Animal welfare clinic teaches children to love pets

AMMAN — “A small room served as a clinic, two stables were erected for equine cases and the small weekend cottage served as an office,” said Margaret Ledger, remembering the humble beginnings of the Humane Centre for Animal Welfare (HCAW). 

Ledger established the HCAW in September 2000 as a non-profit organisation, and in the early days vets offered their services for free and other volunteers raised funds by holding weekend walks, parties and events for children like Easter egg hunts, she told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

She said the role of the centre was to protect animals and educate the local population, particularly children, to love pets and domestic animals.  

The centre reached an important milestone in March 2007, when Her Majesty Queen Rania acted as a patron at the opening of the HCAW hospital on the outskirts of Amman.

Sixteen years on, the main obstacles facing the HCAW are the lack of funding and weak law enforcement to protect animals, Ledger said.

“Today, we are grateful to several long-time supporters who provide their time on a voluntary basis, and we would appreciate more volunteers to help raise funds in support of veterinary care to poverty pockets as well as our important educational programme,” she said. 

“Other than a few senior experienced veterinary surgeons, Jordan lacks specialists in veterinary medicine and… [the] appropriate local labour,” Ledger noted. “In many cases, we see ignorance in the proper handling of animals that often leads to negligence.” 

The centre cooperates with the Ministry of Education and directly with private schools to raise awareness of how how to care for animals.  

“The HCAW conducts an important and highly effective educational programme for children aged between 3 and 17,“ Ledger explained.

The Ministry of Education’s teachers and coordinators have been “instrumental in the success of our programme over the last 16 years through our joint seminars and workshops”.

The role of adults is not neglected, she added, explaining that the HCAW provides guidance and counselling at every opportunity to stimulate more humane behaviour in line with the teachings of Islam. 

“Other than the veterinary and educational services, the HCAW has been a leader in drafting animal welfare laws as well as zoo and pet shop regulations in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Greater Amman Municipality,” the activist added.

The centre takes part in the protection and care of wildlife as well as performing rescue operations and “provides other community services including stray animal custody in the absence of proper population control”.

In the coming period, the HCAW will expand its educational programme to include “further knowledge about the welfare of the planet, both fauna and flora”, Ledger stressed. 

“I’m an animal lover and have a strong belief that we, humans, are responsible for the welfare of our fellow sentient creatures and the protection of the environment,” she said.

“I believe also that by promoting respect towards animals, I’m helping in stimulating kindness and compassion in future generations both towards one another as well as towards animals.”