ifaw supports animals and community members in Playa del Carmen during COVID-19

Playa del Carmen, Mexico is one of the fastest growing multicultural cities in Latin America. With a dense human and animal population, IFAW and partners are adhering to strict social distancing protocols to limit the spread of the COVID-19 while still providing the lifesaving care the community depends on. 

Since IFAW partnered with Coco’s Animal Welfare in 2012, we have sponsored the construction of a new clinic and have been able to help more than 10,000 animals every year. IFAW veterinarian Dr. Erika Flores has been working with the medical director at Coco’s to provide critical care to both people and animals in a community that has been hit by both the pandemic and the loss of tourism. 

While Coco’s Animal Welfare is closed to the public, it is still open for emergencies and priority appointments that include lifesaving surgeries, neonatal care and pediatric patients (bottle feeding kittens and puppies). To prevent beloved animals from being abandoned, our clinic is also providing free health certificates and transport carriers if families need to travel during this time. 

IFAW teams are also focused on feeding the community in a time when resources are scarce. When delivering critical food and medicine to the Mayan community of Nuevo Durango, our team met a dog named Moana who was hit by a car and in desperate need of surgery. Moana needed one of her legs amputated to save her life and allow her to return to her family. IFAW’s team were able to successfully perform the surgery and Moana is currently recovering in the comfort of Dr. Erika Flores’ home. 

Although members of the community are facing unprecedented difficulties, they continue to care for their animals and each other. Just last week, a man reached out to us at the clinic about his elderly neighbour who has mobility issues. He had been sharing food from his own modest rations with a stray cat who had been visiting him. A few days ago, the cat unexpectedly gave birth to a litter of kittens in the man’s bedroom. IFAW and our partners brought him a daily delivery of food, for both him and the cat. We’re also happy to share that the man’s caring neighbor carried on the act of kindness by adopting the mother and her kittens. 

In addition to providing pet food for distribution through elderly care meal programmes, we are adding new distribution points to drop food for dogs, cats, chickens, pigs and rabbits each week. We are met with tremendous gratitude and will continue to listen to the needs of the community and work alongside them to help both animals and people thrive.