The Cancun Animal Welfare Center was placed under quarantine due to a distemper outbreak that led to the euthanasia of dozens of dogs and cats. Specialists warned that the initial case may have originated in one of the pets treated at the end of last month during the free sterilization campaign.
Representatives of animal protection associations warned that it was a case of gross negligence and demanded that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (SEMA) file the corresponding criminal complaint because serious crimes were committed, including animal cruelty and abuse.
The former president of the College of Veterinarians, a specialist in Public Health, Dr. Arturo Dzul, opined that the initial distemper case, which led to the euthanasia of 80 percent of the population living at the Animal Welfare Center, most likely emerged during the recent Free Sterilization Campaign held from October 20 to 25.
In addition to the staff’s failure to properly follow safety protocols, the owner of the infected pet ignored the initial symptoms of the disease and took his dog to a place where hundreds of other dogs congregated. Therefore, all attendees are at serious risk of becoming ill and should be quarantined and under observation.
The specialist stated that the virus spreads very quickly, so with just one or two poorly managed cases, the infection rate could reach up to 80 percent of the population.
Furthermore, besides the lack of training, he pointed out that the building lacks sufficient space to separate the pets into three different areas, depending on the severity of any outbreak that might affect the entire community.
The public health veterinarian lamented that the current administration has been very secretive, to the point that instead of relying on professional bodies where specialists are located, it uses members of associations, such as Cachorrilandia, who may have good intentions but lack the necessary knowledge, and have even been called upon to join the administration.
In their opinion, this mishandling of the protocol resulted in the Animal Welfare Center reverting to being a municipal dog pound.
For her part, Flor Tapia, president of the animal protection association Opus Magnum, called the actions of the municipal authorities “shameless.”
In a brief statement, the head of the Secretariat of the Environment (SEMA), Óscar Rébora, stated that he could not review the case because it falls under municipal jurisdiction.
A few hours after the mass killing of dogs and cats at the Animal Welfare Center was made public, allegedly due to a distemper outbreak, its director, Yamili Góngora, was removed from her position because “she wasn’t doing her job properly,” reported Mayor Ana Patricia Peralta de la Peña.
The mayor indicated that the decision was made because the now former director was not adequately caring for the pets under the municipal government’s custody.
The mayor announced that she would reveal the name of the person who will replace the former director later in the day. She also indicated that the Animal Welfare Center would work closely with Yuli Lázaro, owner of Cachorrilandia, an organization that rescues stray dogs.
The mayor stated that the Animal Welfare Center had been “very secretive,” but anticipated that they would open their doors to receive support from specialized organizations.
She also mentioned that construction of an animal hospital on the site would begin shortly.
It should be noted that a few hours earlier, Sara Rincón Gallardo, president of the Luum Balicheo Animal Protection Society, reported that a suspected distemper outbreak led authorities at the Cancún Animal Welfare Center to carry out a mass culling of dogs and cats without following established protocols.
The situation was quite different with the Xibalbá crematorium in the state capital, where private individuals offered pet cremation services, defrauding grieving families by delivering only sand instead of ashes, and dumping the pets’ bodies in black bags on nearby land.
In that case, the Ministry of Environment (SEMA) intervened when they discovered that the alleged company lacked any permits to operate.
It is reported that Brizeidy “N,” one of the two people charged, obtained a change in her pretrial detention measures, being granted house arrest due to maternity and breastfeeding rights.
Source: lajornadamaya
