Between 4,000 and 6,000 animals are abandoned each year in the Canary Islands, and of these only 10% of dogs and 1% of cats are identified with microchips, according to data from the Veterinary Colleges of Las Palmas and Tenerife.
The Canary Islands Animal Identification Registry, known as Zoocan and managed by the veterinary colleges, currently lists 702,000 animals, with 4,859 new registrations in April 2025 (of which 2,900 are dogs and 1,938 are cats).
These figures have been released on the occasion of a new campaign to promote the identification and welfare of companion animals in institutions and citizens, called "Identify and Protect", the veterinary colleges have reported.
The identification of animals in Zoocan by microchip allows to notify losses and recovery of lost animals, find the owner, keep municipal censuses updated and classified by species or control feline colonies, equines and potentially dangerous animals.
Identification is not only a citizen obligation, but also an administrative responsibility, as the veterinarians have reminded the twenty municipalities that have participated in an informative day, in which they have been given microchips.
