you goes to our wonderful supporters whose donations make our translations possible!

Caring for Country – Managing Cats (Anindilyakwa) – AMRRIC This is "Caring for Country – Managing Cats (Anindilyakwa) – AMRRIC" by AMRRIC on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who…

What would you make for dinner if just the stir fry sauce cost $10.30? You would probably not be able to get a sweet treat either, because a packet of Tim Tams costs $11.70.

This is the challenging reality for residents of remote Indigenous communities. The Northern Territory Government makes a report every two years looking into the gradually increasing gap between city and remote prices. Its latest report, released recently, reveals a basket of healthy food costs 40% more in remote stores than in suburban supermarkets.

The ABC News article below sheds light on the significantly higher cost of basic necessities compared to cities, causing hardship and food insecurity for many families.

In AMRRIC’s work with remote communities, we have seen the impacts of high costs of living first hand. Lack of access and high cost in remote communities make it extremely difficult for people and their pets to stay healthy. AMRRIC works with Kalumburu, mentioned in the article, and we have a visit planned there for later this year. By making sure the companion animals are healthy, we can take some of the stress off their owners, and support them in maintaining their own health.

Read more below:

Is this Australia's most expensive town? Tim Tams cost $11.70 a packet or more than $1 a biscuit The cost of living has increased more sharply in regional areas than in the cities, with some outback residents paying double for essential goods like food and fuel. Now the federal government is coming up with a plan to try to level the playing field, but will it work?

Our first visit to Woorabinda was a wonderful success! Through a partnership with Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council (WASC), and with support from the Queensland Government as well as assistance from Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council’s Animal Management Worker and staff from the Department of Environment, we completed an Animal Management Needs Assessment to help the council better understand what the community and their animals require, and strategise improvements to their companion animal management plan.

As part of the assessment and census, we: count the number of animals in the community, identify their ages, the ratios of male and female, how many are already desexed, and their overall health. All of this data is then shared with the council alongside AMRRIC’s expert recommendations on animal management activities, as well as presented back to the community through social media and community posters.

As part of the Needs Assessment, we were able to offer free broad-spectrum worming and flea/tick treatments to all the dogs and cats we saw. Altogether, we treated 298 dogs and 48 cats! And our vet on the ground, Dr Bonny, was able to provide first aid to those that needed it.

We are very grateful to Woorabinda Quality and Compliance Manager Carmen Taylor for her enthusiastic support to undertake the Needs Assessment, as well as Campbell Powder, Terry Blair, Bowman Murray and Clayton Abreu for their support on-ground. This program would have also not been possible without the support from the Queensland Government, philanthropic donors as well as corporate sponsorship from AMRRIC’s pharmaceutical partners.

It was a pleasure to spend time in Woorabinda, and we can't wait to continue to support the health of Woorie’s people and pets! 🐾❤️

All smiles from this pup at Woorabinda! Super happy to get some treats and vet treatment! 😄

For over 20 years, AMRRIC has been an advocate for One Health animal management practices – which recognise the connections between people, animals, and the environment. When dealing with humane companion animal population management, AMRRIC promotes and utilises surgical desexing as our primary tool. We work with local partners and external funders to ensure that desexing is freely available to all residents of the remote communities we service, as well as assisting pet owners with transport to and from the vet site. It’s be removing as many barriers as possible, that we are able to have success in humanely controlling dog and cat populations.

It is so great to see the similar success that Banyule City Council in Victoria has had with their One Health aligned program. Since 2013, they have run a council-funded, no-barriers and targeted community cat desexing program. The results after 8 years are remarkable: large falls in impoundments (66%), euthanasia (82%) and cat-related calls (36%) were recorded across Banyule. The council saved an estimated $440,660 from reducing the cost for accepting cats, and savings for officer’s time responding to complaints.

AMRRIC applauds the trust-building direction of the program, a value that is ingrained in our work. Banyule City Council’s results show the benefit of collaborative approaches and active resident engagement.

We are so excited to see more councils and organisations adopt One Health and collaborative practices, well done to Banyule City Council and the team involved in publishing this analysis! 👏👏

Read more:

How to cut stray cat numbers in a way that works better for everyone Traditional methods based on trap, adopt or euthanise have failed to control cat numbers. An eight-year trial of a more supportive community cat desexing program has been a resounding success.

So great to hear Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services Environmental Health Worker Patrick Davies talk about the fantastic collaboration with Shire of Derby/West Kimberley, supported by our AMRRIC vets and vet nurses. Click on Wangki Yupurnanupurru Radio's post to listen to the great outcomes from our week based in the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Shed 👏👏

NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week is observed annually - this year from the 7th to 14th July. We at AMRRIC join the celebrations, and continue to advocate for the recognition of history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year's theme, "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud," celebrates the enduring spirit of Indigenous communities. It invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected.

AMRRIC's approach to our work is founded on a deep respect for the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our values have been developed through years of dialogue and consultation. We recognise companion animals as intrinsic to the fabric of the community, and acknowledge the inseparable link between the health and wellbeing of companion animals and that of their owners and their communities.

In light of this year's NAIDOC theme, which calls for a reclamation of narratives and an amplification of voices, we want to share a beautiful story from Jeremiah Larrwanbuy Baker, a man of the Dhuwa & Yirritja Ringitj'mirr mala Yolŋu Nation of the NT's top end northeast Arnhem Land region. Jeremiah is a member of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, who generously details his role as Djuŋgaya, the role of totems in Yolŋu culture, and his connection to his mother's primary tribal totem of warruŋ – the dog.

Watch Jeremiah's story here:

Rekindling your connection to Country: Jeremiah Larrwanbuy Baker This is "Rekindling your connection to Country: Jeremiah Larrwanbuy Baker" by AMRRIC on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Today is World Zoonoses Day – a day to promote education and awareness on zoonotic diseases. Zoonoses are diseases that can spread between animals and people.

Three-quarters of all new human diseases that have been identified
over the past 30 years came from animals! This is why animal health programs are so important!

It may be hard to believe, but cats and dogs can carry diseases that can make people sick. Cats and dogs have a special relationship with people, sharing our homes, our schedules and sometimes even our beds! By working to ensuring people living in remote communities have access to veterinary services and animal health products, AMRRIC works helps to support the health of cats and dogs, their owners and the broader community.

AMRRIC also collaborates with communities and researchers from across Australia to undertake research that provides greater awareness and understanding of the zoonotic
diseases that are likely to have the greatest impact on the health of people and animals living in remote areas and working to overcome challenges around service delivery in remote parts of Australia.

This week, AMRRIC’s One Health Research Coordinator is with doctors, veterinarians and researchers from across Australia at the Australasian
Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) conference in Sydney to continue to work towards developing strategies and partnerships to address concerns around zoonotic disease in remote areas.

In April, AMRRIC supported 2 intensive surgery days in Cherbourg, QLD, in collaboration with RSPCA QLD, The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science, Darling Downs Health Public Health Unit and Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council.

The visit is one of two vet visits annually to Cherbourg, supporting the health and management of the community’s dogs and cats. The program has been running since 2016, over which time we’ve built extremely strong relationships with both our collaborating partners and the community.

AMRRIC’s Dr Bonny was part of the collaborative team that undertook desexing, vaccination, microchipping, parasite treatment and veterinary check-ups. In the 2 days, they desexed and vaccinated a total of 26 dogs and cats,and delivered 74 doses of broad-spectrum anti-parasitic treatments.

A huge thank you to all collaborators for this program, you can see the pups were so happy to have us!

📸 Photo credit to RSPCA QLD

This week our very own One Health Research Officer Dr Jessica Hoopes will be speaking at the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) 2024 Zoonoses Conference. The conference, named Crossroads of Contagion, will feature education sessions with an emphasis on highlighting the importance of the intersection of human and animal interactions and health.

Jessica will be speaking on AMRRIC’s research in antimicrobial resistance and stewardship in remote animal health. Such a great opportunity to share knowledge in this space and we’re thrilled to see AMRRIC represented alongside such an impressive line up - congratulations Jessica!

Some of the wonderful speakers we have lined up at Zoonoses 2024 in July - discussing the intersection of human and animal interactions and health. Less than a month to go!
Read more and register: https://buff.ly/42s77WW

A very sweet capture from NPY Women's Council of Thelma Riley during a Tjanpi Desert Weavers skills & development workshop in Kaltijiti (Fregon). What a special bond between pup and person ❤️🐾

Photo credit: Genevieve Harold

Desert Weavers is great for the soul + supports Anangu women to earn money from their fibre art practice. Here is Thelma Riley with a sleepy papa (dog) at a skills & development workshop in Kaltijiti (Fregon). Tjanpi is a proud NPYWC social enterprise.
Photo: Genevieve Harold

Check out this awesome mural that AMRRIC team member Di spotted during her time in the Denig district of Nauru. Some local teenagers told her that there was an American man in Nauru who lost his dog and painted the mural in efforts to find him. What a beautiful reminder of the powerful bond between humans and their companion animals ❤️🐾

We'd love you to share any pics of special artistic dedications or paw-traits of your pets in the comments!

We love hearing first hand what the program highlights are from our team. Read about what AMRRIC Resource Development Officer Michelle loved from the recent MRC trips:

"Having students from the school come visit our stall at the Healthy Communities event and talk to me about their pets and play the games. Students in the classrooms recognising myself and Dog Mob Cat Crew from previous visits over the years, thanks to the support and collaboration from MacDonnell Regional Council" ❤️

The AMRRIC ed team – Dog Mob Cat Crew – spent about 7 days across March and May in communities in MacDonnell Regional Council, visiting schools and participating in community events to support animal, human, and environmental health outcomes.

AMRRIC Resource Development Officer, Michelle, and Manager of Capacity and Development, Dr Jenny, visited 6 schools, engaging with nearly 150 students and teachers in important education about responsible pet ownership. The team were also able to participate in the council’s amazing Healthy Communities initiative events in Titjikala, Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), and Utju (Areyonga) communities. The AMRRIC/Dog Mob Cat Crew team were able to engage with even more community residents during this event, talking and learning about companion animal management in remote communities.

Like all our programs, it wouldn't be possible without the collaboration of our incredible stakeholders. Many thanks to MacDonnell Regional Council, the schools, and the communities themselves for having us on another great program.

Have a purrrrry good day! 🐱❤️

📸 AMRRIC Vet Dr. Simone with a meowvelous patient

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A reflection from vet Dr Kirsty on AMRRIC’s recent program out to APY Lands:

“The remoteness of the communities visited on this program means the small contribution we are making to help ensure better health for the animals is very gratefully received. Also, to deliver this program we travel through some really beautiful country, which is an immense privilege.”

❤️💛🖤

New Science on the Brown Dog Tick - What it Means for Ehrlichiosis Risk in Southern Parts of Australia 🦠

A new study by Teo and colleagues (2024), confirms that brown dog tick has an established distribution much further south than was previously documented; particularly in Western Australia and South Australia. This is really important for dogs living in communities in these areas, as this tick species is responsible for spreading tick sickness (Ehrlichosis) across the country. Anywhere this type of tick can be found there is a risk of dogs getting this deadly disease.

Dogs living in areas where the brown dog tick is established, show in red on this map may be at risk of the tick sickness Ehrlichiosis. Year-round tick prevention is the best way to protect your dog from the brown dog tick, and tick-borne diseases such as Ehrlichiosis. Have a yarn with your veterinary service provider about what treatment options are available in your area.

For more information on Ehrlichiosis, check out our website - we have a number of resources on our website that can help to provide more information on keeping your community safe from this disease.

You can also check out the article, here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020751924000742

In early March the AMRRIC team visited 12 Communities and Homelands in the APY Lands, to deliver a program focused on reproductive control, anti-parasitic treatment delivery and medical treatments for sicknesses. Additionally, the AMRRIC team were thrilled to continued training their staff on how to capture data through the AMRRIC App. This long-standing program is a collaboration with Nganampa Health Council (NHC). 🩺🐾

On this visit, the AMRRIC team was made up of vet Dr Kirsty and vet nurse Bianca. In the 9 day program the team achieved some amazing results!

They delivered 1,324 doses of anti-parasitic treatments and engaged with 233 families of animal owners in educational conversations around animal health.

This being Dr Kirsty 3rd visit over the last 12 months, a highlight was seeing some familiar smiling faces, both human and dog! It’s very special to develop relationships with residents in remote communities, and it’s also important! The trust that we build with remote communities helps make a deeper impact.

We are very grateful to the NHC staff, their support strengthened engagement with community residents and helped make sure that all pets were happy and healthy.