Barrio Santo Angel

At the mouth of the Havana harbour tunnel and spreading westward is the neighbourhood known as Santo Angel.

This is a barrio in transition.
The rejuvenation that has taken place in tourist-centered Habana Vieja is now spreading outward.

We are here to meet a community organizer and activist that is behind some of these changes.

As we walked down this street ...

... and up these stairs we had no idea what we were to encounter.

This building houses the salon of Gilberto Valladares Reina (Papito).

The walls are covered with “art related to the handling of scissors”.

Papito has quite a history. He was troublesome in his youth until he found his calling as a pelequero (hair stylist).
Now he gives the same opportunity to the youth of Havana by offering barber and styling courses at his school.
It too is filled with art ...


..some rather comic.

The neighbourhood is certainly being rejuvenated.

Calles Cuarteles is and example.

Two studio of note are ...

Estudio Martalena

located at

Cuarteles No: 64 e / Habana y Aguar Habana Vieja

and across the street ceramist Carlos Planas has his home and studio.

As I mentioned in my previous posting the area's veterinary "consultorio" is being renovated and will re-open in September.
Allow me to introduce Humberto

He is the head of this neighbourhood clinic.
The locals are very happy to have their clinic back.

Should you find yourself in need of some styling or
would just like to help the community drop by
Calle Aguiar #10, between Pena Pobre and Avenida de las Misiones.

I hear a style will run you 5 CUC.
You could always forgo the style,leave 5 CUC, and just have a look.

Tell them the Spanky Project sent you.

Not So Mean Streets

These Havana streets are strangely comforting for me.
The same is true for many dogs.
The one above seems to call home the Estacionamento (parking area) adjacent to
Parque Central.

Not all dogs in the street are homeless.
For some, the streets are their home and they are often supported by the community.

This morning we met with Directora Guadalupe Ramos and Dr. Fernado Gispert of
Clinica Laika.
We began at the Museo del Chocolate.
Sadly, they were out of the Aztec hot chocolate.
Then we moved on to La Marina for lunch.

Gladys had been very troubled with the health of one of her cats. Eric el Rojo (Eric the Red) had stopped eating and exhibited other symptoms.
She brought Eric with her so Gispert could do an exam.

After a thorough examination, as thorough as one can be for a non clinical setting, and lots of palpation ... Gispert suggested blood work be done.
This is not an easy feat in Cuba. Veterinary laboratories are near non-existent.

After Eric was back in his carrier we got back to our discussions.

Dr. Gispert, in addition to being proud of his hat, is very happy with the work of the
Comisión de Esterilización.
The number of stray dogs in the streets have been visibly reduced.
Guadalupe and Fernando filled us in on how the work in Habana Vieja is progressing.
They also informed us that the Consultorio Veterinario in the Santo Angel barrio will be totally renovated and ready for opening in September.

To help celebrate the re-opening we have been invited to collaborate in a
Desparasitación Masiva de Mascotas.
Bayer's animal health division is supplying Advantage for over 400 dogs and cats.

+++

One of my favourite walks out of Habana Vieja is up Calle Teniente Rey.
It is a straight shot from Plaza Vieja to El Capitolio.
This route goes from the renovated and rejuvenated Vieja through real neighbourhoods to bustling Paseo de Marti.

This walk up Teniente Rey showed how successful the spay/neuter program for dogs has been.
In 2003 there were few cats visible except, funnily enough, in Barrio Chino.

Now that stray dog numbers have been dramatically reduced feral cats are populating the streets.

And the play grounds.

Preliminary discussions are ongoing with the end goal being a
Trap, Neuter & Release program for cats.
Spanky would approve.
These discussions will be picked up in September when the Spanky Project arrives with
Animal Balance.

El Capitolio

Centro Habana - Barrio Colón

My lodging on this trip, as many trips before, was the Hotel Plaza.

A three star hotel that straddles the tourist haven Habana Vieja and the gritty Centro.

The roof top views at breakfast are great.

The rooms may be a little tired, but
the bed is firm and the linens clean.
Besides, I'm here to be on the streets not in the room.

After breakfast I was off to meet the Spanky Project's Cuban representative, Gladys, and coordinator, Susana.
These two ladies work so hard on behalf of the Spanky Project.
I will forever be indebted to them.

After catching up we hit the streets.

The aim of this trip was to set the stage for the September and November missions.
In September, the Spanky Project has the honour of introducing Animal Balance to Cuba.
This is a "feasibility visit"for Emma Clifford, the founder of Animal Balance.
Their mission statement ...
"Animal Balance believes that high volume, community based sterilization campaigns combined with rabies vaccination is the only humane, logical and sustainable strategy to combat the over population of cats and dogs and prevent the spread of rabies."
Their goals and world wide experience bode well for future collaborations in Cuba.

First stop, Centro.

The Spanky Project has had an ongoing relationship with the
Consultorio Veterinario - Centro Habana.

Photos by S.Hurlich

Magalis (left), the recently retired Consultorio Directora, and Regnit (botom), the current Directora, greeted us. Ibrahim (right) was attending to patients in the treatment area.

With the Comisión de Esterilización doing great work in Havana Vieja, we now have the opportunity to expand our efforts.

This meeting set the stage for that expansion.

Centro Habana is an area with many challenges.
With Animal Balance we will do a modest 25 sterilizations.
This will be a get to know you event and a chance to discuss larger campañas.

Perhaps we will see this guy in September.

On this day he certainly hit a mother load of entrails.

The Barrio Colón area of Centro is a vibrant, real community....

...that can use some help.
We will be here to help Cubans help their animals.

Passage to La Habana

This late June afternoon found Skeeter
-- once again--
dropping me off
for my bus to Toronto's airport and an onward flight to Havana.
Door to door, these trips are usually a twelve hour haul.

Check- in opened three hours before the flight. Well before that, Cubans and expat Cubans were lined up with a of bounty of consumer products. A sampling of these goods included flat screen TVs, a compact clothes washer and car tires. I didn't even begin to guess what was in the Marshall's bags or the coolers.

Once on board, I had one of those Washington slept here ...
... or Hemingway drank here moments.

This plane was Shepard One during John Paul II July 2002 tour of
Canada, Guatemala and Mexico.

A 20:30 departure and an 2:05 arrival at Jose Marti airport is not my favourite way of passage.

This is especially painful when you must wait for someone held up in Aduana (Customs).
Seems like Aduana does not like to see WIFI routers in your luggage.
Mind you, I saw this as payback for the times I have held up the bus while Aduana cleared 50 kg of veterinary supplies.

I finally greeted my "cama" at 4:30 am.
This haul was 15 hours.

Tomorrow it's off to the Consultorio Veterinaro Centro Habana

From Burnaby to Havana with Love

I hope you enjoy following the wonderful contribution being made by Anne - Marie and Charlotte.
The article below is an follow up to the Burnaby Now of November 17, 2010.
Journey to Cuba to help animals was "eye-opening"

Two Burnaby residents raised $900 for veterinary supplies

By Janaya Fuller-Evans, Burnaby Now March 19, 2011

Burnaby Now

A trip to Cuba made two Burnaby residents more aware of how differently animals are treated in other parts of the world.

Up until the past twenty years or so, there were only veterinarians available for agricultural animals in Cuba, according to Charlotte Sedens, who recently returned after visiting the country.

"People in North America consider their pets to be a part of their family, however, that is not the case for everyone in Cuba right now," Sedens explained in an email. "Dr. Gispert (who works with Clinica Veterinaria Laika in Havana) told us that up until 1989 vets were not even trained in school to practice on small animals such as cats and dogs as they were thought of as a commodity for the rich."

Sedens and Anne-Marie Nagata visited Old Havana to donate supplies to the clinic on Dec. 4.

The pair raised $900 through clients and staff of the Burnaby Veterinary Hospital, and family and friends, to buy supplies for the clinic before leaving for their vacation.

Representatives from Pfizer Canada, Vetoquinol Canada Inc., and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc. also helped them purchase and gather the supplies, according to Sedens.

Sedens came across a website based in Prince Edward County, Ont. - the Spanky Project - prior to the trip and decided to raise funds to buy supplies to help veterinarians spay, neuter and provide medical attention to stray dogs in Cuba.

The Spanky Project, run by Terry Shewchuk, raises supply donations to help dogs, cats and horses in Cuba.

Dr. Fernando Gispert, of Clinica Veterinaria Laika, is in charge of the project in Havana.

After arriving in Cuba, Sedens and Nagata booked a tour of Havana, two hours from their resort in Veradero.

Once in Havana, the pair separated from the tour and met with their contact, Susana Hurlich, who served as their translator, according to Sedens.

They were taken to the clinic, a small three-room building in Old Havana, where they spent about two hours. The facilities were clean and well maintained, though small, Sedens said.

"Most of the time was spent informing us on the sterilization initiative and the Spanky Project," Sedens said. "We also learned that the clinic also initiates several other programs."

Through the sterilization initiative, dogs are nursed to health over a 30-day period before being spayed or neutered, and after recovering are put up for adoption.

According to Sedens, every three months a group of Canadian veterinarians goes down to Cuba and performs the sterilizations.

Since the project began four years ago, 273 animals have been sterilized, she said, adding that none were released back on the streets.

The clinic estimates that the amount of stray dogs in Old Havana has decreased by at least 50 per cent in the last four years, Sedens.

Nagata, who had visited Havana in 2003, said the number of street dogs had decreased dramatically since she had last been there.

Sedens, who graduated from Simon Fraser University in April, is a volunteer at the Vancouver Aquarium and for the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.

Nagata works at the Burnaby Veterinary Hospital and recently graduated from nursing school.

She chose Cuba as a travel destination because she had been there nine or 10 years ago, and really enjoyed it.

"Animals area huge part of both of our lives," she said. She and Sedens became friends in high school.

The pair is arranging to deliver the supplies they could not take with them to the Spanky Project, for someone else to take to Cuba.

Veterinarian's Day

¡Muchas Felicidades a todos los veterinarios en Cuba !

Today, March 24th, is Veterinarian’s Day in Cuba.

It was on this day in 1961 that Fidel Castro and Captain Antonio Núñez Jiménez, signed Resolution No. 254 for the creation of the Revolutionary Veterinary Services.