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Friday 15 September 2017

‘Stimami Sterilisami’

Foundation Increases Subsidy to Dog and Cat Foundations

EAGLE BEACH - Bucuti & mon goal to reduce the
Tara Beach Resort’s island population and to encour-
spay and neutering pro- age responsible pet own-
gram, “Love me, sterilize ership. In decreasing the
me,” is now fully subsidiz- animal population, there
ing sterilization surgeries will be fewer dogs and cats
arranged by registered that cannot be cared for
foundations that work with and therefore die of star-
homeless dogs and cats on vation and disease or are
the island. euthanized.
The program has received These foundations arrange
additional funds via gen- medical assistance, find
erous donations from Aru- homes for the abandoned
ba Tourism Authority and animals, or manage a
Aruba Tourism Product Catch, Neuter and Release
Enhancement Fund. With program.
these extra funds the pro- In January 2016,Bucuti &
gram has gone from pay- Tara Beach Resort intro-
ing for half of spay and duced the community out-
neutering costs to 100 per- reach program providing
cent, until the end of 2017. subsidies for the sterilization
Aruba has struggled with surgeries. In 2017 the pro-
overpopulation of dogs gram transitioned to only
and cats. Several founda- subsidizing the foundations
tions on the island and their helping with the homeless
hard-working volunteers animals.
are assisting in the com- At this point 4,500 island dogs and cats have progress in reducing the foundations and get more
been sterilized and micro- population of abandoned cats and dogs sterilized in a
chipped in the program, animals and encourag- short period of time.
locally called “Stimami ing responsible pet owner- Bucuti & Tara is a long-
Sterilisami”. ship on Aruba,” says Tisa standing supporter of com-
“We want to make faster LaSorte, director of sales, munity initiatives and has
marketing and administra- long had a pet adoption
tion at Bucuti & Tara Beach program to help visiting
Resort. “With this significant guests and employees with
contribution from the Aru- the cost of adopting home-
ba Tourism Authority and less dogs. The sterilization
Aruba Tourism Product En- program was added as a
hancement Fund, we can true long term solution for
increase our support to the the island.q