Animal Welfare & Its Importance 

Jimena Ham

Whenever you go out outside, do you ever look on the streets and see a cat or dog roaming around? Have you ever wondered why they are in the streets, dirty, skinny, and even sickly looking? According to The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there are nearly 200 million stray dogs in the world and even a higher number of stray cats. But why do animals end up becoming strays? The main reason is because of lack of care from humans. Most of these animals have been abandoned by their owners—for various reasons, they didn’t want them anymore, couldn’t take care of them, ect. They can also be born in the streets, or they even become lost, resulting in them becoming strays. Because these animals were domesticated to be people’s pets, even those that are not abandoned or lost, but born on the streets, can’t be considered “wild,” and they suffer without human care.

On average, around the world, each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes. There is an even bigger amount of dogs and cats dying, which are those that die on the streets. So, how can we prevent more animals from suffering alone on the streets, without a home? 

This are a few suggestions that you can do to help decrease the number of strays; 

• Spay or neuter your pet.

• Adopt instead of buying.

• Microchip your pet.

• Help/donate to your local animal shelters.

Nowadays, there are a few animal shelters in Honduras and Tegucigalpa where you take an animal home and give them a better life—remember that adopting is better than buying. By adopting you give these animals a chance to have a loving family.  For example La Casa Noe, this organization is different from other shelters because they don’t have a set place to take in pets but they get the help of other people who can take in animals. They divide the animals and they all take them home to take care of. 

The importance of good care for your pet: 

For those of you who have a pet, plan to have one or know someone who has one. Remember, we should not only care about the animals that are in the streets but also about the ones you have! No matter what type they are; dogs, cats, birds, and fish/turtles!  They need healthy food, fresh water, go to the vet, be clean and more importantly a lot of love! 

AST: 

I would also like to point out that, in our school we have a club whose main focus is Animal Welfare. This club's name is Gin Animal Aid. If you want to know more about this club or even join it, talk with Ms. Dulce Lopez (dmlopez@amschool.org). 

Works Cited

“The Basic Necessities of Proper Pet Care.” The Animal Foundation, 23 January 2018, https://animalfoundation.com/whats-going-on/blog/basic-necessities-proper-pet-care. Accessed 28 April 2024.

“Ever wondered where strays come from?” Zero Stray Pawject, https://www.zerostraypawject.org/strays-explained. Accessed 28 April 2024.

Rowlings, Manuela. “World Stray Animals Day 2023 - FOUR PAWS International - Animal Welfare Organisation.” Four Paws, 4 April 2023, https://www.four-paws.org/our-stories/press-releases/april-2023/world-stray-animals-day-2023. Accessed 28 April 2024.

“Stray dog population management.” World Animal Protection, https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/education/stray-dog-population-management. Accessed 28 April 2024.