Spay and neuter clinic to reduce strays

IN AN effort to reduce the population of stray dogs and cats, a local animal protection organization held what it said was its largest ever spay and neuter clinic at the Barrackpore Regional Complex yesterday.

Animals Foundation 360 founder Roger Marshall said the organisation had received the support of Animal Balance, an international animal rights NGO, which had sent some 13 volunteers to conduct the clinic.

“There are a lot of stray animals in Trinidad. We estimate this area of 100 square miles which has a population of 95,000 people in about 30,000 households, we estimate conservatively 50,000 animals, dogs and cats and of the 50,000, half could be female and that could lead to 400,000 new births every year and we just don’t have homes for them,” Marshall said.

“Nobody could provide homes for 400,000 new animals every year. So really we are trying to partner with the community to make this an ongoing sustainable initiative to humanely eliminate animal cruelty by eliminating stray homeless animals,” he said.

The campaign was also being held in conjunction with the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation and was expected to last for two days. He said the foundation’s goal is to reduce the number of stray and homeless animals and end their suffering by working towards the building of a “mature animal welfare conscious community.”

And regarding the clinic, he said there were 26 volunteers, with 13 of them from the United States and Canada who had paid their own way to assist in the clinic.

“This is largest spay and neuter campaign ever conducted in Trinidad, we are going to be inn Barrackpore two days and then in charlieville for three days,” he said.