At a Saipan Rotary Club meeting Tuesday, the Saipan Humane Society president outlined the two major issues facing the island’s stray animal population and suggested some ways to remedy the situation.
Lauren Cabrera said the biggest issue facing Saipan’s boonie dogs and cats is overpopulation.
“If you see a sick dog, a homeless dog, you see a skinny dog, it all traces back to there being too many dogs or cats and not enough resources to take care of them,” Cabrera said.
She said there are about 21,000 stray dogs on Saipan, even though many puppies and kittens die before being able to breed.
Cabrera said her answer to stray dogs and cats on the island is “humane population management,” which means sterilizing the animals, putting some animals out for adoption, when applicable, and euthanizing sick, injured and aggressive animals. Total eradication of the feral dog and cat population is not realistic, she said.
She told Rotarians there could be a “vacuum effect” on the population of stray dogs and cats if animal control efforts result in the eradication of most, but not all dogs.
“Right now, we have a lot of sick dogs struggling for a small amount of resources,” Cabrera said. “If we get rid of a lot of them, there’s going to be a couple of dogs with a ton of resources. They’re going to make a bunch of babies, and we’re going to have a ton of dogs again.”
Cabrera said the second major issue is the lack of a permanent veterinarian. She said one of the missions of the Saipan Humane Society is to establish permanent veterinarian services as the organization grows.
During her presentation, Cabrera said she personally cares for the welfare of animals, but understands that not everyone is an animal person.
The stray cat and dog problem affects virtually everyone on Saipan, she added. Cabrera said she is familiar with the stories of farmers whose calves have been attacked and killed by stray dogs.
Stray dogs and cats can also affect Saipan’s image with tourists, Cabrera said. She said dog fecal matter can make its way into rain runoff and eventually ends up on the island’s beaches. She also said cruelty to animals could negatively affect how visitors perceive Saipan.
