A mass and free sterilization campaign for dogs and cats has reached the milestone of 1,000 animals sterilized so far in 2026, as announced this Wednesday by Quinta de los Molinos on Facebook during the second day of the November edition, held at that botanical garden in Havana.
The initiative will take place from November 2 to 6 at Quinta de los Molinos and is the result of a partnership between Spanky Project, the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, the NGO "Heritage, Community, and Environment," and a large team of animal advocacy volunteers.
"Behind every surgery, there are veterinarians and volunteers who dedicate their time, professionalism, and heart without expecting anything in return," the post emphasized.
Spanky Project is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by Canadian Terry Shewchuk, who named it after her dog, with the declared aim of humanely controlling the stray population through free surgical sterilizations.
"The attention, care, and kindness of each and every staff member involved in this wonderful work is exquisite; it's beautiful the love with which they do this job. Our cat is doing very well after 48 hours post-surgery," wrote a Cuban in the comments of the post.
Another participant recalled her experience in a previous edition: "I saw towels and blankets being given away to keep pets warm because their owners were unaware that recovering from anesthesia made them feel cold. I also saw, during a rain that fell, someone giving away an umbrella and saying, 'Take it, I came by car, so your baby doesn't get wet.'"
Although Decree-Law No. 31 "On Animal Welfare," approved in April 2021, provides for state centers for shelter and rehabilitation for stray animals, by the end of 2025, those facilities still did not exist, according to official reports that attribute the failure to economic crisis, the pandemic, and weather damage. In this institutional void, civil and international alliances like Spanky Project represent the main practical response to animal overpopulation in the Cuban capital.
The November event continues until Friday, the 6th, at the Quinta de los Molinos, where pet owners can come to access sterilization services at no cost.
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