Letters & Opinion

Blight on the island

The Editor

I write to you as someone who has just returned from a holiday in your spectacular island. Your country has the most perfect climate, oceans of incomparable beauty and vegetation that is a gardener’s dream. I cannot speak of every citizen but all the ones we encountered, particularly the staff at the Windjammer Resort, were most courteous, helpful and engaging.

Our holiday, however, was not totally pleasant. As Canadians who, like you, have strong ties to Britain, we were more than a little distressed to see the state of many of the island’s dogs and cats. We were dumbfounded to learn that there is not one government or municipal humane society in the entire island. Judging from the numbers of female dogs with engorged teats there can be no spay/neuter clinic available either. Since there are four veterinarians working at different island locations, it should be possible for there to be reduced-cost medical assistance for the animals of those with limited ability to pay. We did encounter dogs that behaved as if someone cared for them but the majority that we saw seemed fearful and hungry with tails that hung sadly down.

There seems to be no requirement either for owners to prevent their animals from wandering about freely. This may explain why we saw so many dogs with limps. Perhaps the most distressing sight was a small dog in Rodney Bay whose emaciated body would not have looked out of place in a Nazi death camp. He was searching for food on the main street and no one seemed to care about his terrible state.

I apologize for these critical comments from a foreigner but I cannot ignore what I feel is a serious failure in a country that in most other aspects is a most fortunate and admirable place. Please don’t ignore the plight of your small animals. Right now their suffering is a blight on your island. You do not want visitors to go home saying that Saint Lucia is a wonderful country only if you are human.

Dr. M. D.K Campbell

1 Comment

  1. Dear writer. In St. Lucia there is a private, non profit organisation. SLAPS St. Lucia animal protection services. They do what they can. I lived 12 years on St. Lucia and have 4 lovely Lucian dogs. There are only 4 vets that can neuture dogs and cats. I live now in the highlands of Panamá and we took our dogs with us. In our town of 25,000 people (10% foreigners) we have every months a neuturing session with 5 vets, plenty of volunteers. Cost as from US$ 10,- and any donation is welcome. 230 animals per session 8.a.m. till 8 p.m. St. Lucia is in recession and very high unemployment.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend