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Tragedy in Puerto Rico Spurs Action for Animals

October 17, 2007, 10:40PM MT

By Denise A LeBeau

The companion animals of Puerto Rico need your help!

The companion animals of Puerto Rico need your help!

By Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends Network

Last week, residents of some public housing developments in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico were threatened eviction if they did not relinquish their animals to authorities. They were informed that their cats and dogs were to be brought to the animal shelter. However, it was discovered that in reality their pets had been thrown off a 50-foot bridge and left to die. Most of the animals were killed from the fall, though others did survive, some with terrible injuries.

Barceloneta Mayor Sol Luis Fontanez states that the animals were seized in accordance with the law and that housing policy forbids pets in the residences. He blames the massacre on a contractor who had been hired to confiscate the pets. The contractor, Julio Diaz of Animal Control Solutions, denies responsibility.

Alma Febus, volunteer Investigator for Animal Cruelty, witnessed animals being taken during one of the seizures. She said she “saw people screaming, pleading and crying” and had initially thought it was a drug raid. “How can you take animals from these people, where the majority are handicapped or elderly.” She was shown the memo that had been given to the residents only five days before their pets were taken; threatening that their contracts would be terminated and they would be evicted. She said “I begged and pleaded with them to stop” and while she succeeded in halting the removal of any additional animals, the dogs that were already loaded in the vehicle were taken away. She attempted to make an incident report with the police, but they would not listen.

“I think this is clearly a horrible situation on so many levels,” says Julie Castle, Director of Community Programs and Services of Best Friends. “The Best Friends philosophy is that every animal deserves life or a shot at life. To hear that someone who is a representative of the government, either employed or via contract, is taking family pets out of the hands of children essentially cuts across everything that Best Friends stands for.”

Local organizations making a difference for the animals

Animal welfare group, Save a Sato (sato is a slang term for street dog), is based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. “It’s so horrendous, we really want to turn it into a watershed moment for the animals of the island” states Twig Mowatt of Save a Sato. She sadly admits that cruelty of this type is “happening everywhere on the island every day” and that “this is by far the worst place for animal abuse and overpopulation in the U.S.”

Their small shelter works with local rescuers and takes in many of the stray cats and dogs off the streets, nurses them to health, and helps to rehome them in the United States. They have a network of multiple no-kill animal shelters, primarily on the East Coast, who are in need of dogs to adopt. The street dogs from Puerto Rico are highly desirable, as they generally remain under 15-30 pounds. Mowatt says “We’ll do anything to get them off the island and into good homes.” They successfully find homes for about 1,500-2,000 dogs and 200 cats per year in this way.

While rescue is a big part of their effort, they realize the need to get to the root cause of the stray overpopulation problem on the island. In collaboration with The Humane Society of Puerto Rico, they offer a low-cost spay and neuter clinic for the public. In addition, they are working with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) on a humane animal treatment campaign. The advertisements will be in Spanish and will feature a message to halt animal abuse and promote spaying and neutering.

Save a Sato also works with the The Pegasus Foundation, promoting animal welfare in the Caribbean through tourism. Per the June 2002 Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association (PRHTA) report and recommendations to the Governor, “Stray Animal Problem in Puerto Rico,” it is estimated that Puerto Rico lost $15 million in tourism dollars from 1998-2000 due to the homeless animal crisis. According to the report, “Guests complain to our members that they are appalled by the number of debilitated stray animals, particularly dogs, cats and horses, roaming the island and the apparent lack of animal control programs.” Those visitors often do not return to the island for future vacations. To combat this, some resorts keep their guests within their confines to spare them from the sights; however, then the tourism dollars are not spent in the surrounding towns. It is hoped that the lure of revenue will urge action on behalf of the animals.

Another organization that is helping to make a difference in Puerto Rico is Amigos de los Animales (Friends of the Animals). Organization Director Elizabeth Kracht remarked on the recent massacre, “We are shocked, but we’re not surprised. We see this kind of behavior all the time.” Their organization rehabilitates and rehomes dogs, cats and horses. They have been particularly active in rescuing dogs from Yabucoa Beach, also known as “Dead Dog Beach,” due to the dumping and cruelty that occurs there regularly. In the past year, they have rescued over 200 dogs from just that one area. She states that “Puerto Rico has a lack of humane education and that includes our government officials.” Her hope is that the publicity caused by this tragedy will be an opportunity to further animal welfare on the island, now that the Puerto Rico state of affairs is known worldwide.

In fact, Amigos de los Animales was one of the many organizations that helped contribute to the just published book, Street Dogs by Traer Scott. The book features photographs of rescued dogs from Puerto Rico and Mexico and a portion of the proceeds go to help animal welfare organizations.

Manos por Patas (Hands for Paws) is working for changes through the implementation of spay/neuter services and education. Though they too rescue animals and transport them to shelters in the United States, organization President, Ginny Cornett realizes that is only the tip of the iceberg. “The silver lining is maybe that this will be the thing that mobilizes not just the rescue community, but also the regular public, to bring their attention to the culture of cruelty that exists in Puerto Rico.” Their organization has already held two sterilization “round ups” of the Yabucoa Beach dogs. They also wish to educate school children on both the legal and ethical reasons for compassionate treatment of animals.

Justice for the animals
Leisha Swayne, Cruelty Investigations Consultant for the RED de Protectores de Animales (The Animal Protectors Network), has been instrumental in making sure that this case will be properly prosecuted. Currently the Department of Housing, Department of Justice, Board of Veterinarians, and other agencies are all conducting investigations of the bridge incident. Swayne says she is “very satisfied with the way the government has acted.”

Swayne is also part of the Special Commission of the Animal Rights, a group that has formed to improve the current animal cruelty law in Puerto Rico. Currently, Law 67 (Protection of Animals) states that cruelty to animals is a misdemeanor and those found guilty are subject to a fine of up to $5,000 and/or incarceration up to six months. They are working on a draft to amend the current law that would make animal cruelty a felony and enact tougher penalties, which would be dependent upon the severity of abuse. Once completed, it will require lobbying to go through the normal legislative process.

Though Swayne says this case should be easy to prosecute due to the amount of publicity and money involved, animal cruelty cases in Puerto Rico are generally difficult. “The police agents are not trained and they don’t know the law actually exists. [It is] the same with prosecutors and judges.” This is where she comes in and assists with investigations by providing information about animals, looking for evidence of euthanasia, and the proper disposal of animals. While she refuses to “jinx” the outcome with a prediction of how this case will turn out, she says criminal charges should be pressed for each of the five cats and 75 dogs affected.

Unfortunately, lawyers have been approaching the residents offering their services. Swayne says that they are being reported to the Board of Attorneys for violating their code of ethics by “ambulance chasing.” Area welfare groups are also being contacted by lawyers; however, they are offering pro bono work to represent the residents whose civil rights have been violated. The plan is to assign one person as a point of contact to gather information for this side of the case.

“It’s a heinous crime, but this may be an opportunity in disguise and a time for all groups to work together.” Where previously there had been little organization between animal groups, currently all of island animal welfare agencies are cooperating and helping one another. In addition, she believes there is a possibility that the Department of Justice will move forward with investigation and prosecution of other instances of animal cruelty around the island. “I hope it will be the beginning of good changes for the animals of Puerto Rico.”

For more information:
• Save a Sato
• Amigos de los Animales
• Manos por Patas
• Some of the other animal welfare organizations working to help the strays in Puerto Rico include The Humane Society of Puerto Rico, El Faro de los Animales (The Animals’ Lighthouse), and Vieques Humane Society.

How you can help:
• Remember, Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. Abuse of strays is an ongoing problem throughout all of Puerto Rico. Please make your voice heard to Governor Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá let him know this is not acceptable and encourage change on a governmental level.
Governor Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá
La Fortaleza
P.O. Box 9020082
San Juan, PR 00902
Phone: 787-721-7000
Fax: 787-724-6942
Contact the Governor through his website

Also, please sign the petition to the Governor Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá to demand justice for those animals killed and action on behalf of the many stray and abandoned animals.

You can also let the government tourism agency know that you will boycott traveling to Puerto Rico until something is done to protect the animals.
Terestella Gonzalez Denton
Executive Director
Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico
PO Box 4435
San Juan, PR 00902-4435
Phone: 787-721-2400
Fax: 787-722-6238

• There is a protest march scheduled on behalf of justice for the animals in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday, October 17. It will start at Luis Munoz Rivera Park in front of the Supreme Court building and will end at the Capitol and participants are asked to wear a white shirt and a white ribbon. For more information, see the Pet ID website or call 939-717-4494.
• Donations are needed to help cover the veterinary expenses for the animals who survived the fall. Save a Sato has already paid for the care of Yoli, who has undergone surgery and medical treatment costing $1,600. Donations are being accepted to pay for her, and the other injured animals’, care. Please note that the donation is to be utilized for the veterinary expenses of the wounded animals.
• Support organizations like those listed above and help them continue their life saving work. You do not need to be in Puerto Rico to help. Individuals can volunteer remotely. Also, if you live on the East Coast of the United States and are planning a trip to Puerto Rico, please contact Save a Sato to see how you can help save a life by bringing a cat or dog on your flight back to America.

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Photo credit (all photos reprinted with permission by Save a Sato):
Lead Photo: Gloria Marti, Save a Sato Shelter Manager, holding one of their rescues, taken by Heather Bohm-Tallman.
Photo #2: Juanita, one of Save a Sato’s rescued dogs, as she is getting vaccinated, taken by Heather Bohm-Tallman.
Photo #3: Juanita is now happily rehomed and loving life with her new family.
Photo #4: Twig Mowatt, of Save a Sato, posing with her first rescue, Rico.
Photo #5: Leisha Swayne, pictured with Yoli, one of the dogs who survived the fall.

Comments

Posted October 18, 2007, 11:24PM by jennifer

Jennifer - I can't imagine how hard this story must have been to hear, and then to digest in order to be able to write it so well for the rest of us. I hope that by bringing in a lot of public exposure to their cruelty, a lot of behaviors will be changed very quickly.

Posted October 19, 2007, 9:31AM by ratmom

Franklin, thank you for all that information. I'm going to work on that today. I think this will prompt a large enough outcry that things might actually happen.

Posted October 18, 2007, 2:35PM by ratmom

It's hard to even comprehend that people would throw live animals off a bridge as a solution to a problem. But I guess some people in Puerto Rico think that's all right. But now the world has found out their horrible secret.

I run into satos all the time in Cambridge, MA. They are, indeed, small dogs, each more beautiful than the last. Sweet and sweetly independent.

Posted October 18, 2007, 8:41PM by yvette

I've already written to the governor and mayor to inform them that I use to go to PR yearly, but last year was our last trip - it just got to hard to see.

They've "cleaned" up touristy parts, but how? I'm scared to ask. And, we rarely stay in touristy parts anyways. Imagine if the touristy part are not bearable what the rest of the island is like.

I'm Puerto Rican, and usually proud, but so ashamed that the island hasn't taken a more humane, aggressive stance towards the animal welfare problems on the island.

As a child we use to see awful things when we would go into town - the animals suffered so much more than in the mountains on the farms. Though I don't even want to think about what farmers did to dogs that stole chickens...ehh, I take it back, all around the island life sucks for the satos.

Jennifer, thanks for writing the story.

Posted October 19, 2007, 10:36AM by jhayesmom

Just when you think you've heard or read it all, another tragedy is exposed. Why is basic humanity such a difficult concept for some people?

Posted October 18, 2007, 11:20PM by Margaret

Thank you for this very important and informative article.

Posted October 19, 2007, 1:38AM by Franklin

contact information for Puerto Rico's Governor's Office:
787- 721-7000 x 3355 or ext. 2222

contact email address:

erivera@fortaleza.gobierno.pr

mlozada@fortaleza.gobierno.pr

Call and ask the Governor of PUERTO RICO to Impeach the Mayor of Barcelonta, Sol Luis Fontanez for violating HUD POLICY AND PROCEDURES WHICH CAUSED THE MURDER OF DOZENS OF DOGS AND CATS!!!!!!

I spoke to Jerry Brown, HUD OFFICE/WASHINGTON, on October 18, 2007. Jerry Brown, who works with Brian Sullivan at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, stated that HUD DOES ALLOW PETS IN THEIR HOUSING PROJECTS AND HE DOESN'T COMPREHEND WHY THIS MAYOR WOULD ORDER THESE PETS TO BE REMOVED.

So, Why did Mayor Fontanez not abide by this policy and decided to create his own policy and hire a reckless agency to remove all pets from this housing. THIS MAYOR NEEDS TO BE REMOVE FROM OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND CRIMINAL CHARGES NEEDS TO BE FILED ON THIS MAYOR. THIS MAYOR DID NOT HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO ORDER THE REMOVAL OF THESE ANIMAL(S).

In addition, also ask for a complete criminal investigation into the agency, Animal Control Solution, that cruelly killed these dogs and cats. If the citizens of the this housing projects, saw these men taking the dogs and cats and injecting them with sedatives and then the animals were found tossed from the bridge then this is sufficient grounds to prosecute these men! These are malicious criminal behavior. It is enough to prosecute them on the fact that they REMOVE THE DOGS FROM THE PREMISES AND THEN THEY WERE FOUND DEAD!!!! They had a legal responsibility to care for those animals when they removed those animals.

It was not solely one dog but over 50 animals!!! THAT IS ENOUGH TO PROSECUTE AND ASK THE GOVERNOR TO IMMEDIATELY PROSECUTE THESE MEN VIA A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND REMOVE THIS MAYOR FROM OFFICE FOR BEING RECKLESS AND HIRING THE AGENCY, ANIMAL CONTROL SOLUTION. The Mayor did not abide by HUDS/WASHINGTON POLICY and needs to be removed immediately! Mayor Fontanez created his OWN AGENDA because according to HUD Washington, pets are allowed in those housing projects.

Please sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/puerto-rico-pet-massacre

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=5179&pst=827424

There will be a protest on Sunday, October 21 in Puerto Rico

Posted October 21, 2007, 4:56PM by knudbp

We appreciate the efforts of Best Friends, but it seems your coverage of Puerto Rico is limited to the north coast. My wife (and I) was very much involved with the animal situation in Puerto Rico for most of the twenty+ years we lived there (1967 - 1989). She was president of Protectores de Animales de Mayaguez from its beginning to its end. It was taken over by others and carried on as Alberge pro Animales, which was started by Hilda Ramirez, and which was carried on by the same membership. We brought the National Humane Society of the US down twice, to help give us added clout. Many fights with the authorities were won, and resulted in much more humane conditions for the Satos and for the animals in the Mayaguez Zoo. We were called to assist horses and cows, when there was nobody else available. Fortunately, many veterinarians joined and helped with their time, as did many local people. Protectores de Animales started an annual Sato show, which is still going and which has helped people change their attitude about the Satos. These shows bring in over a hundred Satos for the annual event in Mayaguez.
In our family we always had three to five Satos in the house, and when we left "La Isla de Incanto" we took our last two Satos with us.
At the time there was also a very active goup of animal rescuers in Ponce as well as in other towns around the country, and the collaboration between all groups, ( many meetings were held all over the island) was excellent and resulted in the ending of much abuse.
You may want to contact some of these local people who are continuing to carry this heavy burden.

Posted October 29, 2007, 2:4PM by nikkovonrottie

I would like to thank everyone in helping us with the tragety that occurred in Barceloneta and also thank all the animal activiiest who was pressent at the march that occurred Oct. 17 and Oct. 21 , 2007. Those working hard in saving Yoli, laisha and the Vet my deepest thank to both of you and all who works dirrectly with your team.Jennifer thank you for postting the artical and those who is concern with the out come of this tragety. God Bless you all for everything. Again thank you all.
Alma febus and Mary donate
Bambie Rottweiler Service
Department of Animal Service from Puerto Rico

Posted October 20, 2007, 4:46PM by cattees

Have I mentioned lately...