The Spay/Neuter Clinic

The animal rescue group here in Bucerias has existed for a number of years. It was started by a group of women who saw that an excessive numbers of "street animals" needed help. The street animals are usually in pretty bad shape, riddled with worms and skin parasites. They often have skin diseases and are severely malnourished. To add to the problem, they are all un-neutered and the females have endless rounds of puppies and kittens when they themselves do not even have enough food to sustain them. The attempts to deal with them on a one by one basis fall short due to the large numbers of stray animals and the high cost of using local vets. The animal rescue group has been able to rescue some of the animals but the available level of funding has made the job difficult and the possibility of building an animal shelter is far beyond the reach of the available funds.

Over year ago a new member who had moved here from Isla Mujeres, an island on the East coast of Mexico, introduced a new approach. She had developed this approach in response to the situation in Isla Mujeres. While living there, the local authorities in attempting to deal with the large number of unwanted dogs and cats, undertook a program to eradicate the stray population by shooting and removing them. In one of these round-ups, her pet dog was shot and killed. She decided that there must be a better way. She contacted a foundation in Mexico City that dealt with the problem of unwanted stray animals. They had paid vets on staff and were willing to send vets to anyplace willing to set up an animal clinic. Their philosophy was simple: if you stop the breeding cycle, eventually the problem will be controlled. They conducted 3 spay-neuter clinics a year for three years and at the end of three years the stray animal population in Isla Mujeres was under control. They had eliminated the need for the draconian policies of the past. This was accomplished without an animal pound, dog catchers or a euthanasia program. After neutering, the stray animals were returned to the neighborhoods were they were found and allowed to live out the remainder of their natural lives. In Mexico strays are tolerated by the community at large as long as they are not vicious and don't disturb the neighborhood. What the volunteers at the clinic have found is that actually the strays are the most gentle of all the dogs and generally appreciate any attention.

In the clinic held this past month, over 100 animals were neutered in four days. This was the fourth clinic held here and the number of animals neutered was about the same in each one, bringing the total to over 500. The animals come from Bucerias and the surrounding towns, and as the clinics progress it is possible to see the difference between this area and some of the farther away towns which have no animal control policy. On a ride through one of the towns without animal control you will see packs of strays, most of whom show signs of severe malnourishment. In Bucerias and the surrounding town, strays are becoming much rarer and the animals are far more likely to be well fed and cared for. As the program progresses and the problem becomes more manageable, the group can now concentrate on improving the lives of the animals that are returned to the streets.

Comments

[Faren]

hello

I love the work that you do! I am going to be living in Mexico for a few months starting this March, and was wondering if you need any help with volunteers or whatever else you can offer. thanks so much and keep up the good work!

Faren