The European War 2022

The title of this blog post is deliberately leaving out the names of the countries that we have been told are at war right now.
‘We have been told?’ – You may ask?
The nature of big conflicts like this one is complex, and I will not pretend to know much about politics.
However, to anticipate this war to be over soon, or that it is only a conflict between the 2 countries currently portrayed to be fighting, is naïve.
I have uninstalled social media from my phone in February this year.
It upset me to see how all the propaganda regarding this atrocious conflict is polarizing ‘us’ against 'them’.

The ‘good guy’ against ‘the bad guy’.

I think we can be certain that incomprehensible loses are happening in both Ukraine and Russia.
The soldiers that are wounded or killed, the industry that stops receiving government support when this happens, the medical supplies missing from hospitals that care for the general public, the school, socialisation and meals the children are missing out on, the tax payer who is now unwillingly financially supporting human tragedy…and more, on both sides.

This conflict is larger than the 2 countries we see fighting, and supplies and humanitarian efforts MUST be provided to both sides.

Not just 1.
Not just ‘the good guy’, the ‘David against Goliath’, the ‘underdog’.

Conflict like this will have major financial impact in both countries, and likely slow down progress of the countries around them. Moldova and Poland for example, who are trying to accommodate the
fleeing civilians and provide a supply chain for those who do not have anywhere to go to.

So if you are asking me what this has to do with me going off social media- it is because I am fed up with seeing that the general public consumes this polarisation and fuels the conflict by ‘standing up
for the good guy, the David, the underdog’.
The motives for humanitarianism should not be further fuelling the conflict, by turning the general public’s awareness ‘against’ the ‘enemy’.
All civilians, in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Poland and beyond, are victims of this conflict.
And they all need our help.
So, until I see refugee camps and humanitarian support being provided equally, without propaganda
or explanation of ‘who to give to because they are good and the other is bad’, I will stay away from it.

I have assigned myself to provide veterinarian support to animals that are in the UK with their refugee families.

That is my contribution.

And I wouldn't dream of refusing to provide the same to any other family of refugees, just because they are portrayed as 'the bad'.

Were you wawing a flag of Afganistan this time last year? And why not?

Social media acts as an invitation into our psyche. And our shared data helps *them write the screenplay toward the story *they want you to see.

*them, they here is not aimed toward any particular group of people. Any organisation with enough resources can be the 'they'.

Dangers Of Having An Animal Reservoir -  SARS-Cov2

I believe Geronimo, the alpaca, had enough media coverage to educate the general public on the fact that some infectious diseases have LAWS and REGULATIONS on how they are detected and managed.

Let’s leave Geronimo to rest in peace and analyse what he is teaching us about COVID-19, and ourselves.

How are those two related, you ask?

To quote another article;

The big threat no one is talking about? Covid spillback | WIRED UK

• 'Ebola jumped from humans to great apes in the early 2000s with devastating consequences, the H1N1 influenza infected seals and sea lions between 2009 and 2011, while other respiratory viruses have gone on to wreak havoc on mountain gorillas over the past decade, an already endangered population.
• If Sars-CoV-2 did get into a new animal population, it could perpetuate the pandemic indefinitely, with the virus moving intermittently back and forth between its new host and humans. Ominous warnings can be found in the cases of yellow fever, Ebola, chikungunya and tuberculosis, diseases that were once brought under control before spilling back into animals which enabled them to persist, adapt, and then re-infect people.'

LEARNING FROM PAST EVENTS – ARE WE?

• en-oie-guidance-farmed-animals.pdf

In case of a confirmed SARS-Cov-2 outbreak in animals;

‘If infection in animals is suspected or confirmed’…

…‘SARS-CoV-2 outbreak investigations should include collection of data on animal movement, movement of people and equipment on the farm, feed origin, management and feed sampling, and on the presence of wild or stray animals at the farm level. The decision to cull will depend on the national or regional capacity to contain the outbreak and to manage risks using less drastic measures, while managing welfare aspects. The national approach to the industry will also weigh on the decision to cull, as is the example of the progressive disappearance of mink farming for fur in the Netherlands. If a decision to cull animals is made, the OIE Terrestrial Code Chapter 7.6. on Killing of animals for disease control purposes should be observed.’

WHO DESERVES TO LIVE ?  – THE ONE’S WE LOVE VS. THE ONES WE CALL FOOD / VERMIN

Geronimo has crystalised that even in the most developed countries in the world we look at different species differently.

Some may argue this is species specific legislation that is put in place, because of the affinity of the micro-organism toward reproducing in some animal species more than others.

I challenge this and say that the regulation should apply to production animals, and not pets.

Not those who we can regularly screen, isolate and will never enter the food chain.

Not those who’s owners we can also screen, vaccinate and educate on how to dispose of the animal’s bedding and waste.

How is Geronimo’s death really going to protect his owner?

Is that really an acceptable solution? Kill until no more left to be infected?

In that case, let’s go 100 years back and create little ‘leprosy’ communities for people infected with notifiable diseases, because it then also starts making sense.

And while we are at it, lets divide the vaccinated from non-vaccinated too. To protect them from each other.

Let’s kill all the bats because of rabies, and the fact that they are ‘ugly’, incinerate the pigeons, swans and sea gulls because they are susceptible to avian flu…and let’s not stop there…

Over 20 million mink were culled because of COVID-19. 20 million.

Did this not start with 1 pen sneezing, perhaps losing appetite, having some discharge or something?

Did it really have to be left to spread to so many animals before anyone did anything, and then what we did was KILL THEM?

I smell insurance money coming with the smoke of the burning flesh of the animals we already stripped from any freedom and kept in captivity.

Want to know the COVID-19 incident report in animals?

Here;

COVID-19 - OIE - World Organisation for Animal Health

Want to know the results of studies done on predicting the spill-back events of COVID-19 back into an animal reservoir?

Here;

Predicting the zoonotic capacity of mammal species for SARS-CoV-2 (biorxiv.org)

Want to know what legislation we have in place for cases of COVID-19 in animals?

None.

Yet.

Oh, and by the way, those of you who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 out of choice – you will be speeding up this disaster bus which is heading towards a cliff. You ain’t driving it, and you ain’t fuelling it, but you certainly make it go faster.

And when the bus reaches the cliff end, if we had no time to put legislation in place, our solution will be, our history teaches us, to kill. Pardon, cull.

Every Animal Is A Therapy Animal.

Be it your dog, cat, hamster or the birds that visit your garden. 

Every animal can contribute to our wellbeing. 

The existence of another creature, completely different from us, living nearby uninhibited.  

Even though to suggest they are joyful might be anthropomorphising what is essential beautiful because it is unlike us... Joy could be our endocrinological response to what they would call, if they could tell us, simply living. 

Just being, present, in the moment. Eating when hungry, napping when tired, asking for cuddles when you feel like and asking to be left alone, unapologetically. 

As someone who experienced depression, for me the hardest notion was realizing that I was trapped. 

As if there was a veil behind which the real me was silently watching life play out. As if someone took over the wheel, and put me in the back seat. I had no control over where I was going, and I think that is what made me think of 1 particular destination as being the desirable outcome. 

However, there was Tobi. He was still there for me, needing to simply live his little doggy life that I promised I would cherish when he finally got over here to be mine for good (long story...). 

After seeking help, I got better. And other things in life slowly got better for me. I was lucky. 

Now, I can enjoy seeing the green parrots in the park, the way the sun reflects off the water and how the wind makes the masts in the marina sing...and I am content. 

I am content. 

And honestly, if it weren’t for the dogs in my life, my Tobi and his friends, that probably would not be the case. 

What I am trying to say, don’t underestimate any form of life around you. 

Please, cherish them all, they all have a place and a purpose.  

Not everyone needs to have a dog for their mental hygiene properties.  

Find your happy, and re-connect to it. 

It can be an ant farm. 

Or bird watching. 

There will be a form of life that brings you joy when you interact with it.  

Even a succulent can be a small step in the right direction. 

You can make him tiny paper hats and pretend he is going for events.

Well, as inappropriate the pun is here, it is intended. To catch your attention and perhaps,point out what gift it is to have your BREATH. Stop right here. And bring your awareness to your breath. Breath in. And let it out. So simple.

And very rarely, are we aware of our own breath.                             

This insidious disease that has already changed the course of history, takes that away from us.

This disease takes our own breath away from us, unapologetically. Without much warning, and without much that can be done to restore our breath back into our thoracic cavity                           

Do not take this disease lightly. However mild your symptoms could be, remember, the R number means how many people YOU have potentially infected, if you tested positive. The R number tells us also about how many other people they (those you have passed the virus onto) have subsequently infected. And so on...and so on.                  

And it is clear and logical, that out of all those people, someone will get their breath stolen away from them by the progression of this disease. Someone will end up sedated, intubated, naked, on a hospital bed, plugged onto a machine that is pushing air into their lungs so they don't go brain dead due to the lack of oxygen.                              

And, this is not all. This virus has the potential to cause multi organ failure, and does not stop just at one's lungs when it reaches them.                             

This virus also has a 'long haul' effect even on people who initially had mild symptoms only, and seemingly, recovered.                                

So if you are waiting for a vaccine, to 'Bring things back to normal', don't hold your breath for it.                 

If a vaccine that stops the progression of the disease is formulated, the doctors, nurses, care home workers and the vulnerable population (those who can receive the vaccination, not everyone who is vulnerable is even capable of whitstanding the vaccination) will be the first to get it. To help prevent those, who save our lives, from dieing of this disease

This doesn't mean that this type of vaccine would stop the spread of the virus. Those vaccinated, theoretically, can still catch the virus and spread it to others, even if their immune systems are strong enough to stop the progression of the disease towards more serious outcomes.

If a vaccine, that does BOTH, is developed...If...Then, just imagine the sheer volume of the disposables, and staff, that would be necessary, to distribute it, to everyone.                             

Can you imagine this?                    

There is a shortage of health care staff pretty much everywhere in the world. And they are not only overworked now with caring for COVID and regular patients, but they are also dieing from this disease themselves.                              

And who do you think is qualified to administer such an important thing, as a vaccination, during a pandemic?(Imagine: every single person that would be distributing the vaccine would have to COMPLETELY decontaminate and change their PPE between each household)                         

Can you really imagine there is enough staff and equipment for this? Anywhere in the next 1,2,3…years?                 

I can't.                   

So...                       

Don't hold your breath. Be responsible.                 

Have empathy.

This is a critical moment in our history, and how we behave now, is literally a matter of life and death for someone else. If not, ourselves.

Pa, koliko god je mozda neprimjeren humor u samome naslovu ovoga clanka...Sasvim je namjeran.

Cisto da bi vas izprovocirao i osvijestio Vas koliko je to zapravo dar, imati vlastiti DAH. Disati.

Zato Vas molim, zastanite ovdje na trenutak. I udahnite. kako jednostavno, zar ne? I pustite dah da napusti vasa prsa...

I tako na dnevnoj bazi, nismo niti svjesni vlastitog disanja. Sve dok ono ne postane problem.

Ova zlocudna bolest koja je uzela maha i promijenila tijek povijesti zauvijek vec sada, oduzima nam dah. Ona nam krade zrak, ne dozvoljava nam disanje.

Bez upozorenja i sa nimalo diskriminacije, ona ce nekima od nas zaustaviti taj proces kojega nismo niti svjesni, a koji nas odrzava zivima.

Nemojte podcijeniti potencijal ove bolescine. Mozda su Vasi simptomi blagi, i to je super sto se Vas tice.

Ali postoji zlocudna matematika u svemu ovome. R broj je broj ljudi kojima ste vi, potencijalno, prenijeli zarazu ukoliko ste testirani i pozitivni na virus (ne nuzno niti pozitivni, ali lazno negativni rezultati COVID testa nisu dio ovoga clanka). R broj je takoder broj ljudi kojima su oni prenijeli zarazu dalje...i tako dalje...i tako dalje.

I logicno je, da uz takvu matematiku, virus dostigne osobu koja ce zbog njega zavrsiti na bolnickom krevetu, sedirana, intubirana, izolirana, u bolnickoj haljini, polusvijesti i prikljucena na stroj koji gura nesto kisika u pluca da ne dode do mozdane smrti. I onda je cekanje. Za vecimu takvih pacijenata, cekanje na smrt.

A to nije sve. Ovaj virus ima potencijal uzrokovati kolaps vitalnih organa, on ne zastaje samo na plucima kad ih dosegne kroz respiratorni trakt. A ne. On siba dalje.

Ponekad, cak i oni koji su tijekom svoje infekcije imali tek blage simptome, imaju dugorocne posljedice tjednima, pa i mjesecima nakon sto su prividno 'preboljeli' virus.

Stoga, ne cekajte cjepivo.

Ako se i razvije cjepivo koje moze onemoguciti virus da uzrokuje teze oblike bolesti u ljudima koji ga prime, prioritizirani ce biti lijecnici, medicinko osoblje u bolnicama i domovima te oni koji su u rizicnim skupinama. Iako, cak niti svi u rizicnim skupinama ne mogu uopce primiti cjepivo.

To ne znaci da ce cjepivo sprijeciti sirenje bolesti sa covjeka na covjeka. Cijepljena individua jos uvijek, teoretski, moze prenijeti virus na drugog covjeka.

A ako se razvije cjepivo koje ima oba faktora* razvijena do, recimo 70tak % (nisam virolog ni epidemiolog, pogadam broj otprilike), mozete li zamisliti koja kolicina osoblja i potrosnog materijala treba da se proizvede, dostavi i distribuira?

*faktor 1-zastita od progresije u teze oblike bolesti u cijepljenoj individui

*faktor 2- zastita od prijenosa virusa za individue koja je cijepljena na drugog covjeka (koji jest ili nije primio cjepivo)

Izmedu svakoga kucanstva, svaki clan osoblja bi trebao izvrsiti potpunu dekontaminaciju svega i promijeniti kompletnu zastitnu opremu.

Osobno, ne mogu zamisliti niti da imamo dovoljno osoblja niti opreme, igdje u svijetu, da bi se ovo uspjesno izvrsilo tijekom iducih 1,2,3..godina...

Nasi lijecnici i medicinske sestre, koji nam spasavaju zivote, i sami umiru od ove zlocudne bolesti.

Zato, molim Vas, budite oprezni, nesebicni i strpljivi.

Zivot jos neko vrijeme nece biti 'normalan'.

Tko zna hoce li ikad biti ono sto je bio prije npr 2 godine. Vjerovatno ne. Stvari se nikada ne vracaju na staro, postoji samo vremensko linearno kretanje naprijed, za sve nas.

Stoga ne zadrzavajte dah cekajuci da se 'stvari vrate na staro'.

Oprezno.
Nesebicno.
Strpljivo.

Jedino tako nam vrijedi krenuti naprijed kroz sve ovo.

‘On 9 January 2018, at approximately 8:51 p.m. local time (02:51 10 January UTC), a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck in the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea, 44 kilometres (27 mi) east of Great Swan Island off the coast of Honduras.[1] The earthquake was felt across Central America’ … ‘Tsunami advisories were issued for certain areas by the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center.’

I was in San Pedro at the time, and we didn’t know what to expect. The odd sirens were released as a warning I didn’t understand, and Mr. Z.Cardenas stopped by my house on his way back from a class that was just cancelled. He explained that a tsunami might be coming our way, to seek shelter in a concrete building, if possible 3rd floor or above. I thanked him, grabbed Tobi, a bottle of water and a blanket.

Why would I need a blanket, if expecting a tsunami? It would only help me sink faster, right?

Thinking about it later, I realized, this was because of the sirens I would hear as a child, growing up in war time Croatia. When the sirens went off, we would go into the atomic shelters that many buildings had underneath the ground level. I remember those shelters as being cold, and I am guessing that is why I instinctively grabbed a blanket.

I met a young woman, a complete stranger, that took me and Tobi to her friend’s house to shelter. There was about 5 or 6 adults, a child and another dog. They didn’t even ask any questions about who I am, or said anything about Tobi. This tells you all you need to know about Belizean people. Their kindness and sensibility is what makes people come back, and stay longer.

Waiting in that 3rd floor flat, my feeling of safety quickly vanished when I realized, the town’s water and electricity were not shut off while the whole island was waiting for the tsunami. The TV was on, showing the receded water, a frightening sight nobody has seen before, as Belize had no previous recorded experience of this nature.

I realized, if the water comes, we’re dead anyway. Even though we were on the 3rd floor, if we don’t drown, we would get electrocuted anyway.

I didn’t say this out loud, because I knew we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, and I didn’t want to inflict panic.

I just silently asked the young woman, Maria, who brought me there: ‘Should I text my mom?’ -’No’, she said. ‘We might be OK, and you would make her worry for no reason, and if it happens, she will find out anyway’.

And we waited…

I poured myself a rum and coke, and sat down. Drink in one hand, the other hand on Tobi, looking at him, looking for signs of upcoming danger that animals can sometimes emulate so accurately. He was calm. ... 'Stupid potlicker, how would he know anyway' , I thought.

‘They’ (tsunami warnings) ‘were later cancelled after further monitoring. No tsunami was generated since the earthquake was an almost pure strike-slip on a near vertical plane, producing little upward movement of the sea floor that would cause a large displacement of water.'

And we were safe. The receded water came back in slowly, there was no flooding, no wave, no destruction.

This was a wake up call for me, just at the beginning of 2018.

I realized, I wouldn’t have liked to be anywhere else than where I currently was, doing anything other than being a local vet, surrounded by these incredible people, with having met my soul mate who quietly sat by my side.

I can’t go without drawing a parallel, in my own life, to my current situation.

And for this privilege, I am very grateful.

I think it was during my first half of Uni when I got 2 degu’s, a male and a female. 

They were sort of a novelty then, not many people would have had them as pets and I was curious. They look cute, like tiny squirrels, and were quite quiet and funny in general. 

Occasionally I would let them wander around my bedroom. At one occasion one of them took a dry banana chip and took it to my bed with him, hiding it under the pillow. I thought this was adorable. 

On another occasion, one of them went behind the dresser, and as I moved it to try and let him out, he ran towards the direction I was moving, and unexpectedly, this caught his tiny leg. He got an open tibial fracture. 

I took him to the vets, we did an X ray and started treatment. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. 

The other degu was devastated. She wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t exercise. She just looked miserable.  

I had to get her a companion, so I went to the pet store and got her a friend. This seemingly helped her situation, she gradually, through out a week or so, went back to what I would describe as normal food intake and behaviour for her. 

Degu’s are not the kind of pet you would have a lot of physical contact with, cuddling or interaction. Basically, you have them to watch them do their thing. And for some reason, in my limited imagination, this meant they didn’t feel much for each other either. 

But I was wrong. I have measured their mutual emotional bond to the emotional bond they presented towards me, which is, well, stupid, really. 

This unfortunate episode taught me that animals, no matter how small or reserved, can have the capacity to empathize, and relationships with each other that are not visible to us most of the time. 

They were great pets for many reasons. 

I loved them. 

In a society that struggles for basic survival, spiritual awareness and deeper thoughts about other forms of life have little space to enter the daily routine. I have been working in San Pedro as a vet 2016-2018 and I have seen amazing love and human/animal bonds Belizeans can have. In spite of their financial situation or education level. However, the poverty and social structure of a society allows for these horrific cases, and rest assured people in the country where animals are treated this way, suffer just the same. Education is key, but also, a fight against corruption and a lot of patience. The current pandemic will push developing countries to the very limits, and likely slow down the changes we want to see. Just have patience with everyone, and try to find some peace in knowing that animals that arrive to the clinic's doors in severe distress and advanced stages of illness, can be our teachers, our advocates for the right changes. Try and see that their deaths were not in vain if their suffering can be a teacher to look more closely at a society that suffers in silence. 

...the above was my initial response to a post on social media, from a humane society which was showing extremely sensitive and triggering images of some of their local animals they have encountered recently...and the reply to my comment went something like this;

...' you are entitled to your opinion but respectfully, I think you are continuing with the societal excuses.' ... 'These are CHOICES that people make, and it’s time to stop excusing these choices.' -and whilst I agree with this to a certain extent, I would like to UNDERLINE AND PRINT IN BOLD THAT ANIMAL CRUELTY IS A SIGN OF MENTAL ILLNESS.

And like any other disease, it can't be cured by yelling at the patient. Conditions that favor the development of any disease, mental and physical, definitely thrive in societies that lack social support, local governance and responsibility towards the safety and well being of others. I would suggest the clinical staff focuses on clinical and rehabilitation work for the animals, and perhaps speak to local teachers about their responsibility of education on this topic, social care workers that have experience working with children and local dog trainers/training enthusiasts to show the kids how strong the human/animal bond can be and how much the animals are like us.

Tell them stories about a golden retriver that adopted ducklings without a mom, or a pig momma feeding a kitten with her milk...people's mindsets cant be 'changed' unless a common ground is found and communication touches something within them. Finding a relatable common ground might move things towards better, happier days. Organising dog training demonstrations, workshops, providing interesting inter special stories...small facebook/instagram stories of 'who knows the best trick', 'which pet is the funniest', 'what makes my kitten/chickens/dogs happy'  etc....might motivate kids to look at different ways of expressing themselves in relation to animals.

Look for examples of people who were successful in creating these changes, reach out and apply their approach. Often times people have not even explored what they carry within their 'hearts', so how can we expect of them to recognize the depths of another, be it a person, an animal or the environment.

Please don't blame and shame.

If you know better, do better, and lead with compassion, good long term strategy and personal example.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS

Growing up, I was racist. Homophobic. Xenophobic. Nationalistic. It still is a journey, internally, to reason the internal instincts, that are learnt behavior instilled from a place of fear.
I cant say how much I have changed, but I want my friends to know that I am trying.

When I have a racist thought, I try to catch myself before it develops into an attitude or behavior.
I have so far almost completely lost the feelings of tension towards certain nationalities. 
I have lost the religious prejudice.
I have almost completely worked out why, how and when I discriminate LGBTQ.
A real eye opener was when people called me WHITE GYAL. And I hated to be addressed by my skin color. The time it really opened my eyes though, is when a friend said (she called me white gyal a lot);

Why you don like to be call white gyal?Being white is good. ?

I was shocked. It hit me then.They didn't feel anything bad about calling me white girl, because they have learnt that being white is good.
Being white is associated with money, beauty and whatever else is worth to be valued.
Not only because of the history of the country where this hit me. But because of the history of this world. 
And I don't think I actually could express to my friend there why I don't like to be called 'white gyal'. Because, she was right. Totally. 

Too much is going on in the world right now.
I want my friends who live in any sort of feeling of fear or opposition because of their skin type, language, or whatever ..... to know;
I think I am still racist. I do.It is learnt behavior, someone else's fears projected on me when my mind wasn't questioning the things I was told.
And I want you to know- I know it is stupid! I wont use the word 'wrong'. Just stupid.

So basically, my 2pence in this whole horrifying chaos around us is;
The solution, imo, is in education.I was educated as racist. Now I try and educate myself better.
The solution is EDUCATION. Of young people and all those who are willing to learn.

I invite you to watch Miss Jane Elliott talk about this.
Love you 

Go Back Where You Came From…

are the words I have heard again, recently.

And during this pandemic, while all of us really can’t go anywhere, and would probably prefer to be somewhere other than where we actually are at the moment…this is a very painful thing to hear.

It was followed by several other insults, but I didn’t back down. I stood up.

And it didn’t make me feel better. It didn’t make me feel worse, either.

What was said can not be unsaid. And it is just another tile on the big wall that stands between the culture I am in and the culture I am from.

Some places in the World are more accepting of foreigners. Those places are usually not the ones that consider themselves superior. So there is an inferiority complex, and a tendency for superiority, that drives both sides equally.

And both sides are just people. That is all that it is. It doesn’t define me, where I am from. Neither does it define me where I am now.

I have reached that point in my life, where I can be unbothered by such discriminations. Only because I now know, that people are the same everywhere.

It just happens to be that situations of crisis reveal people's true colors. And we are learning a lot about each other now.

Being indoors mostly, we are getting to know our neighbours, even if from a distance.

We are learning about the world’s politics more.

We are getting a very pricey lesson in humanity in general.

And COVID is our teacher.

I would suggest we take notes this time, so we don’t have to repeat it.