Quintana Roo: for every dog ​​or cat given up for adoption, there are 500 on the street

Cancun, Q. R., April 29, 2021, (SIPSE).- In the state of Quintana Roo, there is very little interest in adopting pets, while abandoning animals has become an increasingly common practice: activists denounce that for every cat or dog adopted, more than 500 animals end up on the street because their owners do not want to take care of them.

In Quintana Roo there are 230 shelters dedicated to the adoption of abandoned or rescued cats and dogs from the street. On average, these people only get one adoption every three days.

Meanwhile, Rafael Rivero, president of the “Speak for me” Association, explains that in Chetumal there are more than 50,000 street animals. In Cancun, the street fauna exceeds 200 thousand specimens, according to estimates by “Patitas Caribeñas AC”. In Playa del Carmen, Gabriela Argaez, from “Dog Dreams”, estimates a register of approximately 100,000 abandoned dogs and cats.

“Unfortunately, it is becoming easier for people to throw their pets out on the street when they consider that they cannot keep them or they have grown too large. Although the abandonment of animals is sanctioned in the state Animal Welfare Law, in practice hardly this action is punished since the authorities consider that it is not a crime to be prosecuted”.

Rafael Rivero

He adds that during the pandemic this practice increased, because many families lost their income, and therefore considered that getting rid of their animals was a way to save money.

“Usually between April and May, there is also a rebound in the number of abandoned dogs and cats, just when the puppies that were given at Christmas grew up. That is why we insist on thinking very well before buying a pet, they do not deserve to be thrown out on the street just because it grew up and was no longer considered cute”.

Rafael Rivero

For her part, Gabriela Argaez explains that the number of abused pets has also increased in recent years: five years ago, when she installed her shelter in the city, they received four or five rescue requests per month. Today, they answer more than 10 calls for help a week.

“I wish that just as we rescue animals, we could place them up for adoption. But no, it is very difficult to get them to adopt a pet that is not purebred or is more than 2 years old. The worst part is taken by cats: if it is a few months old, it is difficult for a family to adopt them”.

Gabriela Argaez