A letter from the Equine Canada Chair:

Dear Colleagues,

    I hope this note finds you well.  Over the past few days, all of us have been moved by the scenes of destruction created by the earthquake and tsunami that have struck Japan, and have wanted to do something to help.  I have been in touch with our colleagues in Japan's equestrian federation about putting together a team of Canadian veterinarians and support personnel to assist Japan's horse community, and I wanted to ask if you are interested in participating.

    At this point, the team would be held on standby in Canada as we monitor the situation, and as our colleagues in Japan determine if our services will be needed or if the domestic veterinary community has matters in hand.  If deployed, the role of the Canadian team would be to help treat, manage, and if necessary humanely euthanise injured animals, as well as to be generally available to the animal husbandry community.  At this point, Japan's equestrian federation reports that their own veterinarians are managing, but they will let us know if the situation deteriorates or if they otherwise need to call upon us.

    I am discussing transportation options with the armed forces, and living conditions in Japan would be appropriately spartan.  I expect that if deployed, the team would be in the field for at least two weeks and no more than one month.  This would be an unremunerated project, volunteers must have the physical and psychological constitution to deal with the stress of the deployment, and I feel that it would be prudent to give a strong preference to veterinarians who have previously served in disaster relief, in the military, or in international development.  Facility in the Japanese language would be an asset, but not a requirement.

    If you are interested, please contact me.  If you wish to make a financial contribution to general relief efforts, you can do so through the Canadian Red Cross at http://bit.ly/fxDRRk

    I should be most grateful if you would share this invitation with other members of the Canadian veterinary community.

    As terrible as the destruction has been in Japan, it is also a reminder to us that as equestrians, we are part of a community that transcends borders, culture, and distance, and that this is never more so that during times of trial.

Yours sincerely,
Akaash

____________________

Akaash Maharaj

CEO / Chef de la direction
Equine Canada / Canada Hippique

http://www.equinecanada.ca/
[+1] (416) 995 3275