The Costa Rican Association for Animal Welfare (Acoproba), seeks cooperation from people who want to donate food concentrates for the 250 dogs, 45 cats, 10 horses and 1 goat that are served in this refuge, which is located in Tarbaca de Aserrí.
Melissa Álvarez, president of Acoproba, said that the project started in 2013, and she, her husband and sister, decided to shelter animals that needed medical attention.
We have a farm that we use to provide shelter for stray, ill-treated, or street animals that are run over… My husband and I are veterinarians, so we give them medical attention and the idea was to take them to the farm and later find homes for them. We already have a quite large population, especially large senior dogs,”
said Álvarez.
Currently, it is not possible for them to receive more animals, since they no longer have space and have experienced a food crisis in recent weeks, because they spend about four and a half tons of food each month.
My husband and I cover the costs and it becomes difficult. These last days we had to supplement it with rice and chicken giblets, but it was also very expensive, even though we thought it would be cheaper,”
said the vet.
Álvarez added that what they most urgently need is concentrated food for dogs, washing machines to be able to clean the blankets of the animals every two days, and a freezer to be able to buy large quantities of giblets.
When the animals arrive at the rehabilitation center they are vaccinated and dewormed, according to Álvarez, which allows interested people to adopt at once without worrying.
If we can give animals in adoption, we could receive other animals that require attention,”
said the vet.
How to help? According to Álvarez, there are several veterinarians who offer them help as collection centers. To get more information about these sites and to coordinate donations, you can visit their Facebook site by clicking here, send an email to acoproba.cr@gmail.com or contact the president of the institution at 8712-7755.