Shandrani Shelter where every dog has its day

          

Today I want to feature the first in a series about various kinds of animal encounters I have had on my travels. Let's start with one of our favourite four-legged friends.

Mauritius is famous as the home of the sadly long-extinct dodo, and wildlife enthusiasts today may marvel at the Mauritian Kestrel, Mauritian Fruit Bat, and giant tortoises, alongside many other species. However, there are slightly less exotic creatures on the island in need of human help.   

Stray dogs are a real problem in Mauritius. As of 2021, there were apparently some 300,000 of them. They often seek refuge at hotel resorts, and their numbers increased in such places during the pandemic, when the island was closed off to tourists.

The Shandrani Beachcomber Resort and Spa (where I was lucky enough to stay in 2023) recognised the problem and set up the Shandrani Animal Welfare Programme in 2021 with the goal of controlling the animal population in the area and rehoming stray dogs and cats. They’re doing very well, too: having started with thirty dogs, they rehomed all but twelve in eighteen months, mostly to tourists (bet they never thought they’d need to make room in their suitcase for that!)

Having read about the project in the hotel’s magazine, I asked if I could meet Manor Seamah, who swapped working in the water sports centre for a full-time role in the resort’s animal shelter. He kindly introduced me to his own three dogs and showed me the hotel’s recently arrived ducklings and beehives, which produce honey used in the hotel’s kitchens. I mentioned a timid dog I had seen wandering about the hotel, and Manor advised that this and another dog we saw lying beneath one of the desks in Reception were ‘works in progress’ and would be taken into the welfare programme as soon as possible (i.e. once trust had been developed). They would then be thoroughly vetted, neutered, groomed, and trained to make good pets.

I made a small donation and said I would try to spread the word about the project, which is the first I have come across in a holiday resort. Manor has stayed in contact and has sent some photos and video updates which I am sharing here. It was quite a highlight of my trip!

Top image is from the hotel's magazine, showing Manor with one of his charges. Other photos by me, taken around the hotel during my stay; and videos sent to me by Manor.

Hotel website: Shandrani Resort & Spa Mauritius | Beachcomber (beachcomber-hotels.com)