We are building a new animal shelter and we need your help!
A few weeks ago, we came to you with the saddest news we could have ever imagined. We had been evicted from the shelter that we had gratefully occupied for 8 years. Thousands upon thousands of animals have passed through our doors, a place that we cherished and used to its maximum potential.
The sudden and unexpected eviction left us IN CRISIS. Not only did we have to find homes for about 20 dogs in a rush, we had to empty our storage place (a small house that we rent on the island) to make space for our youngest pups and sick dogs, and rethink the very basic principles behind Isla Animals. The government would not offer us any alternatives or long-term proposals. And honestly, in the last 4 months we’ve taken in more dogs than ever before!
After meetings and endless hours of researching, we came to two basic conclusions:
- We cannot work with the government of Isla Mujeres, as it would imply constant instability (Isla Animals could lose everything at any time – as is the case now) and we would waste so much time involved in politics, which is an area we are committed to remain neutral in.
- We cannot afford to buy land, build or even rent an adequate space on Isla Mujeres.
We are still operational, taking dogs and cats from the streets of Isla and the mainland. We currently have 7 puppies that were too young before the eviction, and we have just taken in 24 more!
We have a house that we have been using as a storage/office/foster home. We were hoping to set it up to receive our beloved supporters, who we so reply on, but that’s proven to be a challenge. We are no longer part of the touristic trail around the island and it’s much harder to find us now. Even our immediate and temporary solution seems to be falling apart. But we know, in our hearts, that we MUST ensure the FUTURE OF ISLA ANIMALS.
And to do so, we NEED TO BUILD A SHELTER. A safe place for our dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens. A place where we can do spay and neuter campaigns, a place where we can be a force of change in the lives of so many animals that need help in this part of Mexico.
We have been blessed with the land needed to build our new shelter! And this will be OWNED by Isla Animals!
It can never be taken away from us, which ensures the survivorship of our organization. The land is sufficient size to build our NEW SHELTER.
We are going to be able to care for way more dogs than now in our temporary space, and even more than before when we had our shelter here on Isla Mujeres.
We will have a visitors/volunteering program as we are going to be pretty easy to find, and we are going to have plenty of outdoor space for our dogs to enjoy life, safely, and to be socialized, without starving in the streets and always at risk of getting sick or hit by a car.
What is more, we will also have a space to hold spay and neuter campaigns, and we are certain we will have a constant flow of dogs in need of getting fixed!
We are excited about the FUTURE of ISLA ANIMALS. We will continue rescuing, sterilizing, and helping animals in need…we will continue on our mission to rescue every dog that we can, one or two…or ten at a time!
We are thankful for all your support. Your help is needed to turn this time of change into a new beginning, instead of a sad ending. Isla Animals, and the animals living on the streets, needs your help to make this happen. With your donations, we can build a safe-haven for the animals that need us the most. GoFundMe campaign 100% of all donations go directly to building the shelter.
Our team has tried its best, as we always do with everything, and this is the solution. This is the future that we were hoping to have set in stone for Isla Animals. Join us on this journey, help us continue to help them. The only thing that matters is the animals.
Some statistics: Jan 1 to May 1, 2023
- We have taken in over 165 dogs from the street
- Over 120 dogs have been adopted
- We have sterilized almost 500 cats and dogs
- 75% of our intake comes from the mainland (Rancho Viejo and Cancun, as well as other areas, all the way to Tulum and Progreso)
- When we had the shelter in Mundaca we could hold around 30 dogs there and have another 30 in foster Our temporary space on the island can hold max 20 puppies, or 5 large dogs.
- We have no longer a foster space – we converted it to be our current “shelter” (augmenting the risk of contagious diseases as we do not have proper isolation space)
These are the numbers for 2023! We had set up the basis for an amazing year! We are committed to not giving up…bear with us, lend us a paw…dreams do come true!!!!
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