All of us on the Mongolian Bankhar Project team would like to thank our followers, especially our supporting donors who generously contributed to our Indiegogo last year. You’ve seen a bit of what we have done with your donations, but there’s so much more behind the scenes that we are able to do because of this kind of crowd-funded support.
Over last Summer we built our new breeding facility. This was a massive accomplishment! Our beloved dogs now have a much larger space to live and the new facility makes our work easier in many ways. Because of this upgrade, we have been able to implement even more effective training protocols, and our dogs are reaping the benefits.
You funded young aspiring scientists to travel to Mongolia and help develop this unique program as project managers. Our project is proud to provide the opportunity for the next generation of conservationists to take the reins. In 2014, Douglas Lally and Devin Byrne spearheaded our project and laid the crucial ground work for success. Greg Goodfellow followed them up and began the second stages of development such as solidifying our approach to nomadic communities and constructing the new facility. Zoë Lieb came next to create a more systematic data collection method and implement new protocols. Now as we approach our goal of having our project be Mongolian-run (made possible by our fantastic project scientist, Batbaatar Tumurbaatar), all of us that were able to make this project a reality are grateful to the private donations that made our experiences and successes here possible.
Your donations made it possible to place six pairs of Bankhar puppies this Spring. Not to mention pairs placed from last breeding season that are already showing results as livestock guardians, our project is expanding in successful placements. Beyond the host families that received puppies, our project is spreading the word about responsible dog training and effective, non-lethal predation prevention by meeting with community leaders, co-operative members, and local administrators. A lot goes in to placing Bankhar. The team travels long distances to access areas in need of our program, and pin-pointing nomadic families out in the countryside is no easy feat. Because of your support, we continue to be able to make these trips to collect interviews and find viable families for puppy placement.
Imagine each pup we are able to place. Their herder can rest that much easier knowing their herd is safe. That is ten to twenty more sheep or goats saved from predation to make life a bit more stable for that herder. Imagine that wolf or snow leopard that won’t be poached because a Bankhar deflected it from a herd. Now give yourself a pat on the back for making it possible!
Your donations cover LOTS of things that our dogs need. Everything from vaccines to dog food, your donations directly support the day-to-day of MBDP. Whether it is funds to raise pups until they are old enough to be placed, or for supplies to keep our adult dogs at our breeding facility healthy and happy – we have you to thank.
We are also very grateful to the Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMUny.org) for their generous grant that covered our project’s travel expenses this year.
So if you are a fan of our work and haven’t donated before, consider contributing in our up-coming fundraiser this Fall. If you donated to our Indiegogo last year, Thank you! Please consider continuing your support in whatever amount you able. Our program depends on our continued commitment to valuing traditions around the world and making conservation a grassroots effort – and supporters like you!