City vet Utlang goes international

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Veterinarian Dr. Alice Utlang will be featured in an international magazine of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for her achievements and contributions in protecting the welfare of animals in Cebu City.

Utlang is being profiled in the next issue of All Animals Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine of HSUS for its members.

HSUS publishes three magazines bi-monthly– the “All Animals” for the members, the “Animal Sheltering” for the shelter and rescue professionals and the “Kind News” for children, who, HSUS wants to teach about values in caring and respecting the rights of animals at an early age.

The All Animals Magazine that will feature Utlang in its next issue is an award-winning bi-monthly magazine, filled with stories about the HSUS and the humane movement, profiles of people on the frontlines, some tips for pet owners and other interesting stories.

Utlang got the privilege by recently receiving the Outstanding Animal Protection Educator Award from the Humane Society International (HIS). She was awarded for her commitment and partnership in Humane Animal Control.

It was through the partnership with HIS/HSUS that Utlang brought some $250,000 dollars, or over P1 million assistance, that the City’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries used for an effective anti-rabies campaign.

With the HIS assistance, the city also was able to change its way of dealing with stray dogs. From using iron nooses, the city is now using butterfly nets which are more humane methods of capturing stray dogs.

Utlang was recognized for her effective shelter management that solved the overcrowding problem at the city pound.

She has also helped in providing trainings to other veterinarians on the best practices on spay and neuter techniques to control the overpopulation of dogs in the streets.

Utlang established the Animal and Birth Control Center in the city.

DVMF, under her management, also has changed its way of euthanasia from using gas chambers to injecting sodium pentobarbital, a kind of anesthesia that serves as poison, a method which is more humane and internationally accepted. — (FREEMAN)