The Cayman Islands Humane Society may finally be getting a new home, after decades of housing rescued and abandoned animals at a shelter in George Town that is aging and prone to flooding during storms.
The existing shelter is full to capacity, with around 60 dogs and 90 cats, housed in the decrepit timber building.
The new facility is planned for a 15-acre site in West Bay that was left in trust by an animal lover for a new shelter.
The fine print of the arrangement is not known but it is understood that the trust will enable the land to be leased by the Humane Society at peppercorn rent and will also help fund the new facilities at the site.
An application for planning permission for three buildings – one for cats, one for dogs and an administrative building for staff – at the site off Reginald Parsons Drive has been submitted to the Central Planning Authority.
If approved, it will provide much needed relief to the charity, which is struggling to cater to the vast numbers of animals coming in to the cramped shelter, each week.
Samantha Cooper, operations manager at the Humane Society, said the new facility – which is expected to take just over two years to complete – would increase capacity.
She said it would also mean a more comfortable environment for the animals. Designed with input from shelter staff, it will include outdoor recreation areas.
“We’ve been involved every step of the way,” she said.
“It will improve welfare standards for the animals because they will have more space.”
One of the challenges at the existing location is that it is prone to flooding. Every time a storm is on the horizon shelter staff are forced to find temporary homes for scores of animals at a moment’s notice.
Root causes still need to be tackled
Though the shelter will have space for more dogs and cats, Cooper cautioned that the capacity would likely be quickly filled.
A new facility helps address some important issues, but significant education and legislative work is likely still needed to tackle the root causes of Cayman’s animal welfare crisis.
“The reality is that we will fill that capacity and more,” said Cooper of the new facility.
Scores of dogs are adopted locally or shipped to shelters or new homes overseas each month, yet the flow of new animals into the shelter and to the Department of Agriculture continues.
Cooper hopes the new shelter will help free staff from the many logistical headaches caused by the current site and allow them to work on public education campaigns. But she said government and other charities would also need to be involved in a wider effort to address the domestic animal problems in Cayman.
“It is not something the Humane Society can solve alone. It needs to be an island-wide effort,” she added.
Crisis point
As the Compass reported earlier this year, Cayman’s long, ongoing issue with animal abuse and neglect is reaching ‘crisis point’, according to the leaders of multiple non-profit organisations.
“This is the worst it has been for a long time,” Saskia Salden, a director at the Humane Society told us at the time.
“There are just too many pups, too many kittens. We can’t cope and there are not enough people on this island to adopt them all,” she said.
The root of the problem is the near exponential growth in Cayman’s pet animal population. Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts, which funds spay and neuter operations for families who cannot afford the vet’s bills, has an extensive waiting list of cats and dogs that need the surgery to prevent them from breeding.
Earlier this year, Cayman’s six animal-centred non-profits wrote to government urging it to support a nationwide spay and neuter programme.
A proposal document, submitted to government, calls for a new licensing system for pets to help incentivise owners to get their dogs fixed and fund direct investment in spay and neuter clinics.
The document, seen by the Compass, describes “companion animal overpopulation” as “one of the most pressing animal welfare issues of our time”.
Relocation to West Bay
If approved, the Humane Society will relocate its entire operation to the new headquarters in West Bay.
It is not yet decided whether the existing location will be sold or will be repurposed by the society.
The new shelter is a significant financial undertaking, Cooper added, saying the resources would come from the trust as well as from the society’s donors.
A separate plan to partner with the Dart organisation for a new 2-acre site near the National Gallery fell through.
The Humane Society has been located on North Sound Road for 28 years, in a building which includes the Book Loft, and previously, its Thrift Store, which is now located at Plaza Venezia.
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What type of human being, could stoop so low to abuse or neglect an animal. Surrender it. What rational person believes, it’s their right to abuse an animal. This is one of many problems with those having animals on Cayman. Neutering, and spaying animals is thought of as taboo, from what I can tell, or is it ignorance. Perhaps both. Why keep breeding animals for the sake of a few bucks, but in the meantime the animals are neglected, and aren’t receiving the proper medical treatment. I am angry. If reproduction is addressed with animals, the shelter wouldn’t be so overcrowded. Doesn’t take a genius. Please address this problem.