Local Vet Joins Team To Help More Than 3K Pets In Puerto Rico

WAINSCOTT, NY — An local angel with a heart of gold brought her talents to Puerto Rico recently to help animals in need.

Dr. Christine Asaro, medical director of The Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons returned recently from volunteering at a spay/neuter clinic where she worked with the non-profit organization ViDAS at "The Spayathon for Puerto Rico."

A participant in one of the organization's four clinics to be held on the island, the six-day trip from Feb. 3 to 9, helped 3,406 animals to be safely spayed/neutered and vaccinated.

ARF, according to a release, has been committed to helping homeless animals on Puerto Rico for more than a decade; shortly after Hurricane Maria in the fall of 2017, ARF headed to Puerto Rico for two rescue missions which brought more than 200 animals to safety at ARF's adoption center in Wainscott.

"Since the devastation, pet overpopulation has become an increasing problem in Puerto Rico," ARF said. "Not only is there a need for sterilization, there are growing concerns for the public’s assistance as more cats and dogs contract rabies on the island."

Established in 2002, ViDAS, or Veterinarios Internacionales Dedicados a Animales Sanos/ International Veterinarians Dedicated to Animal Health, helps to assemble teams of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary students, and volunteers that travel internationally to areas of need, providing free spay and neuter services for dogs and cats.

The goal is to both stem pet overpopulation and educate the public, as well as to aid local veterinary groups in sparking positive and sustainable change, ARF said.

"The experience was truly rewarding," Dr. Asaro said.

The Spayathon for Puerto Rico is a coalition of 26 organizations that have been brought together by the Humane Society of the United States to champion an island-wide spay and neuter campaign in Puerto Rico.

As a collective group, they are aiming to safely spay and neuter more than 30,000 dogs and cats through four free, high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter clinics held between June, 2018 and May, 2019. The February clinic alone helped more than 3,000 animals with a team of 50 people, 20 of whom were surgeons. So far 17,000 animals have been helped.