Busy end to the year.

This year is rapidly coming to it's end.
With two "missions" in the planning, there hardly seems to be enough time ... or funding.

At the end of September the Spanky Project and Dr.Michael Belovich, of Toronto's
Yonge Street Animal Hospital, head to Havana.
We will supply and participate in ...
four sterilization campañas,
one massive deparasitation
and
two vaccination clinics.
(details to follow)

Emma Clifford, founder and director of Animal Balance, will join us for the week.
She will be meeting many of the dedicated groups and individuals that are helping Cuba's animals.
The hopeful result will be future collaborations with the Spanky Project in Cuba.

Also with us will be Christy Alcebo of Florida based Peluma .
We will be delivering over $5,000 worth of supplies.
Thanks to all who have donated via our PayPal link.

If you live in the USA, Animal Balance will accept donations and ear mark them for Cuba.
These fund will purchase supplies to be delivered from Canada.
They will also issue tax receipts.
Click here to go to Animal Balance's donation page.
Please be sure to specify Cuba or Spanky Project on your donation.
If you are located in Canada ... tax deductible donations can be made by cheque through Mackenzie Papineau Memorial Fund.
They are a Canadian registered charitable group.

mail cheques to:
Mackenzie-Papineau Memorial Fund,
Att: S. Skup, Treasurer
56 Riverwood Terrace,
Bolton, Ontario, L7E 1S4

Include your name, address and telephone number to ensure you receive a tax receipt.
Also, specify Spanky Project on the memo line.

In December the Spanky Project will return to Havana with a group of Canadian Veterinarians.
We will work in collaboration with our Cuban counterparts on a variety of veterinary projects.
We will also celebrate the second annual Cuba - Canada Veterinary Day.

It's been a busy year.

There will be a brighter future ... thanks to you.

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.