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| Visiting the Humane Society of Puerto Rico.© HSI |
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by Jessica Higgins
The animal protection movement in Puerto Rico has received much attention since the tragedy last year in Barceloneta, where 80 animals were hurled off a bridge as a means of “animal control.” Although the incident shone a light on some of the more egregious practices in this US Commonwealth, the problems surrounding animal welfare are long-standing, and will not be resolved quickly.
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Workshop participant, and beneficiary. ©HSI |
Addressing Great Need
With only six shelters and very little formal or humane animal management, Puerto Rico suffers from an official euthanasia rate of more than 90 percent. Although shelter staff strive to maintain the welfare of animals in their care, resources are slim, and animals are often the first to suffer when budgets tighten.
On Sunday, December 7, Humane Society International hosted a workshop aimed at addressing some of these problems. Reducing the euthanasia rate will take a multifaceted approach, but one clear step is increasing the number of shelter animals that are adopted into loving, permanent homes. While they wait, sheltered animals deserve the best care and housing that can be provided.
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Covering Varied Topics
At the Adoptions and Shelter Care workshop in San Juan, more than 70 attendees from shelters, private rescues, and government agencies learned about how to improve shelter animal welfare. Kim Intino, Director of Sheltering Issues with the Humane Society of the United States, covered material ranging from proper housing, to basic medical protocols, to how shelters and rescue groups can work together. Mike Arms, President and Executive Director of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in California, encouraged attendees to shift the shelter paradigm to save more animal lives. View Kim's presentation, Improving Shelter Animal Care
Benefit of New Knowledge
By the end of the day, everyone was excited to put new ideas into practice. One veterinarian in attendance commented, “That was the best conference on animal welfare I have been to… I feel renewed and on fire to save more lives.” With that kind of commitment, the future of island animals will surely look up.
