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Abandoned Alentejo animals find help from Northern Europe As the number of abandoned animals in Portugal continues to rise, the founder of one of the Alentejo’s few animal rescue associations, ‘Rafeiritos do Alentejo’, has told The Portugal News how much-needed support is being provided from Northern European counterparts.
Since the beginning of summer ‘Os Rafeiritos do Alentejo’ has taken in more than 60 recently-abandoned animals. And, as the association’s founder Mariana Mamede, told The Portugal News, there are no signs of the abandonments slowing down. “Since May we have been rescuing two or three abandoned animals every day”, she says, explaining “people want to go on holiday but don’t want to pay for kennels. Or they like [the dogs] when they are small but then they get bigger, become hard work and they eat a lot…” Summer is traditionally a peak time for animal abandonment in Portugal. As well as being holiday time, with many cash-strapped owners being forced to find an alternative to kennels, it is also when Christmas puppies reach the rambunctious six-to-eight-month phase. Mariana currently cares for 83 abandoned dogs, which she took in from the streets of four Alentejo regions; Castro Verde, Ourique, Almodôvar and Aljustrel. “I can’t just ignore them” Mariana says, adding “this year has been horrible”. ‘Os Rafeiritos’ is one of few, “if not the only” fully-licensed dog and cat rescue association in the Alentejo. On a national scale, the situation in the Alentejo is one of the worst in Portugal, with high rates of abandonment this year being further aggravated by the global crisis and high unemployment. It is also a region in which dogs are widely used for hunting and risk being dumped if they fail to carry out their duties to a satisfactory degree or reach old age. Mariana Mamede, who officially founded ‘Os Rafeiritos’ in October 2002, explained to The Portugal News how the association survives solely on few and far between donations. The majority of what the kennel receives is spent on “food, sterilization campaigns, veterinary care, and maintenance”, with the monthly food bill being in excess of €700, “not to mention phone, water and electricity bills”. “I’m not asking for money, we are happy to take whatever people can give; food, medicine… Of course money helps, but whatever people can give is always welcome” Mariana said. However, the association has found unexpected support from foreign animal rescue institutions after a Swedish friend of Mariana’s told counterparts in her native Sweden of ‘Os Rafeiritos’ struggle. Since then, as the word has spread, a number of Swedish, German and Austrian animal associations have shown their concern for the set-up by offering to help out with veterinary care as well as with re-homing. Foreign vets and animal association colleagues make the most of trips to Portugal to visit the association and offer their services, while Swedish University students regularly carry out work experience at ‘Os Rafeiritos’, which also runs kennel facilities to raise extra revenue. Via the unexpected international support, many dogs have also been re-homed, in countries including Sweden, Germany and Austria. In some cases the dogs are collected from the Alentejo and relocated with their new families by car, in other instances they are sent by plane, after being sterilised. “Our animals are very well looked after”, Mariana stresses, saying “we feed them well and look after them, but most of all we give them care”. Readers interested in learning more about ‘Os Rafeiritos’, adopting an animal, donating or using the kennel facilities can contact the association on: (+351) 286 944 305, or 962 986 693. Carrie-Marie Bratley
Edition: 1071 |
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