The ‘Lord of the Dogs’, as he is known in the port of Progreso, Yucatán, is a homeless individual that hangs out with a large number of stray dogs along the streets of Progreso, but mostly around the “Chocolate Pier”.
According to residents of the port, the man interacts with a pack of stray dogs, talks to them, feeds them and takes care of them, some see it as a good cause, others as a problem that causes these animals to multiply.
Many people in Progreso cares for these animals, people from the U.S., Canada, European countries, Guatemala and even El Salvador, also from other Mexican states such as Tabasco, Campeche and Veracruz, that have turned Progreso, Yucatan into their new home, “adopt” these stray dogs, they feed them and give them water, but they do not spay and neuter them, therefore, they mate and reproduce.
The municipal authorities of this municipality and some civil associations avoid getting involved in this situation, in order to try to remove the dogs off the streets, because they say that they are immediately threaten by local “animal rights societies”.
Progreso residents claim that the increase in the number of these animals, is due to the uncontrollable proliferation of stray dogs but also to a high number of cases of abandonment, since many people buy or “adopt” a pet, and after one or two months, they leave them on the street, not only in Progreso but also in Mérida.
The problem of stray dogs increases alarmingly in practically the entire state of Yucatan, causing complaints from residents in different municipalities, including the state capital and its surrounding areas.
TYT Newsroom with information from: