The Teguise City Council has initiated the procedure to "modify and update" the current animal welfare ordinances, which, among other things, will allow "volunteers" to be authorized to feed cats living on the street. This action will be carried out in areas established and controlled by the City Council, as explained by the area's councillor, Gerardo Rodríguez, on Radio Lanzarote - Onda Cero.
The current animal welfare ordinance prohibits citizens from feeding stray animals, which is punishable by financial fines. The modification, according to the councillor, does not only include "changing the text and stating that people should not be sanctioned", but also a laborious and exhaustive work of identifying the colonies, to know with certainty how many there are in the municipality.
"Our work has just begun by identifying the colonies and, in turn, we are going to put up areas with feeders in these days", explained the councillor, who assures that in this way the residents will be able to know "where they can feed these animals".
In addition, the Teguise City Council points out that within the work they will carry out to control the cat colonies in the municipality, there is also "the sterilization of these animals", so that the colonies do not increase and end up "invading the municipality". To carry out this castration process, the Teguise City Council has reached an agreement with a veterinary clinic, which will provide service to the animals of the municipality.
This process, which will begin in Costa Teguise, will have the help of animal associations, since Gerardo Rodríguez assures that without them "it would not be possible". In addition, he points out that some cats have been castrated "with the money of some volunteer", which has also helped to prevent colonies from growing uncontrollably.
"We want to make people aware that we can all have animals at home and treat them like another person, but we have to be human with cleanliness on the street", the councillor sentenced.
Ademal celebrates that the "obsolete" ordinances are updated
The Association for the Defense and Against Animal Abuse, Ademal, has congratulated the work of the Councillor for Animal Welfare, Gerardo Rodríguez, for the modification of the municipal ordinances. "Thank you Mr. Gerardo, you are the example that when you want to, you can", the Association published on Facebook.
Ademal describes the councillor as an "empathetic, open to dialogue and quick management person", and celebrate that he has been able to eliminate the "obsolete" municipal ordinances. Specifically, they are pleased with the modification so that feeders "are not fined", as well as the sterilization of felines, which will prevent "their propagation and lack of control".
From Ademal they have also shared the call of the group "Teguise Cat Lovers", so that any citizen who wants to "can join to be a cat feeder", and that in this way improve "the common proposals that have to do with the optimization of resources".