Bali People for Animal Welfare

BPAW is a small team doing their best to care for the animals of Sanur, providing food, sterilizations and vaccinations, vet care, and lots of puppy cuddles in the Sanur area.

It’s hard to think of a silver lining to the covid cloud that has hung over the globe since 2019. The world shut down, tourists left the island of Bali, and many of the expat community returned to their homes to be with family. However, if it wasn’t for these conditions, Bali People for Animal Welfare, or BPAW, may have never existed.

A network of residents, locals and expats who had remained on the island, realized that they were all feeding, rescuing and caring for the abandoned dogs of Bali. None of these residents knew each other before the pandemic, and so they were operating individually, on separate feeding schedules, and giving the dogs their own names. Bali dogs are smart, and answered to all of these names making the most of the separate feeding rosters – but the residents realized it would be smarter to work together to care for the animals.

In March 2020, rising cases of local covid transmissions prompted the government to implement partial lockdown, and as a result the dog feeders couldn’t access the beach. BAWA and Program Dharma secured a special permit from the banjars for the Sanur dog feeders to access the beach and continue their work. The small, dedicated community of carers worked together to care for animals who would otherwise have suffered. At the same time, they made new friends and lifted each other’s spirits over dog stories and working together, despite the many challenges of the pandemic.

Not only did the team feed the strays, they also decided to help out local dog owners who due to lost work and income could no longer feed or financially care for their pets. This meant that people could keep their beloved pets at home with them, receiving food donations and vet care to keep their pets healthy.

And the puppy litters didn’t stop because of the pandemic! Again, the local feeders banded together to pay for vet care, supplies and future sterilization.

From these beginnings, the Yayasan – the Indonesian word for charity – was born. Earlier this year, local foundation ‘Bali Sayang Satwa’ or Bali People for Animal Welfare (BPAW) was established.

BPAW is a small team doing their best to care for the animals of Sanur, providing food, sterilizations and vaccinations, vet care, and lots of puppy cuddles in the Sanur area. Their goal is to make Sanur a safe place for animals and humans to live side by side.