Animal shelters across the island are inundated with strays, an animal welfare advocate has said, prompting urgent calls for a national spay and neuter programme to arrest what is described as a severe animal welfare crisis.
Karen Whittaker, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Acres Animal Sanctuary, has also raised alarm over the escalating population of stray dogs and cats, warning that the situation is spiralling out of control.
“We have to turn away [animals] every day. Every shelter in Barbados is full,” Whittaker told Barbados TODAY. “Every shelter has to turn people away. There’s nowhere for animals to go. There’s absolutely nowhere.”
Whittaker expressed particular concern about dangerous packs of large, abandoned dogs forming across the island, posing a threat to other animals.
“Those dogs that are let go—the Akitas, the big dogs—are forming packs around the island. And they kill our nice, friendly Bajan dogs,” she charged.
The breeding of aggressive breeds, such as American bullies, for profit has exacerbated the problem, Whittaker said.
“Persons are looking to breed these dogs for money, only for money . . . . They’re selling them to persons who can’t take care of them,” she warned.
At the root of the crisis, according to Whittaker, is a lack of responsibility among pet owners, particularly in failing to spay and neuter their animals. She urged Barbadians to reconsider their approach to pet ownership, pointing to the need for a nationwide spay and neuter programme as a key solution.
She said: “The issue that we have is . . . too many dogs. But this issue is because of people . . . and this is where the problem lies. We need the people of Barbados to change their attitude and to be more thoughtful about the repercussions of their actions.”
Whittaker highlighted the financial and logistical struggles shelters face, emphasising that Ocean Acres, currently housing over 300 cats and 120 dogs on just four and a half acres of land, is overwhelmed.
“There’s only so much you can do with four and a half acres. If you’re considering that, you need to have space to let them roam,” she explained. However, expanding the sanctuary’s capacity is not feasible due to limited resources.
“There’s many reasons why we can’t overstretch ourselves, and the biggest one of which is money. How do we find the money to look after all these animals?” she queried.
Financial difficulties are compounded by a lack of government support and minimal donations. Whittaker described the daily challenge of keeping the sanctuary operational: “We don’t have guaranteed funding. There’s no government support. The appetite to donate is not great. We have to keep begging and scratching and working so hard to squeeze a little bit out of people.”
Basic supplies, including food, and mounting vet bills further strain the sanctuary’s budget.
“Every day we’re at the vet . . . .There’s no concessions, there’s nothing free,” Whittaker added.
Ocean Acres’ efforts to control the animal population through small-scale initiatives, like weekly cat neutering clinics, have been insufficient.
“At the moment, we only have one volunteer vet, so we do one clinic per week. But we could do with doing like five or six clinics a week,” Whittaker said. “We charge people $50 for a female cat and do a male cat for free. . . . That just doesn’t make us a profit, but it just allows us to buy the medicines and everything that goes into running these clinics.”
Broader societal attitudes towards animals also contribute to the crisis, Whittaker noted, suggesting that the lack of respect for pets mirrors other forms of abuse.
“If you have disrespect for life and disrespect generally, that’s what we have to change. Abuse is abuse. You shouldn’t abuse a cat or a dog. You shouldn’t abuse property . . . . You should not be abusive,” she said.
While acknowledging that changing mindsets will not be easy, the animal rights advocate called for education and government intervention to address the issue. “Perhaps the government could put out some messaging [saying] ‘please do not get a dog if you can’t do this, that, and the other’. Because most homes in Barbados haven’t got any fencing. Barbados is not conducive to dog ownership, especially. It’s just not.”
Despite the dire situation, Whittaker remains hopeful that with cooperation from the public, private sector, and the government, progress can be made. “Just act responsibly,” she said. “The animals are here because of us. We’ve domesticated them.”
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