Veterinarians For Animal Welfare In Zimbabwe

Meryl Harrison rescued thousands of animals stranded on invaded farms during Zimbabwe's land redistribution. Meryl's mission was not about people or human rights but about animals and their welfare and there was no room for race, politics or prejudice.

She has returned to Zimbabwe to continue her mission. Meryl, in her sixties and with a heart condition, always traveled with one or two young SPCA Inspectors and together they faced mobs of men who were often drugged or drunk and almost always armed with weapons ranging from sticks and stones to guns, knives and whips. Meryl drove thousands of kilometers to remote and abandoned farms; she and her colleagues went into "no-go areas" and faced war veterans, secret police, army, and youth militia; they dismantled road barricades and went to places which even the police said were dangerous and unsafe.

"Meryl soon built up a reputation which preceded her - she never took sides and had only come for the animals. Cows which had been hamstrung and axed, donkeys and a race horse burned alive; dogs shackled and abandoned - if there was even the remotest chance that she could help them, treat them or rescue them, Meryl never said no!"
- From Catherine Buckle's book Innocent Victims.

Seeing that the situation in Zimbabwe had not improved, Meryl flew back to a great welcome on February 18th, 2010. Her aims are simple. She is driven to assist all animals in need regardless of where they are found and what obstacles she finds along the way. In order to achieve this, she requires assistance in any form possible.

There will be a veterinary animal welfare structure, under the auspices of the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe and answerable to the veterinary profession in general. The organization, Vets for Animal Welfare in Zimbabwe (VAWZ) will be controlled by a small committee made up of veterinarians and other animal welfare specialists. It would employ two or three persons qualified in animal welfare and licensed as inspectors under the current Act.

Vets for Animal Welfare in Zimbabwe on Facebook