CCF’s Rabies Vaccination Outreach

We had an amazing experience in joining CCF’s rabies outreach program for 3-days.

The CCF team travels to remote, hard-to-reach communities to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies. During these missions, they set up temporary bush camps on communal lands — true “bush camping” at its finest!

For two days, we visited distant individual farms. Prior to our arrival, Veisy Kasaona, the Community development officer, had communicated with conservancy and community leaders to inform residents that the vaccination team would be in the area. Farmers were genuinely happy to see us, often proudly retrieving last year’s rabies vaccination certificates. These certificates hold real value and are stored carefully from one year to the next.

Thanks to a generous donation of collars and leashes from Mark Hagen of Rolf C. Hagen Inc., we were able to offer collars and leashes to dog owners during the campaign. The recipients were absolutely thrilled — many could not afford such items.

We suspect word spread quickly, as several farms we visited later seemed to be expecting the leashes and collars! A big thank you to Mark Hagen for his kind and thoughtful contribution.

In some cases, farmers had been using wire as makeshift leash and collar to hold their dogs for vaccination. Most dogs, however, came when called — a few even wagging their tails — though some made a quick escape once they realized what was about to happen! Owners were determined, often catching their dogs and bringing them to the next farm to ensure they received their vaccine.

Detailed records were kept for each vaccinated animal, and new certificates were issued immediately. All data was entered into a tablet using the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) app as a form of centralized digital record keeping.

We also vaccinated a number of cats, which was a greater challenge. Cats are clever and often reluctant to be caught, but their owners made impressive efforts. On several occasions, when a cat escaped, the owner would re catch the cat and follow us to the next farm to make sure it didn’t miss its vaccination.

It was especially touching to witness the genuine affection and sense of responsibility these farmers and families showed toward their animals. Even though the dogs and cats may not live inside their homes, there is a clear bond and concern for their wellbeing — a reminder that the human–animal connection transcends culture and circumstance.

During the outreach, the veterinarian, Dr. Maleagy Awene also attended to sick or injured animals such as a sheep with a jackal bite wound.

This campaign is possible by the generous donations of the Foundation for Human Rabies Education & Eradication (FHREE) and Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN).

The team included:

• Veisy Kasoana, community development officer— Otjiherero native speaker (local language of the region), translator, and liaison with conservancies and community leaders
• Maleagy Awene , a compassionate and highly capable veterinarian, and a recent graduate of UNAM Veterinary School (April 2025)
• Nguvitjiua Tjingaete, a Namibian CCF ecology intern
• Dr Nancy Paquin and Dr Stephanie Laett, Vanier College Animal Health Technology instructors visiting CCF to explore future pedagogical and internship opportunities for Vanier students
• Anahi Hidalgo – Biomedical Research Associate/Programme Coordinator
• Dr Anne Schmidt-Küntzel – Director of Animal Health and Research