The Strays of Saona Island During the Pandemic

Global Strays first visited Saona Island in early 2020. Saona Island, approximately 42 miles squared, is located off the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic and is a popular tourist destination for people from around the world. Since the beginning of COVID-19, the situation of stray dogs in the Dominican Republic has worsened given the lack of food. This has especially impacted the dogs from Saona Island who totally depended on tourism to eat the leftovers from restaurants. Due to the pandemic, the restaurants are now closed. Global Strays, together with Collares Rojos, is bringing dog food to the inhabitants of Saona Island who are in charge of feeding the strays. We have designated specific locals to manage the feeding program.

In addition to ensuring that the animals are fed during the pandemic, Global Strays is helping to spay/neuter the strays of Saona Island. We are helping Collares Rojos with two areas on Saona Island: Playa Abanico and Mano Juan for a total of approximately 32 dogs. On a trip to Saona in May of 2020, 200 pounds of dog food was delivered and six remaining dogs were spayed/neutered. Our friends at Collares Rojos will be going to the island twice a month to make sure the dogs are being fed correctly and are healthy. Our partners have provided dewormers and tick and flea prevention for all the dogs that are being fed in the two areas of the island. Collares Rojos has reported that the impact is very great since at the beginning of this project all the dogs were extremely thin and now they can see a substantial difference.