At least that's what my friends say...
I have making a compilation of shelters, rescue societies, humane societies and animal related laws in the various islands of the caribbean in order to publish it on the web as a website.
Obviously I started by PR which is the easiest to research.
The picture is grim (to say the least). Less than 10% of animals in Puerto Rico shelters are adopted, and there isn't a single no kill shelter in the entire island of 4 million people. State law requires that all municipalities run their own municipal shelter, but out of 78, only 6 comply. And the main animal cruelty law of PR (Law 67) puts as the maximum penalty (for pretty bad things) as 6 months in jail or US$500 fine...and it isn't even enforced.
Now, in the process, I have come in touch with several people across the island... among that, I've become acquainted with the president of the PR SPCA and such, but the most interesting thing is a TNR program a series of people have made in Old San Juan... Anyone who is familiar with the walled city will have seen the city is full of strays. The colonial district is a very colony in itself.
Well, that is what they did, they've turned the strays of Old San Juan into a big feral colony, with spay/neuter, and feeding them at certain points of the city, and those who they trap are vaccinated. Basically, the first and so far only TNR program in PR. And many of the non feral strays get homes.
Now... I had a talk with the lady that leads it, and I saw a bit of what they do... my heart went out to them so much, I ended up making a small donation (they sometimes have had financial problems due to the amount of cats) to them to their bank account (US $100)... I have almost two thousand dollars in my bank account (Not that I am wealthiest kid in town, but I save money a lot), so I did not mind on the amount... but this is the first time in my whole life that I've made such a thing. It left me like thinking... with the feeling on the gut. And my friends say I really need to have my head examined. I guess they are like that as I haven't got exactly a reputation of being soft hearted among them.
I really would love to help them out by volunteering, but I simply do not have the time and energy to go to SJ all the time... but I do hope that money helps them.
I have making a compilation of shelters, rescue societies, humane societies and animal related laws in the various islands of the caribbean in order to publish it on the web as a website.
Obviously I started by PR which is the easiest to research.
The picture is grim (to say the least). Less than 10% of animals in Puerto Rico shelters are adopted, and there isn't a single no kill shelter in the entire island of 4 million people. State law requires that all municipalities run their own municipal shelter, but out of 78, only 6 comply. And the main animal cruelty law of PR (Law 67) puts as the maximum penalty (for pretty bad things) as 6 months in jail or US$500 fine...and it isn't even enforced.
Now, in the process, I have come in touch with several people across the island... among that, I've become acquainted with the president of the PR SPCA and such, but the most interesting thing is a TNR program a series of people have made in Old San Juan... Anyone who is familiar with the walled city will have seen the city is full of strays. The colonial district is a very colony in itself.
Well, that is what they did, they've turned the strays of Old San Juan into a big feral colony, with spay/neuter, and feeding them at certain points of the city, and those who they trap are vaccinated. Basically, the first and so far only TNR program in PR. And many of the non feral strays get homes.
Now... I had a talk with the lady that leads it, and I saw a bit of what they do... my heart went out to them so much, I ended up making a small donation (they sometimes have had financial problems due to the amount of cats) to them to their bank account (US $100)... I have almost two thousand dollars in my bank account (Not that I am wealthiest kid in town, but I save money a lot), so I did not mind on the amount... but this is the first time in my whole life that I've made such a thing. It left me like thinking... with the feeling on the gut. And my friends say I really need to have my head examined. I guess they are like that as I haven't got exactly a reputation of being soft hearted among them.
I really would love to help them out by volunteering, but I simply do not have the time and energy to go to SJ all the time... but I do hope that money helps them.
