Amigos de los Animales, Inc., is a licensed, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation acting as a voice for the abandoned and abused animals on the island of Puerto Rico. Amigos de los Animales is dedicated to bringing about a humane Puerto Rico and we are not limited in our activities to further this cause. Amigos de los Animales rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes both companion and farm animals, and works with government and community alike to educate Puerto Rico on animal welfare issues. Amigos de los Animales is run 100% by volunteers, and we rely on the generous donations of people like you in order to be able to carry out our activities and continue our work.
Amigos has joined ventures with "Critter Encounters," an exotic animal rescue and educational company located in Central Florida. Jason Hoffman is the president and fouder. He has been on Animal Planet several times and is an expert on venemous snakes and birds of prey. Critter Encounters focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating orhpaned and/or injured wild animals and releasing them back into their natural habitat. More information as well as photos on the way!
Amigos de los Animales will have the distinct pleasure of helping Traer Scott get photographs for her next book due out next year on wild horses. Traer is coming to Puerto Rico to photograph her upcoming book on the island of Vieques where wild horses roam at will. Amigos de los Animales Founder Christine Driscoll and Elizabeth Kracht will travel with Traer to Vieques and will be joined by Jackie Fahey and Elizabeth McCorkle of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare.
Traer Scott is the author of recent books Shelter Dogs and Street Dogs and Amigos was fortunate to be able to help Traer with Street Dogs which was partially shot on location here in Puerto Rico and in Mexico. A percentage of proceeds from Traer's books benefit animal welfare organizations.
Things are starting to cook in Ceiba at Los Machos Beach. Star Amigos members Melodie Rios and Shanti Santulli have begun efforts to gain more support for the dogs they care for at the notorious beach in Ceiba.
Melodie created this YouTube video to show the plight of the dogs in Ceiba, and in Puerto Rico in general:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ihe9szLLvA
And Shanti is now keeping this weblog for the same purpose:
http://losmachossatos.blogspot.com
We applaud their efforts and encourage more rescue groups and individuals to do the same. Also, take a look at this weblog of Sandra Cintron's who has been taking care of the dogs at Dead Dog Beach long before Amigos ever got there:
http://sandrai.blogspot.com
Amigos de los Animales (ADLA) is actively involved in the rescue of abused and abandoned horses in Puerto Rico. ADLA's very own Adrienne Galler Lastra was responsible for winning the first-ever horse abuse case in Puerto Rican history, and her name is the first off the tip of the tongue when a horse in Puerto Rico is found in need of helping hands. Adrienne has joined with Cindy Sijan and Julie Saunders to form a horse sanctuary where our rescued horses are able to rehabilitate in a stress and cruelty-free environment. Once our rescued horses are rehabilitated, they are put up for adoption. ADLA currently has 6 horses up for adoption. Some of the horses are not able to ridden, but would make wonderful pasture mates. Our horse sanctuary is in desperate need of financial support. Some of our rescued horses need immediate medical procedures. If you would like to make a donation to our horses, please see the donation button at the top or bottom of our Petfinder home page. Please also see our pet page for a list of our adoptable horses, and contact us if you would like us to send you an adoption application. For more information about our horse adoptions or if you would like to receive an adoption application, you may email amigosdelosanimalespr@gmail.com .
If you are a tourist visiting Puerto Rico (or have been), and would like to write to the local government where you witnessed abandoned or abused animals, click on this link and use the drop down menu for that municipality, and write directly to the Mayor governing there.
Alternatively, please write to one of the following agencies and ask them to shift some focus toward bringing about a humane Puerto Rico by working together with the many talented and creative rescue organizations and municipal shelters working toward that goal on the island:Amigos de los Animales is "shocked, but not surprised" by the tragic events that took place in the municipality of Barceloneta. This incident was not an isolated incident, contrary to what government and tourism officials would like us to believe. As an animal rescue organization with its hands in many pots, we have firsthand knowledge of how Puerto Rico operates in respect to animal welfare issues. Puerto Rico does not yet have a foundation with respect to animal welfare, sadly. And we hope the spotlight will continue to shine on this tragic event long enough for people to see that animals are being butchered and killed all over the island in much the same fashion as those tossed off the bridge in Barceloneta.
What really sets this tragic event apart from other horrible situations - like that of Dead Dog Beach in Yabucoa or Los Machos Beach in Ceiba - is that people's civil rights were violated. The Mayor of the municipality himself was knocking on doors and taking animals with one hand as he threatened eviction with the other. Children, whose parents weren't home, were told to hand over all animals or they and their parents would be tossed out on the street. While folks were sleeping "animal control officers" came into their yards and took their animals, some being injected on the spot. These are just a few of the things the people in Barceloneta experienced, not to mention the horror the dogs experienced (a few of which survived the fall and literally wear their sadness in their face).
Amigos de los Animales is committed to acting as a voice for the tragedy in Barceloneta, and for all animal welfare issues on the island in general. We are working closely with attorneys acting on behalf of the people and animals that have suffered, and are at the disposal of larger organizations looking to assist in the tragedy. For those looking to get involved in some way, we can accept PayPal donations and will distribute your contribution as you wish. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page and write our Governor and the Tourism Company. Urge them to finally create a roundtable allowing rescue organizations to help them address animal welfare issues once and for all, so that Puerto Rico can have the image that they so desire, but won't ever have if they don't realize there is a problem. And please, specifically, make sure to mention that you won't visit Puerto Rico unless you see they are making an effort. We think these agencies don't understand that making an effort is a redeeming quality in the eyes of most people, and even the smallest effort on their part, would go a long way in the eyes of those whose vacations have been ruined because of animals they've come across, and those whose hearts have been broken because of what they've read or seen on TV.
Thank you so much for any support you can offer. We truly appreciate all help in any way it comes.
Hon. Anibal Acevedo Vila, GovernorAmigos de los Animales always has an array of dogs, cats and horses for adoption. If you are interested in adopting an animal from Amigos de los Animales, please visit our pet page and see if there is a special companion there that might be just right for you or your family. If you do see your forever friend on our pet page, please contact us for an adoption application.
Click here for a list of pets at this shelter
