Amazon Cares
Amazon CARES focuses on humane education and the reduction of animal overpopulation through free spay/neuter clinics and street dog capture-sterilize-release programs. We have a veterinary clinic, a no-kill shelter, and a successful adoption program. We have also excelled in the area of animal assisted therapy. In addition to issues regarding domestic animals in the region, there are also concerns over the protection of wildlife. As such, we also provide environmental education that emphasizes the importance of leaving wildlife in its natural habitat.
Pet ownership in the Amazon is quite different from that in the USA. Pets are not pampered. Very few have collars or identification. A pet shop might carry food bowls for pets, but they are of the cheap plastic variety. When one’s life depends on survival, pets are not a priority.
Most don’t even have official owners who care for them on a regular basis. We call these free-roaming dogs, as they usually have a territory and often once belonged to a family that abandoned them or moved away.
So, simply stated, our goals are:
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Education of Iquitos residents in humane, responsible pet ownership, with special attention placed on the benefits of sterilization.
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Sterilization of roaming and owned dogs and cats.
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Provision of free or low-cost vaccination and parasite prevention treatments to improve the general quality of life among both street and owned dogs and cats.
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Creation of a foster family network of people who are willing to open their homes to care for previously owned or dependent dogs while they are waiting to be adopted. This will take time and patience to develop, but the foster families themselves will become powerful advocates for the ideals of responsible pet ownership, allowing for faster, encompassing changes in prevailing attitudes about pet welfare and care.
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Utilization of our no-kill jungle shelter for dogs who are dependent upon humane care for survival until they can either be rehomed or find a permanent place with a foster family.