The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness (BAARK!) has seen an increase in animal cruelty, neglect, and suffering cases from 2023 to 2024.  

BAARK! animal traffic coordinator Stephanie Kesten said organization and the Bahamas Humane Society are lacking resources and funding to deal with these cases.  

“We have run out of fosters, and facilities to house these abused animals. What rescues we have are inundated with animals.”

Ms Kesten told The Tribune cases included intentional poisoning of dogs, dogs that have machete slashes, deliberate burning using hot oil or hot water, animals tied on very short leashes starving and animals being deliberately hit by cars left on the side of the road to die. 

“The backyard breeding is out of control with no regulation.  Animals are left in dark wooden boxes or cages caked in feces with molding food.  Abandonment.  Animals tied and left with embedded collars.  Animals so-called owned and allowed to breed with transmitted sexual diseases."

She noted that BAARK continues to spay, neuter, and release animals, only to find that many are later poisoned, despite efforts to educate the public and address the problem.

“In terms of animal cruelty and abuse, we at BAARK, and animal advocates in general, are experiencing a nonchalant attitude from the authorities and the Ministry of Agriculture who are suppose to allow the animal protection board to operate but they continue to block us.”

“There are animal cruelty laws in place, but they are not enforced because we cannot without citations.  We have police officers willing to become wardens and wanting to assist us to fight animal cruelty, but without citations we are helpless.”

“We are under the impression that the citations have been gazetted, but not printed and we do not understand what the hold up is.  As is stands, there are no repercussions for animal cruelty, so we are getting frustrated when we receive the endless calls of ‘can you help’.”

In October, alarms were raised after a traumatized dog chained in South Beach was rescued from an area littered with the bones of several other dogs, raising fears that the animals were tortured.

Police shot and killed a family’s beloved dog in June after visiting the wrong residence, then reportedly failed to apologise for the mishap. 

Ms Kesten said international groups and tourists have started to pay attention particularly after those two incidents.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder previously called for all animals in The Bahamas to be spayed or neutered unless their owners hold a breeding licence.