HUGE TURNOUT AT ARK FUNDRAISER – ORGANISERS PLANNING FOR DONKEY PRESERVE By John Denny Observer Reporter
(Cades Bay, Nevis) – A great number of the island’s expatriate community turned out for the Humane Society’s fundraiser last Sunday, Mar. 8 at the Sunset Beach Club. Kids, dogs and goats were in festive form playing games and getting faces painted during the afternoon event. There was even chickens and pork in their best form: on the grill and on plates. One Border collie was a great performer, playing catch with anyone that would toss a ball or a Frisbee. Funds were generated at the event by the sale of food, drink, and raffle tickets for a number of prizes and through donations. About 300 people showed up for the event Humane Society member Barb Frazier said the event was a success but overhead was higher this year because they lacked sponsorship on a couple of key elements such as the food and a venue. Some of the donations to the raffle were: a half-day boat ride on Barry Wilson’s fishing boat; a scarf by the artist Carolita; a free car passage on the Sea Bridge; an original painting by Barbara McFarland; dinner at Coconut Grove; three hours of backhoe work by Junior Jack; a mosaics class; free eye exam from Dr. Ashley; dental exam, X-ray and cleaning by Dr. Stuart; various art work; and many other items. “The Humane Society wants to thank all of the donors and sponsor who made the event possible,’said Mrs. Frazier A majority of the proceeds will go to spay and neuter dogs for those who can’t afford to have their pets fixed. “A single female dog, left un-spayed has the potential of creating 66,000 puppies in just six years,’said Mrs. Frazier. The Humane Society has a fairly ambitious agenda, of course, wanting to spay and neuter to reduce the number of strays and unwanted dogs on the island, but the overall mission is to change attitudes towards animals to be more caring. “We started this in 1998 and I can see a difference in the attitudes towards animals since then,’she said. “People used to think that an animal had to have a purpose besides just being a pet. Dogs were for security, cats were for mice and so on. Now people are starting to see animals as being companions.”Another goal of the Society is to get a private veterinarian on Nevis. The one that is here, Dr Patricia Bartlett-Powell is employed by the government and she has her hands full. “The vet we have is overloaded,’said Frazier. “There are over 200 horses on Nevis and (Dr. Powell) doesn’t handle horses. Plus, there is a lot more spay and neutering that needs to be done that she can’t get to. If people could get their pets to St. Kitts, Ross University will do it for free, but pets have to be crated to be transported on the ferry and most people don’t have a crate for their animals. I would like to see a mobile clinic from Ross come over to Nevis occasionally to do spay and neuter clinics, but of course that costs.”Another project Mrs. Frazier would like to start on Nevis is a donkey preserve. “We have money set aside for a donkey preserve, but we need to raise more before we can see this through,’she said. “A donkey preserve would be a great tourist attraction that would create jobs. We went to one in England and we could barely get in the parking lot there were so many tourists there. They had a gift shop and a restaurant, it was a great attraction. If we had something like that here, there would be many jobs created, not just at the preserve, but for all the other supporting industries, like the taxi drivers and bus drivers. We have sent a letter to the government asking for a parcel of land to be donated for such a purpose and I think we are generating some interest.”A donkey preserve would benefit the island in other ways also, said Frazier. “If they were on a preserve, they wouldn’t be on the roads or knocking over trash barrels,’she said. “Again, we would need more veterinary care before we could do this, but if we had that, the donkeys would be fixed and we could control their population and they would be healthy, not wandering around in the night getting hit by cars, tearing up gardens or damaging the golf course.”Donkeys are part of the cultural heritage of Nevis and have served as transportation and for hauling a farmer’s crops for a very long time. The automobile has replaced the need for donkeys in the last ten years, and many have been left abandoned. They fall victim to fighting dogs and are often hit by vehicles. Many have been sold to the Vet School in St Kitts to be used as operating specimens. Tourists, naturally attracted to them are concerned about their poor treatment and lack of care. There is a donkey preserve on the island of Bonaire that could provide technical assistance to such a project. “We have talked to hotels, Inns and people in the community on the island and they are very interested,’she said. “The government seems to be making some moves towards promoting the island for eco-tourism. Tourism is the main income for the island and the overall make up of the island lends itself to ecotourism. While government’s purse strings are pulled in many directions, it has land, which they could donate for such a program. Funding would be needed for fencing, staff to care for them, etc. Many of the tourists and expat community are on this island because it is not largely developed and because they love nature and animals.”
