September 2, 2010

Street Animal Welfare in the Caribbean

Humane Society International

Islands in the Caribbean are among the top tourism destinations for people wanting to escape harsh winters at home. The various countries promise white sand, tropical fruit, and long, sunny days, and fancy resorts will do anything in their power to keep visitors happy—including getting rid of the stray dogs who roam towns and beaches alike in search for water, food and a bit of love.

We are into the 21st century and governments continue to conduct canine eradication programs using strychnine poisoning. HSI has been instrumental in assisting local groups that frantically try to persuade officials that mass poisoning is not the solution; tourists may complain when they see mangy, starving street dogs, but they might stop traveling to the islands at all if they knew that these animals had suffered horrifying deaths for their sake.

Better solutions

As a preventive measure against such initiatives, HSI encourages local organizations to conduct spay/neuter clinics in areas where people feed street dogs; this guarantees that the dogs will not continue to reproduce and allows them to secure a place in the community. Some of the strays who are spotted wandering aimlessly are actually neighborhood dogs who get fed and are baptized with different nicknames. Through HSI training programs, volunteers can learn humane handling techniques that allow them to catch these dogs when spay/neuter clinics are available.

In addition, HSI continues to target the public with responsible companion animal guardianship education campaigns where it has been shown that some street dogs actually return to a house at night. Though it might not be the norm, some animals have guardians who call them their "pets, "when in reality the dogs are not provided with basic care such as water and food or veterinary check-ups, and have to access the streets during the day to ensure survival.

Through veterinary training, spay/neuter, capacity-building workshops and education, HSI will continue to support local efforts to ensure a better life for street dogs in the Caribbean.