Spenden
- Activities
- About NetAP
- Your help
- Education
- Media
In 2017, we were asked to take on the plight of cats on the Senegalese island of Gorée, located off the coast. The island became known as a monument to the abduction of slaves. The island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. Gorée covers only 36 hectares and has around 1600 inhabitants.
Work permits, facilities, fishing equipment and medication had to be organized first, which was a real challenge on an island like Gorée. Numerous authorities had to be contacted until all the necessary permits were in place for our team to operate in Senegal. We also had to clarify in advance where we could order the necessary medication and what equipment was already available from the local animal welfare organization Ligue pour la Protection des Animaux (LPA). It was not possible to bring everything with us from Switzerland. Fortunately, Dr. Cissé, a veterinarian from Dakar, committed animal welfare activist and lecturer at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Dakar, offered his help.
The first mission finally took place almost a year and a half after the first contact was made – in January 2019. A second one followed in April 2019.
At the time, the LPA assumed there were 150 cats. However, it turned out to be many times that number. In addition to neutering and providing medical care for the cats, our team focused primarily on training local vets and final-year veterinary students. The aim was to enable the local animal welfare activists to continue the program independently in the future.
The conditions in Africa cannot be compared to those in Europe. Many things have to be improvised. Several factors make the project even more difficult, some being basic facilities, constant lack of water and electricity and the turmoil in Dakar.
After the second mission, 80% of the island cats had been neutered and several vets were able to continue neutering independently and with high quality. We left some of the equipment we had sponsored and brought with us behind, in the expectation that the project would now continue and could serve as a role model for Africa.
However, civil disturbances and finally the corona pandemic put a spanner in the works. Gorée was completely sealed off during the pandemic and the cats multiplied more than ever.
In 2023, we therefore decided to carry out a third mission on the island. In May, more cats were neutered and a special focus was placed on training and education, which was carried out in collaboration with the University of Dakar. The pandemic had clearly left its mark. The political situation can only be described as unstable. Riots, demonstrations, looting and various restrictions affecting public life are unfortunately part of everyday life. Nevertheless, we are keeping our eye on the game and are trying to convince students at the veterinary university in Dakar in particular (who come from various African countries) of the importance of sustainable castration programs.
The next step is for a local team to regularly catch and neuter cats on Gorée, under the direction of Dr. Cisse and under the patronage of NetAP, LPA and the University of Dakar.
Shortly after our team left in May 2023, there was renewed turmoil in Dakar. But just three weeks later, the first pictures arrived from Gorée: the first day of operations with the local emergency services had taken place. 8 female cats and 5 male cats were spayed and neutered. This was followed by further riots. It remains to be seen whether we will achieve our goal of helping to relieve the suffering of cats on Gorée.
