Earthquakes, Rabies and Blackouts: S/N Through it all!

Let’s Save The Strays International LLC (LSTSI) began its Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) work in Mandalay, Myanmar, in 2019. In 2024, in response to urgent requests from local citizens and street feeders, they began a second TNVR in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. With an estimated 250,000 free-roaming dogs and less than 20% vaccinated against rabies, Yangon is at the epicenter of the country's rabies crisis—responsible for over 1,000 human deaths annually, most of them children. 

Thanks, in part, to a grant from Cold Noses Foundation they are :

1. Humanely reducing the stray population through high-quality spay/neuter surgeries
2. Preventing rabies and other zoonotic diseases through mass vaccination
3. Promoting peaceful coexistence between communities and sterilized street animals
4. Building sustainable veterinary infrastructure by training Burmese veterinary students
5. Offering a scalable, humane alternative to mass poisoning by city authorities

 Each animal receives:

• Spay or neuter surgery
• Rabies vaccination
• Deworming
• Flea, tick, and mange treatment
• Ear notching for identification
• Veterinary Training
  Four new Burmese veterinary students are actively training with our senior surgeons, gaining hands-on experience in anesthesia, surgical prep, post-op care, and humane handling. These students are mentored by vets trained with WVS and Soi Dog.
• Community Engagement
  They produced local-language brochures, installed banners on surgery days, and consistently updated our Facebook page (“Let’s Save The Strays – Myanmar”) to explain the benefits of Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. The team also maintains a 7-day hotline for TNVR requests and animal emergencies.
• Strategic Site Selection
  They prioritize high-density dog zones like temples, markets, and industrial sites. GPS and Mission Rabies tools help us track sterilization progress and identify hotspots.

And they did all this despite a massive March 2024 Earthquake, major daily blackouts (2-4 hrs of electricity a day), civil war and disrupyed supply chains. They even managed to rescue and treat animals injured in the Earthquake. 

Like this sweet pitbull mama and her puppies:

During our post-earthquake outreach in Mandalay, our team discovered a malnourished pit bull mother sheltering with her four puppies in the rubble of where she once lived, as her owners died in the earthquake. They had been left behind and were at risk of being sold into the meat trade. 
Our team stepped in, rescuing the entire family. All were vaccinated, dewormed, and treated for fleas, ticks, and mange. The mother will soon undergo spay surgery as part of our TNVR efforts. This rescue not only saved five lives—it served as a powerful reminder that, even in the most devastated areas, street animals are still depending on us to show up.

-Excerpt from grant report

AMAZING Work Lets Save the Strays!