Symi Animal Welfare Summer Report, 2017
I received the SAW summer report, which I have put up as today’s blog post. Here’s the latest news direct from Symi’s animal care charity, with some of my random shots of Symi animals.
On Symi, the high temps have been with us for 2 months now, and most of our felines prefer to seek shade during the day, except for the usual cats who frequent the port tavernas at lunchtime, looking for kind tourists to give them some tasty morsels. More of the islands street cats venture out after dark, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures in the evenings, and go in search of something to eat. While food is more plentiful during the summer months, we always remind our residents and visitors that water is so important for all the island cats. The best way to help them is to provide a container of clean, fresh water on a daily basis, in a shady spot. Perhaps near to any rubbish bins, and you will see how many cats come just for a drink every evening.
Recently we have had some reports of ‘abandoned’ kittens, which often happens at this time of the year. We advise that they are left where they are found, as usually the mother cat will return to her litter, and she knows where she left them. We are a small team, but we will always try to help where we can, especially if the kittens have been deliberately left near or in the bins (yes, sadly it happens), and we will try to find foster homes for them until they are old enough to fend for themselves. There is no animal shelter on Symi, and our resources are limited, and all of us on the team have acted as ‘foster mums’ to many tiny kittens over the years. If we have reports of a sick or injured cat we will go to see if we can catch it first, only then can it be treated and helped to recover from its aliment. Wild or feral cats can be very wary and extremely difficult to capture even when tempted by a tin of tasty sardines.
As always, from the start of the season, we have received, via our SAW website, quite a few emails, and this year, more have been on the subject of dogs. Visitors have reported that they have seen dogs kept on a chain. They have told us of dogs who are thin, or not in good condition, or that there wasn’t any food/water visible, etc. We do know about most of these dogs, we know who owns them, and, if we don’t, we can easily find out. But the most we can do is to speak with the owners and alert them to the fact that their dog has been seen by visitors, and that its situation could be a cause for concern. Where we think the dog should be seen by a vet, then we will advise the owner accordingly. As there is a vet who visits from Rodos every four weeks, it is then up to the owner to take the dog for treatment or a checkup. We are not the RSPCA, and unfortunately, we cannot do more for any dog who is kept outside as a guard dog or a farm dog and is not a family pet. On a more positive note, many young island people now own dogs as pets. They love them and do take good care of them, so attitudes are slowly changing.
We are pleased to report that our Rhodian vet often has a very busy time on his Sunday morning consultations held at ‘Pet Island’, the pet shop in Yialos. One of our projects for the future is to secure premises that could be used for regular vet visits to Symi, which would be a great advantage for all of us who care for the island animals. If any local person has a suitable place in the Yialos area, then please contact us at SAW.
Wishing all our friends and supporters a very happy summer!
Best regards from Suzan, Antonella, Christina, Tove & Hazel.
