Hi Global Strays Partner,

Crashing onto the shores of Nicaragua, two devastating hurricanes made landfall two weeks apart in the month of November. As you can imagine, this caused immense flooding and ravaged communities across one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The areas on the Northern Caribbean coast were the most affected, especially in the communities of Bilwi.   

Bilwi’s total population is 52,000, the majority of which lives in extreme poverty. In underserved and extremely remote communities like Bilwi, many animals play a vital role in their livelihood. From transporting materials to assisting with the harvest of agricultural production, these animals enable the people of Bilwi to sustain their families and communities.

Dr. Tapia and his team of five veterinarians and four veterinary assistants embarked on an incredible eight day mission to come to the aid of suffering animals including working animals, dogs and cats, pigs, cows, chickens and birds in 15 communities throughout Bilwi. This allowed families with working animals and pets to continue their businesses and provide life-saving support to their companion and farm animals.

Dr. Tapia’s team travelled 13 hours by car, crossed rivers and mountain ranges, and entered these devastated communities with weeks worth of medical supplies, enabling them to treat approximately 2000 animals of all kinds. Between the first trip, after Hurricane Eta and the second trip after Iota, Dr. Tapia and his team treated close to 3000 animals. Both trips and all medical supplies were fully funded by Global Strays.

Dr. Tapia tells us, “It was a horrible impression...It is devastating to see not a single tree standing, wild animals and birds completely confused without knowing where to take refuge, people cooking outdoors, animals drinking dirty water, eating remains of rotten things... All of this was heartbreaking for the team.” 

Providing veterinary care after the hurricane was a huge relief to these animals, their owners and their community. According to Dr. Tapia, “These animals have never received veterinarian care in their entire lives, so it was a huge impact.” 

Healthy working animals are able to produce more without the burden of physical pain. Furthermore, family pets as well as stray animals were able to be treated and given medication to prevent deadly diseases. Investing in the welfare of these animals ensures that not only do the animals live a full and healthy life, but it also increases the quality of life for the owners and their community. 

According to Dr. Keilly Gonzalez, an Aprovet veterinarian who was born in Bilwi, “Having come to my community with a team of professionals at the right time has changed my life. These animals just needed us.” 

 Dr. Tapia explains, “Aprovet was the largest and one of the only organizations that responded immediately to the disaster. This mission would not have been possible without the support of Global Strays, who never hesitated to fully fund this mission.” The people and animals of Bilwi have tremendous appreciation for the donors of Global Strays.

Thanks to donors like you, our emergency response team was able to efficiently aid sick and injured animals in communities in need. Now until Dec. 31st, we aim to raise $10,000 so we can return to Bilwi every few months and continue our programs in other underserved areas of the world where attention for animal welfare greatly lacks. As we continue helping thousands of animals, we rely solely on your support.

Please stay tuned in the next few weeks to read about some of the inspiring stories of the animals that were treated in Bilwi and other affected areas by our team. And please take a moment to view the photo gallery at the bottom of this email.