The Equine Centre at the MSPCA Nevins Farm, a pioneer in equine rescue and ambulance services, is expanding the reach of its services internationally. Recently, the Equine Centre, one of the nation’s only open-door shelters for horses and farm animals, sent a fully-equipped truck and rescue trailer to the American Fondouk Animal Hospital in Fez, Morocco.

The expansion of the ambulance program to Morocco marks the first time the Equine Centre has sent equipment outside North America. “Our program has benefited thousands of horses around New England and at sporting events around the country. We are very pleased to pitch in and help our colleagues across the sea by providing equipment and the knowledge we have developed over the past decade. The truck and trailer will truly be a life-saving tool for hundreds of animals,” said Joseph Silva, director, MSPCA Nevins Farm.

“Here in Morocco, the animals are so needy and the owners so poor, that even the simplest interventions can have a huge impact,” says Denys Frappier, DVM, Director of the American Fondouk. “It costs us just $3 on average to treat an animal at the Fondouk, but that $3 can literally save an animal’s life and a family’s livelihood.”

The American Fondouk was founded in the 1920s at the behest of Amy Bend Bishop. An American traveler, she became alarmed at the poor condition of the working animals she observed while in Morocco. At the time, Morocco’s horses, draft and pack animals were being worked hard by owners who often could not afford even the most rudimentary veterinary care