Animal Defenders St. Maarten submitted a plea for help from government.
PHILIPSBURG--On World Animal Day, October 4, Animal Defenders St. Maarten Foundation (ADS), on behalf of all animal groups, called on the government to help improve the quality of life for animals on St. Maarten. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has been invited on a field trip to see the suffering for herself.
“Our wish is to sit down with government officials to work on plans for a mayor spay/neuter campaign and animal protection laws. This should not be difficult. It is a worthy investment in our island and its community,” the animal groups stated in a jointly signed letter that was presented to government on Tuesday.
ADS and other animal care foundations on the island are overwhelmed with phone calls, messages and emails from members of the community crying out for help. Volunteers see an increasing degree of neglect, abuse and cruelty after several hurricanes and the COVID-19pandemic.
“As a result, people are now coping with financial challenges, as you are well aware of. The first ones who directly feel our financial struggles are the animals and they often pay the price with their lives,” ADS stated.
ADS is not alone in its cry for help from government, it pleads on behalf of all animal foundations and all veterinarians in the country. “We, the foundations plus all the volunteers, the supporters, animal friends and lovers, wish to see improvement for the animals and we are of the opinion that we all together, with government’s support, can improve the lives of animals. We strongly believe that if the animals thrive, the whole island will benefit.”
An invitation has been extended to Jacobs. “The foundations and volunteers would love to invite you to come with us on a scheduled day so we can show you around and you can observe what the animals endure,” ADS wrote, explaining that animals on St. Maarten only need two things from government: laws to protect them and subsidies for spaying and neutering.
“You can make it happen, you can change the outcome for the animals on St. Maarten,” they told Jacobs. “Imagine you, our government, can change the moral progress of our nation with the much-needed laws and financial help so that we can be proud of how we treat our animals.”
