Horse owners and ranchers generally released their animals before the hurricane hit, and most found them. Animals whose pastures were by the sea or by a pond were less fortunate.
In December 2017, Dorvan Cocks, CCISM vice-president in charge of agriculture announced just under 30% of losses among the herds in Saint Martin. Since then, losses have increased. In question, the drought of the current season, but also the destruction of all the fences by the hurricane. Without them, the herds are in danger: "several goat breeders have told me that they recently lost half of their cattle because of the dogs," says Dorvan Cocks.
The absence of fencing, not only around the fields, but also private gardens, has the effect of increasing confrontations between animals. "We have a lot more animals to suture" reports a veterinarian.
Because they were unable to board the plane or because their owners had no accommodation, hundreds of pets (especially dogs and cats) were abandoned after Irma. The dog shelter managed by I Love My Island Dog (ILMID) was completely destroyed by the sea. Fortunately, it was empty, explains Ursula Oppikofer, president and founder of the association: “We had 38 dogs. A week before Irma we launched an appeal and thanks to Facebook, newspapers and volunteers, we all put them in foster care. ” All the associations of the French and Dutch side collaborated to evacuate by air on October 6, 2017, 167 dogs and cats from the island but also from Anguilla and Ste-Eustache to shelters in Florida and Tennessee. Then a dozen were sent to the SPA in France. (Find the full article on www.soualigapost.com)
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