After losing almost everything apart from its buildings in Hurricane Dorian, the Humane Society of Grand Bahama is asking for help in its work. The shelter says it “has never received any financial support” from the government and lost more than 100 animals due to flooding in the hurricane.
AFTER the twin nightmares of Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Humane Society of Grand Bahama is appealing for donations, saying the progress it has made in helping to reduce the number of unwanted and abused animals roaming the streets is in jeopardy.
HSGB was founded in 1967 and is the only animal welfare organisation/shelter on Grand Bahama.
In a statement, the shelter said it “has never received any financial support” from the government for the services it provides the community. After Hurricane Dorian damaged the shelter in 2019 and killed more than 100 animals due to heavy flooding, the HSGB was hampered even more after the coronavirus pandemic prohibited the group from holding fundraisers and led to a downturn in donations.
The shelter is now appealing for contributions to sustain its important work, saying no donation is too small.
“In September of 2019, Grand Bahama received a direct hit from Category 5 Hurricane Dorian which stalled over the island for almost 48 hours. Despite not being in a known flood area, not being included in the official evacuation zone, and never having experienced any flooding in previous storms, the HSGB shelter buildings were inundated with over six feet of flood waters,” shelter officials noted. “One hundred and six dogs and seven cats perished. Six staff members almost lost their lives.
The shelter said almost everything was lost except the buildings themselves. Just as the HSGB had begun the laborious and costly rebuilding process, COVID-19 struck.
HSGB president Joseph Darville said: “Having been brought to our knees just six months earlier by Dorian, one nightmare merged into another.”
The majority of disaster relief assistance the HSGB received post-Dorian came from abroad, the shelter said.
To date, the HSGB said it has received no financial assistance for disaster relief from the government or the Grand Bahama Port Authority. The shelter said the inability to hold normal fundraisers, and the resultant downturn in general donations, and funding cuts from the Grand Bahama Port Authority have been devastating.
It added that much of the funds earmarked for the last of the rebuilding projects (veterinary clinic and cattery) had to be spent on operations.
Over the years, the HSGB said it has assisted homeowners and businesses by taking in thousands of stray, unwanted, abandoned, neglected, and abused animals, and this work resulted in a “noticeable difference in the number of animals roaming the streets.”
The shelter said all the progress made “is now in jeopardy of being reversed” due to funding issues.
The HSGB said the problem affects everyone, adding that neglected, starving animals roaming the streets is a public health hazard and an unwelcome sight for island visitors and potential investors. Due to the economic downturn resulting from Dorian and the pandemic, many pet owners have found themselves unable to feed and provide medical care for their pets. The HSGB said it has been assisting as much as possible because helping pets stay in their homes is preferable to bringing them into the shelter, but said it is an added financial burden.
“Ironically, the very situations that have caused our current economic woes also mean that our services are needed more than ever,” Executive director Elizabeth Burrows said. “We would be most grateful for any assistance to help us keep our doors open. No donation is too small and we appreciate all support, whether it’s $20 or $2,000.”
Naming opportunities are available within the shelter’s new clinic for donations of $1,000 or more.
For additional email, contact info@hs-gb.org or call 242-352-2477 or 242-727-2477.
Comments
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 9 months ago
From what I saw in Nassau the only option there is to euphanise strays. The amount of strays in Nassau is ridiculous. Would be more humane to just destroy a few thousand dogs, take them out of their misery, and ours....
Obviously the humane society is having zero impact on the stray dog problem in Nassau....
So probably a good idea for GB too. Before the stray dog problem gets out of control as it is in Nassau now. And has been for decades really....
birdiestrachan 2 years, 9 months ago
For one who loves dogs and cats. The answer is not to kill, them There has to be a better way.
ETJ 2 years, 9 months ago
Euthanizing masses of innocent companion animals is not only inhumane, it will not solve the problem. There is considerable cost to that, also. This is not an animal problem, it's a people problem.
Any effective animal control programme must include at the very least:
In addition to those components, the Bahamas needs to regulate out of control for-profit breeding, especially of bully breed dogs (which are banned from importation but somehow are the most prevalently bred breed in this country) and toy dogs especially Shih Tzus and mixes thereof.
It is unfair to expect underfunded, overwhelmed private non-profits to shoulder the majority of this burden.
The sad and frustrating thing is that this problem is absolutely solvable in an island nation with finite borders. But it gets little to no attention from the powers-that-be and little to no support or funding. So the non profits continue putting band-aids on gaping mortal wounds, and the issue continues to be ignored by those who are mandated to be responsible, and thus it will only get worse.
The Dept. of Agriculture opened an "animal control unit" on Grand Bahama in 2017. Four years later they still have nowhere to house animals. So unless the HSGB will or can accept them (with no recompense),that animal control unit is almost useless. They also have no directives to enforce laws or issue citations or cause arrests to be made. This is our tax dollars at work. Has anyone any knowledge of how effective the animal control unit on Nassau is these days?
There is a better way. It takes money and resources and governmental and private support. If more people would voice their concerns directly to their elected officials, perhaps it would be taken more seriously and meaningful ongoing action would occur.
If all of this could happen it would be at an initial considerable cost. But it is completely realistic to expect meaningful results within a relatively short period of time - 3-5 years and then the costs could start to be reduced as long as the other maintenance type components remain in place.
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