Costa Rica's McKee Project Jaco News & Updates

McKee Project Needs more manpower and more foster homes for our Rescue/ Adoption program

WE NEED MORE MANPOWER AND MORE FOSTER HOMES FOR OUR RESCUE/ADOPTION PROGRAM!

This part of our project needs not only a huge amount of funds, but also needs much more manpower than we can count on right now. We were already pointing this out in the past: we are a very small group of volunteers. This means that we are not employed by an organization called “McKee”, nor do we have employees who work for us. We need your cooperation - it’s simply not enough to report an accident or an abandoned animal, we need you to help us to actually muck in and take care of the situation. Together, we always will be able to resolve problems and find solutions, but because we are just 4 people actively working on this project, we are not able to take care of all situations by ourselves right away. Please don’t limit your actions to just reporting a problem, because when you actually help us, it’s much more likely to get resolved.

Also: we are not, nor do we have access to, anything like a shelter. This means that we cannot collect animals off the streets, as we simply have nowhere to put them. If they are sick, they need to be taken to a clinic, and after that we almost always need a foster home for them. Our foster homes are always packed with animals, and we always need more people willing to open their hearts and their homes for animals to recover in during their treatments, and after that, while waiting to be adopted. So if you want to bring an animal in, please help us to also find a foster home for it. As always, we will provide meds and (if necessary) food.

Another huge THANK YOU goes out to all sponsors of this project from December until today: STUART WELCH – USA, DR. CARLOS MORALES – San Jose,  CATHI BRENNAN – USA, GHOGHA AMON – USA, PAOLA ALVARADO – Parque Nacional Carara, HOTEL LOS RANCHOS – Jaco, GUISELLE HERNANDEZ SOLANO – Heredia, TROPICAL GARDEN HOTEL – Jaco, FUNDACION MCKEE – San José, PETS Y MAS magazine – San Jose, KATIE MCMILLAN – Puntarenas, ANPA COSTA RICA – San José, KETTY RODRIGUEZ – San Jose, NOLA MACEK – USA and JEANNIE LITZ – USA.

EDUCATION PROGRAM DURING SCHOOL VACATION, AND OUR PLANS FOR 2012

In the month of January we organize, together with the Jaco Library, creative afternoons for children ages 7 to 14 years old. The subject is of course animals – both pets and wild life.  Angela Maria, well known by all the kids in Jaco, is working with them in our library, reading, discussing and painting, and all kids are invited to participate. Depending on how popular these afternoons will become, we are considering the possibility of continuing this project also during the school year.

In February, after the local schools organize their programs, we want to start working at two main schools in our area on a daily basis.
This great (and expensive) project will be possible thanks to the generous support of LINDA LOOK from the USA – the same person who years ago sponsored the start of our education program, and has been helping to keep it alive ever since. THANK YOU LINDA FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE THIS GREAT AND SO VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PROJECT.

NEWS FROM THE CASTRATION PROGRAM

In the second half of 2011, we were able to welcome DR. JOSE MANUEL JIMÉNEZ from Jaco to our spay/neuter program. Dr. Jiménez was originally trained by McKee, and since then he’s been helping us on our “little spay days” we’ve organized a few times a week in different locations in Jaco and Tarcoles. At these clinics we typically spay/neuter around 10-12 animals. We are using private residences, and are trying to work no more than 3 hours each day, and Leo Hogan and Doris Schluckebier have been assisting Dr. Manuel. Also in the Jaco clinic, DRA. WENDY VILLALOBOS provides low cost castrations for our rescues, as well as for pets belonging to low income families who cannot afford the regular price.

Our goal for the year 2012 is to average 70 spayed/neutered animals per month -  we are looking for sponsors for the next spay day which will be scheduled for next week. The castrations in the month of December and the first 2 weeks of January are sponsored by: MYRA WEIGER – USA, HOTEL MAR DE LUZ – Jaco, SYLVIA VAN BAEKEL – Herradura, WISHBONE RESTAURANT – Jaco, HOTEL TORTUGA DEL MAR – Hermosa, JUDY WITT – USA, SIMONE REITANO – USA, KAREN HUSS – Herradura, LEO PLUMLEY – Jaco,  LIZ from TACO BAR – Jaco. A Huge thank you to all of you!

For more info, visit McKee Project Jaco.