Jenny Clarke, president of the Association for Protection of Animals Algarve’s (APAA), has just returned from a visit with friends to Animal Rescue Algarve (ARA), near Loulé. Amongst the rescued animals at the ARA shelter, ‘Cabanita’, there are some so traumatised they are barely within reach of their loving carers.
Jenny acknowledges their hard work: “It takes time, patience. They never give up!”
João Ferreira, ARA general manager, has personally adopted several severely abused animals. “They are impossible to re-home,” he said.
Sadly, a pair of beautiful Serra de Aires’ dogs were located running wild. Hair matted, covered in faeces. Their filthy condition accumulated over a great length of time. Thinking the worst: was the owner incapacitated? Or the dogs lost?
“Tracing their owner was easy, as they were chipped. The lady demanded they should be returned to her, and their condition was ‘totally natural’.” We think the photo speaks for itself! The dogs remain with ARA receiving loving rehabilitation.
No wonder ARA was awarded first prize by 20,000 Worldpackers’ volunteers!
Jenny recently encountered a volunteer who spent her time in the Alvor area identifying potential cat-colony problems around new building sites. “The upshot was that she felt that her vet could, and would, give special rates for the sterilisation of the feral cats, which means a lot to APAA’s funding of cat colonies. The first of two patients was a rather fat cat thought to be pregnant. As it so happened, the pregnant cat was just fat!” Jenny smiles.
“But the problem was, the vet decided sterilisation was getting too expensive to do ‘special deals’, also refusing to clip their left ear.” After their initial shock, Jenny retrieved the two cats, taking them to APAA’s friendly Parchal vets, who carried out the sterilisations at their special rates and also removed the tip of the left ear – the global identifying marker of feral felines having been sterilised.
The Spaying & Neutering Programme (SNiP) run by APAA raises money for all the communities, their funds shared where needed the most. One-year-old abandoned Biscuit (pictured), with a ‘tipped’ ear, needed a home. She was sterilised, beautiful, docile but a little uncertain of herself. APAA’s Facebook editor Lisa Dowling posted her plight and good news soon arrived: she’s been adopted!
APAA charity shops – Bring, browse and buy!
- Alvor: Dunas de Alvor: Mon-Sat, 10.30am-2pm
- Silves: Rua Elias Garcia 20, Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm (Sat 1pm)
Real bargains. Books, gifts, handmade jewellery, ornaments. Home-made chutneys, jams, marmalades, pickles and cookies. Glassware, dinner services, cutlery. Everything you need for your home or rental. Spoil yourself! All proceeds raised for SNiP and abandoned animals. Having a clear-out? Good, unwanted gifts, clothes always needed.
- Contacts and Jackie’s lunches: events.apaaportugal@gmail.com
- Pets: info.apaaportugal@gmail.com (mark for Anita-Legacy)
- Legacy video
- Always Check out APAA’s Facebook!
