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Zambezi Animal Welfare Services - ZAWS

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Zambezi Animal Welfare Services - ZAWS

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Based in Livingstone, Zambia, ZAWS is a non-profit NGO that provides rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming for dogs and cats, as well as education and advice.

We organise community events such as mass vaccinations and spay & neuter campaigns. ZAWS was set up in 2015 with the aim of improving the welfare of domestic animals in and around Livingstone. Our work involves (1) rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming; (2) community education and sensitisation regarding animal care and animal rights; (3) mass vaccination programmes; and (4) population control via spaying and neutering. Please get contact us if you wish to be involved or can make a donation.

30/09/2026

Yesterday I finally brought my hand-reared pups to the shelter from my home, where I’ve raised them since they were only a few days old.

It was good and sad at the same time. I’ve put so much love, time and effort into growing these little ones into healthy, happy dogs. There were 12 of them. Six have now been adopted into loving homes, which means six more to go.

And they are not alone. We have another litter at the shelter, with five still looking for homes.

So that’s 11 beautiful, friendly, vaccinated and already spayed/neutered puppies waiting to meet their new families.

And this is where it gets interesting…

When I advertise puppies, I get lots of enquiries. Unfortunately, many come to nothing. Sometimes it’s because people live too far away and the logistics simply don’t work. Sometimes there is no fencing. And sometimes I have to explain that a ZAWS dog is not going to be handed over to spend 16 hours a day locked in a tiny cage, without adequate food, water, exercise, stimulation or companionship, and then somehow be expected to provide security.

We also get requests for free dogs. We don’t give our animals away for free. Keeping a dog properly costs money — food, vaccinations, veterinary care and everything else that comes with being responsible for another life — and we want adopters who understand and are prepared for that commitment.

Then there are the classics:

“Don’t you have any fluffies?”

“I’m looking for a Germaney Sheped.”

“I want a boor booll for security.”

And yes, sometimes someone wants a giant breed for security while living on a plot with no fencing. 🤦‍♀️

Then there are the people who object to our dogs being neutered. I have actually had someone become extremely aggressive because he wanted an un-neutered dog so that he could breed it and sell the puppies. His argument was that once he had the dog, it was his business what he did with it.

Well… no.

ZAWS dogs are adopted with their welfare in mind, and responsible population control is a big part of what we do. We are not going to contribute to yet another generation of unwanted puppies.

So, despite all of that, I am incredibly grateful for every person who adopts one of our dogs or cats, puppies or kittens, and gives them a genuinely loving home.

I am especially grateful to the people who adopt one… and then come back and adopt another. ❤️

We still have 11 gorgeous three-month-old puppies looking for homes, as well as plenty of older dogs of every size, shape and colour.

So I’m going to do the brave thing and put them up on some of the Livingstone Facebook groups.

I’ll probably get the usual mixture of enquiries, questions, interesting spelling of dog breeds and requests that make me stare blankly at my screen and go get another mug of strong coffee.

But every enquiry is also an opportunity to explain what responsible dog ownership means — and hopefully improve the life of a dog somewhere along the way.

If you’re looking for a dog, please consider giving one of our ZAWS dogs a home. They have plenty of love to give. ❤️

The picture is of Bear, a 3 month old male pup who is ready to love you!

29/09/2026

Maybe Bruno thought it was a good idea to have her puppies in an old soak-away, but no one else did. Her owner is out of town and called us to help save the pups. We know that it would take only one rainstorm (and it is thundering now) for the soak-away to flood and the pups to drown.
So here we are with the owner’s brother, digging among the filth to find Bruno’s five very well hidden puppies. We left her settled in a nice house, with a new blanket and a bowl of lovely food.
Of course we will check up on them in a few days and Bruno and her pups will be signed up for our spay/neuter programme as soon as soon as they are ready.

28/09/2026

Today is World Rabies Day across the world. Its a day to remember that this fatal disease is entirely preventable by the simple and cheap practice of vaccinating domestic dogs.

So far this year we have physically vaccinated ourselves or paid for the vaccinations of over 6,200 dogs and cats, including in many hard to reach places.

Our vaccination outreaches also give us the opportunity to talk to owners about feeding, parasite control and other health and welfare issues. We help owners understand their dogs' needs better so as to reduce the chances of misunderstandings and mistreatment which can lead to dog bites.

Rabies is preventable, but not curable. Let's all work together to meet the goal of eliminating rabies by 2030!

26/09/2026

Saturdays are always busy at the shelter.

As well as caring for our own animals, we have a steady stream of people bringing their dogs to us because they need help. Buckets full of puppies are an all-too-familiar sight, while tick-bite fever, dehydration, malnutrition and parvo remain our constant enemies. We also had another case of distemper, which has us very concerned about the possibility of another outbreak.

Yesterday, an elderly couple walked 4km to bring their four-month-old puppy. The little pup was yet another case of tick-bite fever and dehydration. After giving him fluids and treatment, we loaded them all into the Rav and drove them home.

We deal with many cases of cruelty and neglect, but it is important to remember that there are also so many people who genuinely love their animals and will go to extraordinary lengths to get them help.

This past week has been particularly demanding. Our shelves are almost empty and we urgently need to restock fluids and medication. Our staff have worked late most evenings caring for sick animals, and we have also given out a lot of dog food so that animals recovering from illness can have nutritious food while they get stronger.

Please support this life-saving work.

As the days get hotter, we know we will be asked to help even more animals suffering from dehydration, disease, hunger and neglect. Every donation helps us say yes when someone arrives at our gate needing help.

You can donate:

📱 Airtel Money: 0977 681741
Lynne Mendelsohn

🏦 Stanbic Bank
A/c: 9130002075060
Zambezi Animal Welfare Services
Livingstone Branch
Code: 04 10 17

💻 PayPal: [email protected]

Thank you for helping us keep saving lives. ❤️🐾

25/09/2026

WHAT THE FLUFF?! 😳🐾

Seriously… how are these gorgeous little fluffballs STILL homeless?! 🤷‍♀️😂

They’ve got the cute faces.
They’ve got the waggy tails.
They’ve got ALL the love to give. ❤️

All they’re missing is YOU! 🏡🐶

Let’s get these little charmers out of the shelter and into the loving homes they deserve.

SHARE THIS POST! 📣
Their forever family might be scrolling past right now… 👀🐾

23/09/2026

Followers of this page will know we are always struggling for funds, so I'm looking for different ways of bringing in money. We have plenty of space but have the extra challenge of elephants so we can't grow the usual crops.

We successfully grew turmeric and chili last year and I'm thinking of upscaling our turmeric crop but I need to find a market. The elephants stood on it a few times but the damage was minimal. We learned a lot and I know we can grow it successfully. Yes I know it takes water and there is a drought coming, we have accounted for that.

So does anyone have any contacts or knowledge of where we could sell organically grown turmeric in Zambia or beyond? And what is the market price? Any advice or contacts would be most welcome.

22/09/2026

What happens when a community dog gets spayed?

Meet Joyce Njovu and her lovely dog, Bingo. Bingo is a deeply loved family pet. She needed a little extra reassurance from her mama in our busy clinic today! After a quick cuddle, she met visiting vet Dr. Emma, who performed the surgery while training our own Dr. Alison.

Post-op, Bingo received pain relief, antibiotics, and a safe ride home with Joyce—complete with a bag of yummy dog food for her recovery.

Bingo is officially No. 50 in our 100-dog/cat spay/neuter initiative, sponsored by Animal-Kind International. This programme supports dedicated owners like Joyce who want the absolute best for their pets but cannot afford vet fees.

We're halfway to our goal of protecting 100 community pets!

18/09/2026

This confident puppy is ready for his forever home. He's 11 weeks old, vaccinated and castrated. He's looking for a loving home with a wall or strong wire fence, shelter from sun, wind and rain, good food and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, people who will love him. Our adoption fee is only K400 and a home check is carried out before adoption. 🐾

17/09/2026

UPDATE ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE

Firstly, thank you for all the offers of support and the kind messages that people have sent. Everyone has been horrified by this case, and rightly so.

As I said in my last post, ZAWS’ approach to this and every cruelty case is to work with our local police service, using proper processes and procedures. That is what we have done.

I did receive several messages suggesting violence and retribution. But responding to violence with violence goes completely against everything I personally, and ZAWS, stands for.

On Tuesday, a team of police officers and I met the boy and his family at their home. It was a calm and co-operative meeting, even though emotions were understandably high. He is a juvenile, still in school.

We heard the story of the family. We heard from the boy himself. The police officers explained the criminal law. I talked about animal welfare. The Mayor-Elect joined us and talked about community sensitisation.

Yesterday, the boy was formally charged with offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Cap 245 of the Laws of Zambia.

At that point, as the complainant, I had to make a decision about the way forward.

What is in the best interests of animal welfare in Livingstone? What are the pressures on this family and the community? Can this boy be educated and reformed? Can we extract something good from something awful?

Regular followers of this page will have seen me write several times that at ZAWS, we teach kindness. Not just kindness to animals, but through kindness to animals, we teach kindness to every creature, including humans.

So I took the decision that the police issue a Warn and Caution letter, and that the boy comes to the shelter at various times to be educated and counselled. He will be closely mentored by me and one of my senior staff. He is required to do this for a period of 3 months.

He is being given a chance. I hope he takes it. I hope he proves me right to do this. But I also recognise that there is a chance he won’t.

I fully expect a lot of people to disagree with this decision, and I totally understand that. There is a large part of my own mind that disagrees with it too.

But if there is a chance to take this boy and turn around his attitude, then isn’t that a chance worth taking?

Rather than allowing him to continue on a path of cruelty, perhaps we can help him understand what he did, why it was wrong, and make sure he never does it again. Perhaps, in time, he can help educate others around him too.

I also decided to let him speak in his own words. This is what he said:

«“I am writing to sincerely apologise for what happened concerning the cat and the kittens. There’s no excuse for what I did. I understand that my actions hurt you and caused stress, not just to you, but to the public and the organisation. I take full responsibility.

I promise to be an ambassador for Zambezi Animal Welfare and sensitise the public on the importance of animal welfare. If they find any stray animals, they should hand them over to the organisation without any harm. And I promise not just to sensitise the public but also tell my friends at school to care for all animals.

I value all animals and I’m truly sorry for my actions.”»

We had some tough conversations. He asked me if I have forgiven him, and I said no, not yet. But I am giving him the opportunity to earn forgiveness and respect. He read all the comments on the last post. He will read all the comments here.

The case remains open, and if he fails to comply with the conditions we have agreed, we will proceed to court and prosecution.

I have also decided to help his family secure the enclosures where they keep rabbits and ducks, their sole source of income, which were attracting the stray cats. We have also just rescued three kittens from the neighbouring house, and we will go back for the mother cat.

Everything we do at ZAWS is about reducing the suffering of animals and, as much as possible, helping people along the way.

A lot of time and effort has gone into getting to this point, including significant support from the Zambian Police Service and the Mayor-Elect. We are also grateful for the support we have received from several of the other animal welfare organisations in Zambia.

This has been a difficult case. There are no easy answers.

But I believe that if we genuinely believe in teaching kindness, we have to start by giving kindness a chance to work.

12/09/2026

EDIT 13.09.26 Thank you for all the messages and comments. To answer some questions. I have not named the church or shown the youth's user name to avoid any issues of cyber crime. The matter is an open case at Livingstone Central police station under a Detective Inspector. The police do not work over the weekend so we will wait for the church to contact them tomorrow morning. If they do not, then the police will be taking further action. Very senior police officers and community leaders are aware of this situation and are supportive of the process to identify and charge the youth concerned. ZAWS and the police service in Livingstone have been working together for many years and I am confident of their proactive support.

To those that have contacted me directly with various offers of assistance, please note that ZAWS will follow correct procedures using the police. The problem with this youth is his horrific violence. Countering this with more violence and going outside the legal process is not the right message to send.

Many people saw the original posts and know the church. The apostle and church elders are aware of the situation. It is genuinely inconceivable to me that any decent person could think that what this youth did should be protected. Should the church fail to co-operate then we will plan the next steps in conjunction with the police service.

**********************************************************************

I have spent much of the last two days working to try to track down the creator of this video — a youth in Livingstone who is burning live kittens in a bucket. You can hear their pitiful cries, and I cannot even begin to fathom their agony and terror.

There is another video of the same youth beating a cat to death, followed by another video of him setting that same cat on fire.

And what is particularly terrifying is how quickly this violence has escalated. In a very short period of time, he has gone from torturing helpless kittens, to beating and burning cats to death, and he has made threats of further violence against cats and dogs.

This is not simply cruelty. This is horrific, deliberate and gratuitous animal torture — and it is escalating.

We still do not know his identity, but we do know his church.

Among several videos of animal torture, he posted videos of himself playing keyboards and advertisements for his pastor. The same pastor was contacted and asked to come to the police. He is currently out of town and sent a member of the church to attend Livingstone Central Police Station to assist with the investigation.

Unfortunately, at this point, the church has declined to assist the police investigation.

WE KNOW THEY KNOW WHO HE IS.

After a WhatsApp message was circulated among their pastors, the youth's page was taken down.

That means one or more senior members of this church appear to have chosen to protect the identity of a violent individual rather than assist the police in investigating horrific crimes against animals.

This church has several bases in Livingstone and Lusaka.

A Christian church is protecting a youth who is burning animals alive.

A Christian church is refusing to cooperate with a police investigation into animal torture.

Animal torture is prohibited under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Cap 245 of the Laws of Zambia, section 3(1)(a).

And beyond the law, the Bible teaches us to care for God's creation and His creatures.

There is also extensive research showing a concerning link between deliberate animal cruelty and violence towards people. When someone is escalating from torturing helpless kittens to killing cats and threatening further violence towards cats and dogs, this should be taken extremely seriously.

I have received hundreds of messages and calls from across Zambia, as well as from South Africa, America and Italy. On the youth's page, there were hundreds more comments from people around the world condemning what they had seen.

THIS BOY MUST AND WILL BE FOUND.

The question for this particular church is simple:

Will you stand on the side of law and order, the law, the Bible and basic human decency — or will you protect a violent individual whose behaviour is already escalating?

Will you cooperate with the police before someone else becomes a victim?

Will you accept responsibility if his violence continues and escalates?

And when you hear the cries of the animals he tortured, will you be able to say that you did everything you could to stop it?

I have decided not to name the church in this post.

This can be their last opportunity to do the right thing.

But there are now people following this case from all over the world.

They are watching. They are waiting. And they are asking the same question:

Why is a church protecting an animal torturer instead of helping the police find him?

Address

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Livingstone

Opening Hours

Monday	10:00 - 15:00
Tuesday	10:00 - 15:00
Wednesday	10:00 - 15:00
Thursday	10:00 - 15:00
Friday	10:00 - 15:00
Saturday	10:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+260962865115

Website

http://zawszambia.org/

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