"Saving Greek Animals"

Just a few  of the people we help:       Julie Tsiakmakis and her little shelter, Halkidiki Animal Rescue. Julie works incredibly hard, single-handedly. Her shelter is always full with strays - dogs and cats - from the streets of Salonica  and  surrounding villages. All are neutered and found caring homes mostly  in Germany and Belgium.  She also feeds many hundreds of strays and is constantly  receiving phone calls for help or advice for an animal...  also keeps an eye out for an abandoned or abused donkey. Two years ago the shelter was devastated by a flash flood and CARAT was able to make an immediate remittance to help rebuild the kennels which were almost completely destroyed.      Below are just two of Julie's recent rescues:  left,  two emaciated strays covered in ticks  were treated, neutered and found good homes in Germany.     Right, a badly burned dog, after long and careful treatment  recovered and has been found a new caring owner.                                                     

                                          

                                                                    

 Christiana Karathanasi who works tirelessly for the stray cats of Salonica. ...trapping, neutering and using her home for post -op care. She also has at home some 21  disabled or elderly cats that she cares for. Below left Christiana with her vet Nikos Daskalopopulos who gives specially low rates for the strays and on the right, a patient awaiting his turn!

                                                

       Christiana with  vet . Nikos Daskalopoulos at the surgery                                  A "patient" awaiting his turn

We have only recently become aware of the splendid work of  KARDITSA ANIMAL WELFARE, a small society which  rescues and neuters strays - dogs and cats,  and wherever possible finds caring homes for them...they  have even rescued  abandoned donkeys! The society is run by a committee of five but the the bulk of the work is undertaken by  two people, Katerina and Evi . They  are responsible for  the feeding, cleaning , maintenance, collecting animals, driving to and from the vet, and so on. They are tireless workers.  A   small petrol driven "gokart" would be a great help to them  and we trying  to find something suitable.  

They have recently organised an animal welfare meeting of local local societies and individuals working to help animals which has been a great success. They are keen to impress on schoolchildren the importance of respecting animals and have prepared simple leaflets on the care of animals.They are also finding our Neutering leaflets (in Greek) very helpful.                                      

AGIA MARINA SANCTUARY  Crete (formerly  MESSARA Animal Welfare)...  a group of five dedicated people, headed by New Zealander,   Barbara    Doulyeraki,  face enormous welfare problems. .... a donkey with a broken leg whose owner doesn't  want her  and   who was  going to let her die!  She is now  safe - for the rest of her days - at the  Agia Marina Sanctary, and SPIROS ,  the open sores on his forelegs now healed but the scars from pulling the plough are still there, as are those where  a rope was tied to his feet for  so many years. He  has bonded closely with AGAPI ( below right) a gentle little donkey whose teeth were so neglected she could barely eat . Her owner just had no more use for her. We have  sent a  supply of  Cooper's   Fly Repellant (unavailable in Greece) and the  pics  below show   SPIROS  (left) happy to be free of these noxious insects  and shy little AGAPI (on the right) who wasn't quite sure  what it was all about!   Fringes have now also been found to ward   off the  host of unwelcome insects - though Spiros is still finding a away of detaching   his   fringe however much Barbara tries.   

And elderly IRO,  whose owner planned to bury her alive! - but happily Barbara learned of her plight and stepped in - just in time. And another elderly lady , OLIVE, arthritic and with a foot injury, no more     use for work , came to AGIA MARINA.

A new arrival is PELEGRINO (below right with friend Hermes). He belonged to an elderly farmer who has cancer and had to go to hospital. His son, Aristides, works in Iraklion and could not look after the donkey so he contacted AGIA MARINA... having refused an offer from the meat dealer who was buying up donkeys for slaughter in Italy! Sad-eyed MELINA aged about 35 years arrived with long overgrown hooves and limping badly - from a very poor farmer (below left) who could no longer afford to keep her. After veterinary treatment she is a much happier donkey!


 There is a big problem with the Cretan ponies, a so-called "protected"  breed, which abound on the island on account  of an   EU subsidy!  Barbara reports: "They are tied under   trees for days on end... hooves untrimmed - one mare in foal has to hold a foot up at a time for relief. (see pic below) ....  covered in flies... no water.  We take turns going  twice daily taking  water and untie them and put them under another  tree where there is grass.  I found another elderly mare with the rope so tightly tied    around her front hoof it had cut i nto the flesh. It  took me an hour  to loosen it ,...she could   have lost her  hoof. " 

Hunting dogs though much prized are abandoned when no longer good retrievers and Agia Marina helps those it can and is planning to set up feeding and watering stations in a number of places. However, there was a happy ending for  RALF  just skin and bones, found by Renata, new  member of the team, eating out  of a rubbish bin on the side of the road... another hunting dog dumped by his owner. He has been adopted by a friend of Renata's and now  lives, much loved,  in the nearby village of  Kamilari. 

Below to the right  - donated by  British animal lover - a small kennel block  being built (metal gates are awaited) to    house dogs before they are rehomed  either to the UK, Germany or Belgium.

                            

Below is the new stable for the rescued donkeys at the AGIA MARINA  Sanctuary,Mires, Crete,funded by CARAT.