Helen from PACS talks about their new Fundraiser, Go Support our Stray Animals!

Tell us about yourself, when did you come to the island and when did you join PACS?
I have been living in Koh Phangan since 2013 but I first fell in love with the island in 2009 when I came here on holiday and learned to dive.

After that initial holiday, I got back to London in the middle of January. It was freezing cold, grey and nobody was smiling. That’s when my husband and I knew we would have to move out here! It took a lot of saving up and putting our fears aside.

My husband had been helping at PACS for a year but I was always a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the emotional side of things. I finally plucked up the courage in December last year and am very excited to be part of the team, I only wish I had done it sooner. Yes, there are tough days but it is also very rewarding.

My role is PR and Fundraising but we are a small team so sometimes I am a dog-catcher, poop picker, tick-picker and receptionist. We also invite visitors to come and find out about what we do (and get some cuddles from our patients) from Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm so that keeps me quite busy too.

The animals love visitors coming to give them attention and affection so it’s lovely to have them stopping by.

Remind people what PACS does on the island?
PACS stands for Phangan Animal Care for Strays. It was started in 2001 when our founder started to treat street and beach dogs while on her travels. Back then, there weren’t any vets or nurses on the island at all. Now there are two vets available to people who own animals which is great.

We focus solely on strays and the occasional snake, monkey and wild bird! We have four pillars to our mission; Sterilisation, vaccination, nursing care and awareness.

We want to control the population in a humane way, reduce the suffering of the island’s strays, temple and wild animals, prevent rabies and promote responsible pet ownership.

PACS is a donation-based non-profit organisation. We rely on the generosity of local individuals and businesses as well as supporters from overseas. I have met some amazing people through PACS already; people who give up their time, money and talents to help improve the lives of the homeless and wild animals of Koh Phangan.

Tell us about the PACS event on the 27th of February...
Since we rely solely on donations, we are always looking for ideas on how to raise funds. One Pen Adventure Park kindly offered to help in any way they could. We thought this would be a great opportunity to get the community, tourists and travelling visitors together as there is fun for all ages and backgrounds.

The Adventure Park is right by Wang Sai Waterfall in Mae Haad. They offer ziplining, rock climbing and aerial adventures for those looking for thrills and stunning views of the ocean, jungle and waterfall below. For those who aren’t so fond of heights, there is a bar, music, food available and plenty of space to dance, sunbathe or just cool off in the fresh mountain water.

We start activities at 10am and at sunset we will start the music. There will be a big raffle in the evening, tickets for that are available on the door. We already have over 40,000 baht worth of prizes up for grabs. Everything from scuba diving and wakeboarding to meals out and overnight stays in luxury resorts. It’s free to get in and enjoy the park. It’s a pay-as-you-play kind of deal. Join us there on Saturday 27th February to be a part of the fun!

What donation will PACS get and what will it be used for?
The funds raised will be used to continue our ongoing neutering project, nursing care and patient food costs. Every baht counts!

One zipline ride costs 300 baht, with 50% of that going to PACS we can deworm three puppies. If you and a friend decide do a full adventure round (1,300 baht each), you will have raised enough to sterilise one animal.

Did you know that one female dog and her offspring can be responsible for 67,000 puppies in 6 years?! That’s a lot of animals that won’t get born into a tough life on the streets just because you came and helped while having fun!