Franciscan Refuge: 1500 dogs and 40 cats will stay in your home

Located at kilometer 17.5 of the Mexico Toluca highway, Cuajimalpa de Morelos in Mexico City, the Franciscan refuge was threatened by Judge José Salazar Uribe who called for the immediate eviction of the property, leaving more than 1,500 canines and 40 cats at risk. However, the Haghenbeck Foundation reported that the expulsion process was stopped, in order to reach a conciliation agreement that would allow the animals to remain in the shelter.

The foundation clarified that the copies would not be abandoned since now those responsible for their protection and care would be the owners of the property.

After 8 years of dialogue, the agreement was positive, so 1500 dogs and 40 cats will stay at home after the dispute between Animal Refuge and the Haghenbeck Foundation.

According to the Office of the Environmental and Land Management Procurator (PAOT), nearly 500,000 dogs and cats are abandoned each year, and said that the figure increased by 20% each year before the pandemic.

Attorney León Téllez Berlanga on the situation reported that he was doing everything possible to stop the situation in order to avoid eviction or at least increase the deadline, which was achieved.

“We are trying to protect the Franciscans, the doggies and the kittens of the Franciscan Refuge, since unfortunately in recent years there has been a whole legal procedure to get us out of this place. The eviction order was issued even with the use of public force, our team of lawyers is looking for ways to stop at least the immediacy of this procedure and look for a negotiating table,” said the lawyer.

According to the Animal Surveillance Brigade of the Ministry of Citizen Security of Mexico City, it is estimated that there are about 1,200,000 dogs in the street in Mexico City alone.

Faced with the threat of compliance with the order and the pressure to safeguard the animals, the entire shelter team, with the support of elements of the Public Security Secretariat, decided to protect the building by closing the entrance door with chains and padlocks to prevent access. Also outside the shelter they parked a truck that served as a barricade to prevent attacks or any action that put them and the animals at risk.

“It is not an option for animals to be handled by people other than those who know them and with whom there is a very powerful bond. It is not an option for force to be used to evict the dogs or us and that it is clear that the dogs are in our custody and not that of anyone else, there is no order for someone to take care of them,” said León Tellez.

In its annual report, the Federal Health Sector reported that, with regard to the issue of canine and feline sterilization, between 670 and 695 thousand operations have been carried out per year and that of dogs and cats that do not have an owner, more than 10 million are not sterilized, this means that there are more and more dogs and cats on the street.

The shelter over 40 years old has already filed the corresponding legal appeal. According to the Citizen Council for Security and Justice of Mexico City, in 2021, it reported that it dealt with nearly 1,200 cases of ill-treatment of pets, physical aggressions and tethered specimens, figures that represent 29% of the total. On the other hand, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 7 out of 10 dogs suffer from abuse in the country, this puts Mexico in third place in animal abuse.

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