SET ABLAZE IN BAJA

Animal Shelter Set on Fire in San Felipe

On Saturday night, January 7th, 2006, at about 10pm, THE SAN FELIPE ANIMAL RESCUE in Las Minitas was broken into and vandalized. The double wide trailer which houses our clinic and ALL our supplies, food and medicines, as well as newborn puppies and sick dogs was set ablaze and literally burned down to the ground. Thirteen dogs were needlessly destroyed. Other outside kennels were vandalized as well, but fortunately, no other dogs were harmed.

SFAR was started by a concerned group of Americans in 2003 when it became a non-profit organization based out of Arizona. Since its beginning, SAN FELIPE ANIMAL RESCUE has spayed and/or neutered nearly 2000 stray and indigent dogs and cats, in an effort to surgically alter 75% of the 8000 street, camp, desert and beach dogs and cats by 2008. Zero population will be achieved when that goal is reached.

Ronda Walpole, founder of SFAR, and a resident of Show Low and Queen Creek AZ, was devastated when she and group of volunteers showed up Sunday morning to assess the damage and loss of precious little lives. "We will rebuild, and continue our mission, but we need help and support. Everything critical to running a rescue of this size was in that building and lost in the fire," said Walpole. "Because we are based in the desert, all our water will have to be trucked in due to the damage to pipes and pumps. However, we will continue to provide shelter and care to the other 100 plus animals on site that were not harmed." SFAR takes in some 25 strays every week and has a successful adoption program thru PetSmart in Mesa, AZ.

A formal investigation is underway and many, many residents of San Felipe have stepped up to help out.

If you'd like to donate to help us rebuild, you can visit our website at: WWW.SFANIMALRESCUE.ORG
or email us at bajaanimalrescue@yahoo.com or call local 577-2708. From the US call us at 707-320-0054.
Contact: Steven Forman

Donations of supplies, food, or money, which we especially need can also be dropped off at our clinic in town or at our Thrift Store, both located at 261 Mar Caribe.