The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) organized the Stray Animal Management Training for the staff of the UPLB Security and Safety Office (SSO) and the UPLB Housing Office (UHO) on June 29 at the Obdulia F. Sison Hall.
Carried out in partnership with the Los Baños Office of the Municipal Agriculturist (LB-OMA), the event aimed to capacitate SSO and UHO personnel in the proper handling and management of strays on campus in line with the implementation of the UPLB Stray Animal Management Program.
Officials and representatives from UPLB’s adjacent communities, Brgy. Batong Malake and Brgy. Timugan, also participated in the learning event as UPLB’s partners in program implementation.
In her opening message, Dr. Benevieve D. Villanueva, assistant to the vice chancellor for community affairs, thanked the local government unit of Los Baños for supporting the program.
She highlighted the importance of community involvement and collective effort in addressing the pressing issue of stray animals in the community.
Villanueva also stressed that one of the program’s goals is “to ensure the wellbeing and safety not just of the people, but also of the stray animals themselves as they also face numerous risks and privation.”
Led by Andrei A. Fabella, an agricultural technologist at LB-OMA, the first part of the training focused on the critical points of stray capture and handling.
Fabella discussed the roles of an animal handler and catcher, understanding animal behavior, proper use of capture and handling equipment, and the right approach to capturing and handling strays.
Fabella also discussed the Los Baños Municipal Ordinance No. 2018-1755 in the second part of the training.
The local mandate, which is among the bases for Office of the Chancellor Memo No. 036 Series of 2023 or the UPLB Campus Policies for Responsible Pet Ownership and Stray Animal Management, provides for the prevention and control of rabies in Los Baños and prescribes the corresponding penalties.
OVCCA hosted a webinar earlier this year to cascade the guidelines among UPLB personnel.
The lecture was followed by an open forum and a practical exercise led by Agriculturist Enjela Flor D. Oliva of LB-OMA.
According to Oliva, UPLB security personnel will soon be authorized to apprehend violators of the municipal ordinance once Mayor Anthony Genuino deputizes them.
In the meantime, policy violators will be reported to barangay officials for proper action. (Roi Mojado)
This article was originally published on the UPLB website.