Here at The Drake Center, we’ve got some amazing clients. These people are not only wonderful pet owners, but go above and beyond to give back to the animal world—and we’d like to give them the recognition they deserve! This month, meet Robert Blumberg, an electrical engineer who helped bring animal disaster relief to Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami.
Robert and his wife Andrea, a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were living in Sri Lanka when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit, killing over 35,000 people and displacing more than a million others. Andrea spent the next year working in human disaster relief, while Bob provided efforts for animal relief. It was then that he co-founded the Tsunami Animal-People Alliance (TAPA) as a longer-term response to the tsunami.
TAPA’s tented field clinic moves from community to community in the tsunami zone, spaying, neutering and vaccinating dogs to prevent the threat of rabies, the number of dog bites and the threat of cruelty to the animals by humans fearing rabies (It is estimated that 50 to 100 people die from rabies each year in Sri Lanka). The well-trained TAPA team includes three vets and seven support staff. Sri Lanka’s 30-yearlong civil war ended recently, and TAPA now also works in the former war zone.
Bob and Andrea moved to Cardiff in 2008 with their three Egyptian dogs, taken in off the streets of Cairo. Thanks to internet, email and Skype, Bob works with the TAPA team on a daily basis, providing logistics support, fundraising, administration and a liaison to the outside world.
TDC: How did you get involved in disaster relief efforts for animals?
RB: By being in the wrong place at the right time! We had just moved to Sri Lanka and the tsunami hit two months later. My initial effort was to orchestrate a coalition of local and international animal welfare organizations to vaccinate dogs against rabies in the tsunami zone and to prevent mass killing by those who feared a rabies outbreak. The work then transitioned into co-founding the Tsunami Animal-People Alliance.
TDC: What other kinds of animal welfare projects have you done?
RB: I’ve always been an animal person, but I only came to understand the plight of animals in developing countries in 2002, during an assignment to Egypt with the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends. While my primary focus is Sri Lanka, I continue to work with this group in a support role, as well as with a group in the Republic of Georgia. I prefer to work in the background, putting local people in the spotlight so others in their country see the concern for animals by their compatriots. An Egyptian colleague and I also co-founded the Middle East Network for Animal Welfare to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences among Middle Eastern countries. Our first two conferences were attended by animal welfare groups and government officials from over 25 countries in the Middle East.
TDC: What motivates you to keep doing what you are doing?
RB: We must speak and act on behalf of the animals since they cannot speak for themselves. Having lived in developing countries for 20 years, I have a unique opportunity to combine a basic understanding of life in these areas with an understanding of life in the developed world, so I try to build a bridge of understanding between the two. It is very difficult for us as Westerners to understand the obstacles of improving animal and human welfare abroad. I’ve found it takes at least six months living in a developing country to even begin to understand what’s going on.
TDC: What is the hardest part of this job?
RB: Knowing that the animals are on the front line of survival 24/7/365. It is especially difficult accepting that you cannot save them all and working on long-term strategies to improve animal welfare in developing countries when there so many animals in need right in front of you. It’s also very hard to find balance in order to avoid burnout from the emotional stress. Fundraising for developing countries can be a challenge as well, especially given today’s global situation. Local people do contribute, but money is very scarce in these areas and salary scales are drastically lower than they are in the West.
TDC: What is the easiest part?
RB: Unfortunately, there is no easy part. There are success stories along the way, but there is always a new crisis the next day. It ever ends. Working with local folks is very rewarding, especially when they learn you are a part of their team. You have to learn to accept qapebbles of success instead of milestones!
TDC: Tell us about a touching success story you've had.
RB: TAPA’s work in the former war zone produced a very unexpected result, as observed by a staff member of a humanitarian relief agency:
“TAPA is really a great, dynamic team and what I see is so much more than the work they are doing for dogs—their interaction with the communities is also beneficial. Here in Batticaloa for example, after 30 years of war, devastation, death and destruction, TAPA represents a whole new concept that some of the communities have never experienced— respect, care, nurturing, concern for others ... The ethnic divide is also very key and having Sinhala staff at TAPA providing service at no cost for Tamil communities sends quite a powerful message. People in Batticaloa really appreciated this show of kindness, care and respect from TAPA staff.”
Who would have thought that our animal welfare work could have an impact on ethnic healing?
We’re also very happy when a dog gets adopted on the spot from our field clinic.
TDC: How can others get involved, overseas or at home?
RB: If you are overseas, search the internet for animal welfare organizations where you are, then check them out and get involved. At home, be a strong advocate for spaying, neutering and shelter adoptions. And, of course, we are always in need of donations.
If you would like to donate to TAPA, visit the website at www.tsunami-animal.org.