PHOTOS: How Is PETA Latino Putting the Heat on Puerto Rico’s Puppy Problem?
PETA Latino and partner shelter workers from the Humane Society of Puerto Rico were backed by the Global Compassion Fund recently to host a free, two-day spay-a-thon in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Appointment slots went like hot vegan tostones, and nearly 200 animals were sterilized and vaccinated.
The team got to know the guardians while they waited for their animal companions, including a local dog groomer who was inspired to help out after chatting with the team about animal rights. She came back—hours after she had left with her newly spayed animal companion—to help out a dog who was living under a tangle of painful mats.
Homeless animals are such a common sight in some parts of Puerto Rico that a local police officer was hit by a car and killed trying to save an injured, homeless kitten along the side of the road the very day PETA fieldworkers arrived. High-volume, low- or no-cost clinics can keep animals like that kitten—now named Zoran—from winding up on the streets in the first place. The officer’s family is now making arrangements to adopt Zoran from a partner shelter.
Advocacy tip: Simple conversations about animal rights with people in your community may just be the spark you need to grow positive change! Get the fire going: Inspire those around you to speak up for animals.
Mister Hispanoamérica Puerto Rico contestant Maxwell Morales stopped by the spay-a-thon to spread the word on social media.
Everyone left with handfuls of advocacy packs that included vegan starter kits and coloring books, and shelter staff were treated to a tasty vegan lunch!
How You Can Help Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals in Puerto Rico and Beyond
Clinics like this one are ending generations of suffering in communities that often don’t have the resources to care for abandoned companion animals. You can support groups like PETA Latino and its partners, which are changing the lives of homeless and vulnerable animals, by giving to the Global Compassion Fund today.
