Despite all resistance, we were able to undertake the first castration action in Summer 1999 whereas the German veterinarian was allowed to attend to cats of German nationals and local animal lovers only.

In Autumn 1999, the first castration action for she-dogs was accomplished at the dog station on Porto Santo Island headed by Vetfunchal/Madeira. All costs were borne by ANIMA Hilfe für Tiere e.V.

Veterinarian Team of Vetfunchal and Assistants

Conditions and chances to live of the caught dogs on Porto Santo Island worsened and we again wanted to help and organised a further medical treatment and castration action, which was financially supported by a German couple that had adopted a little dog from the dog station on Porto Santo Island.

For the very first time, the Portuguese team of veterinarians of Vetfunchal recorded the castrations with a digital camera.

When we saw the recorded pictures, we were shocked to realise that many of those animals had no chance to survive the castration because of their malnutrition and their being only skin and bones.

We immediately decided to have as many as possible of those almost starved animals taken to Germany as quickly as possible. Despite all our efforts, five of those animals died the following days.

We meant to do something good but achieved the worst with funding the surgery.

We were shocked when the first animals reached Germany. Never ever in our lives had we come across such poor creatures all skin and bones. They could not walk and when they tried to stand upright, their hind legs immediately gave way. There was no way to feed them the normal ways, as these poor creatures had unlearned to eat. We had to feed them small portions by hand several times a day. Our veterinarian visited us on a daily basis. We celebrated every little progress and we were ashamed of Portugal country, which we do love and which treats its pets well most of the time.

All people involved, including Vetfunchal on Madeira, had to realise that it was impossible to castrate any further dogs on Porto Santo Island to, as we hoped for, enable them to find a new home as castrated she-dogs on their home country island

Never was a castrated she-dog taken from there, only if dogs for the hunting season were sought, one was picked but only to be returned to the dog station when the hunting season on a couple of rabbits ended.

Castration announcement in 2003:

Up to 18th February 2003, pet owners on Porto Santo Island registered some 40 she-dogs. Click the icon to view the castration announcement.

Castration by Vetfunchal which costs are funded by ANIMA Hilfe für Tiere e.V. Click the icon to view the castration announcement.

Picturegallery of Castration 2003 on Porto Santo