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!
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.