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Field Notes: Bacalar, 2006
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By Dr Lisa McCarthy
Our second visit to Bacalar was amazingly successful! We treated 193 animals over five days, 182 of which were spayed or neutered. This was made possible because of the excellent planning and support of Ginny Bass and “Amigos de Bacalar” (see photo below).
“Amigos de Bacalar” is a coalition of concerned citizens who are determined to make Bacalar a safe and happy place for the resident dogs, cats, and people who live with them. They advertised ahead of time and visited schools to promote humane and responsible animal care. They recruited clients and patients and a small army of volunteers who generously gave of their time to help at the clinic, as well as housing and feeding our crew. They secured an unoccupied house and helped us to transform it into a functional veterinary hospital for the week. In short, these folks are the rock stars of the indigent animal care universe! Even “Bubba” Bass, Ginny’s 120# Rottweiler donated blood for a dog in need of a transfusion. There is now a slide show of the clinic posted on the city’s website. You can check it out at www.bacalarmosaico.com.
Everyone involved performed beyond the call of duty, but I would especially like to pay tribute to Yamil, a wonderful man known as the local “patron saint of dogs.” Yamil took it upon himself to recruit numerous dogs for surgery, whose owners otherwise would not have been able to bring them in for care. He personally transported dozens of dogs to and from the clinic every day, and also brought in many of the street dogs known by him to be in need of care. Below is a photo of Yamil with one of the pups for surgery.
I had the pleasure of working with a fabulously talented crew. Most of them had never participated in a VIDAS clinic, but they fell right into step and did a great job. The crew included: Dr. Mary Wright, Dr. Martha Rideout, Dr. Sharon Staples, Dr. Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher, Tim Kloer, Danielle Straattmann, Chris Kenyon, Kelly Stevenson, Kelly Carlsten, Kelly McKennitt, Auburn Heist, and Jill Sevino-Nieglos. (Group photo below, with many of the volunteers too)
After wrapping up the clinic on the last day, we got an unexpected visit from the mayor of Bacalar, Sr. Alfredo Contreras, who thanked us and presented us with certificates of appreciation. We’ve certainly never received this type of recognition! Our volunteers are not motivated by ‘fame’, but it was a real treat to be acknowledged, not to mention a hug from the very handsome mayor!
Because Hurricane Wilma put a stop to our October 2005 planned clinic, a year and a half had passed since our first clinic in Bacalar. The need was painfully evident in the increased numbers of street animals, and the public demand for our services. Sadly, we had to turn many folks away on our last day there – we were just out of time and out of supplies. It will be very important for VIDAS to visit Bacalar again before too much time goes by, if we are to get some control over the local dog and cat overpopulation. For this reason we hope to schedule another clinic late this year. Your generous donations made this clinic possible and will continue to allow us to assist this wonderful community of caring animal lovers.
THANK YOU!
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