actualidad local - fuerteventura magazine hoy
actualidad local - fuerteventura magazine hoy
actualidad local - fuerteventura magazine hoy
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
FUERTEVENTURA MAGAZINE <strong>hoy</strong><br />
<strong>hoy</strong><br />
13<br />
13<br />
QUIÉN ES QUIÉN EN LA ISLA / WHO’S WHO IN THE ISLAND? /WER IST WER AUF DER INSEL?<br />
Andrea and Thomas Wittwer – Association for the protection of plants and<br />
animals OKAPI<br />
«We have to be aware of the responsibility<br />
that comes with having a pet»<br />
FMHOY - Fuerteventura<br />
We met with Andrea and Thomas Wittwer to talk with<br />
them about their work within the OKAPI association<br />
(Association for the protection of plants and animals<br />
in Fuerteventura) and also about our society’s problem<br />
of abandon and lack of responsibility of people towards<br />
their pets.<br />
Andrea, when did you become interested in<br />
collaborating in this activity?<br />
It all started because I had a lot of my daughters’<br />
clothes that I didn’t want to throw away and I thought<br />
of selling them on the market, but the Ayuntamiento<br />
of La Oliva told me that if the profits went to me I had<br />
to create a company, register, etc… but if it was for<br />
charity, there was no problem. As we had a dog, we<br />
thought of giving the proceeds to an association that<br />
takes care of dogs.<br />
This is how the OKAPI market was born 12 years ago<br />
and although at the beginning it was only small, it has<br />
grown thanks to the public’s interest. At present it<br />
happens every third Sunday of the month on Plaza de<br />
La Paz in Puerto del Rosario. The Association for the<br />
protection of cats, Kits+Cats, also participates in this<br />
market and individuals who pay a small fee of 6 • to<br />
OKAPI can also come and sell their second hand items<br />
here and keep the rest of the proceeds.<br />
Do many people come and sell their second hand<br />
belongings on this market?<br />
In December there were 70 stalls.<br />
Do you hold any other responsibilities within<br />
OKAPI?<br />
No, my husband Thomas does. He collaborates in<br />
the cleaning of Puerto del Rosario’s kennels; since the<br />
old kennel, (which was a lot worse that the present<br />
one), we are always looking for solutions that don’t<br />
come through, when you think all is going better,<br />
something else arises such as last year which was the<br />
worse in twelve years that we have been here.<br />
Has the crisis had an impact?<br />
Yes, the number of abandons of animals has been<br />
very high, in some cases because the owners are<br />
leaving the island, and in others because they can’t<br />
afford to feed them any longer. English laws make the<br />
process so complicated to be able to bring pets as they<br />
have to have the anti-rabies jab six months prior to<br />
travelling. In countries like Germany, Holland,<br />
Switzerland, etc. there are no problems which means<br />
that people almost always move with their pet.<br />
Furthermore, many people buy a pet for their children<br />
for Christmas not thinking that they are not toys, they need<br />
to be educated, fed and they live for 14 to 16 years. We<br />
have to be aware of the responsibility that comes with it.<br />
In addition to being a problem for the Association,<br />
this is also very sad for the animals, isn’t it?<br />
It is horrible for some dogs. Some races suffer terribly.<br />
We even had the case of a small female dog that, during<br />
the night when her owners brought her to the kennel,<br />
bit her hair off and was bleeding all over her body the<br />
next day. We brought her home and she got better when<br />
she felt she had a family again.<br />
What is the connection between OKAPI and the<br />
kennel?<br />
OKAPI co-exists with the kennel, they rescue the<br />
abandoned animals and the association does the work<br />
to sterilise them, clean them of parasites and give them<br />
the anti-rabies jab and the Vangart 7, which is<br />
compulsory in Europe. We also fit them with a microchip<br />
and later we take pictures of them to start looking for<br />
a family on the Internet for them, which we also take<br />
to the <strong>local</strong> TV station for the same reason.<br />
Are there cases when they have to be put down?<br />
Yes, we visit kennels all over the island and some<br />
animals that are too ill and cannot be saved have to<br />
be put down by the vet.<br />
Are many animals sent to families in Germany?<br />
Yes, we work closely with an Association called<br />
Tierhilfe Fuerteventura; they look for families after<br />
personally checking that they comply with all the<br />
conditions for adoption and that they are willing to pay<br />
for the animal’s transport.<br />
How much does it cost to adopt one of those<br />
animals on the island?<br />
To adopt a dog costs 100•, but if it is a pup the cost is<br />
180• because we can’t neuter a pup. When they bring<br />
us the dog back later to neuter it, we reimburse them the<br />
difference. We do that in order to make people realise<br />
that dogs have to be neutered because there are too many<br />
on the island, especially for some races, such as Ibizan<br />
Hounds (called Podencos), of which 82.251 are registered<br />
in the Canaries. They are hunting dogs and when they<br />
are abandoned they can’t be adopted easily by a family<br />
as they don’t tend to adapt well to living indoors.<br />
For people who are interested in collaborating in<br />
the association, what is the cost?<br />
It only costs 24• per year for the member’s fee and<br />
we need more members because they help us so much.<br />
Nowadays over half of the members are foreigners. It<br />
is also possible to make donations into the account in<br />
Banca March 0061-0248-74-0112230112.<br />
Some people also come and work with us bringing<br />
their time and experience. Therefore we have a<br />
grooming salon and physiotherapist for dogs. We would<br />
like to remind everyone that our opening hours are<br />
12:00 until 13:30 everyday in the Industrial Estate of<br />
Risco Prieto and our telephone numbers are 928 175<br />
932 and 650 160 018.