Galapagos Islands New DVD, click here Thank you Thank you to The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, CIMIE and The Galapagos Conservancy for supporting our work. |
| Summary Since 2004, Animal Balance (AB) has been working with the authorities of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador to humanely reduce the cat and dog populations, train local veterinarians, and provide dog training and humane education classes. The Galapagos archipelago is one of the most fragile on the planet. It was imperative that we quickly reduce the cat and dog populations in order to protect the native species that share the same space. Over 250 international volunteers have participated in 9 high-volume campaigns and have sterilized over 4,500 of the cats and dogs of the Galapagos. As of 2007, which is when we have the last census data, 96% of the cats and dogs in the Municipal areas of the Galapagos were sterilized. An amazing feat for all organizations to achieve together! Since then, smuggling of pure breed dogs has started. Today you see Siberian Huskies, Bulldogs and Cocker Spaniels on the islands. These animals suffer greatly on the equator. The authorities need to enforce the laws to stop the smuggling and breeding of these dogs. Animal Balance continued with the island-wide community-based sterilization programs, performing an average of 350 surgeries in one week. When we returned in August of 2010, we held campaigns on Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. We found that there was not a need for such high volume and intensive campaigns on Isabela or San Cristobal. We simply were not finding enough animals to sterilize - our campaigns worked! A new organization, Darwin Animal Doctors, started by Tod Emko, an Animal Balance volunteer, was created on Santa Cruz, to address the long term needs of the Galapagos pets. As needed, Darwin Animal Doctors holds sterilization campaigns in order to keep a lid on the new arrivals mentioned above. As the situation and relationship between the cats, dogs and people has changed, so must the services that NGO's provide. The CIMEI, who are the section of the Municipality who handle introduced species,continue to register pets and monitor the influx of the smuggled dogs and cats. We are now on stand by should there be a need for our service; high volume, intensive sterilization campaigns. |
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