REGION SERIFOS, GREECE
2020, the mayor of the island of Serifos contacts Vets in Action for help.
As in many Greek areas, the island of Serifos is experiencing an uncontrolled increase in stray cat populations. Tourism is very important for the island. Many vacationers, however, are bothered by being surounded by numerous hungry cats in the restaurant. The municipality therefore decides to take measures.
The Vets in Action are asked in 2020 by the young mayor to carry out a first neutering campaign. The campaign is a success and we agree to return next year.
In September 2021, our team neutered the majority of the still unneutered cats. According to our estimate, the 547 treated animals correspond to more than 90% of the total cat population.
The Mayor agrees to enter into an official contract recognizing the services provided by the Vets in Action.
Frtl: Zoi Kontou Head of Vets in Action Greece; Marc Ducommun, Director Foundation Vets in Action; Lilly, former stray and mascot Vets in Action Greece; Konstantinos Revinthis, Mayor of Serifos.
Shortly after the contract is signed, the local Greek television of Serres records a broadcast in the mayor's office. On the same day, the Greek news broadcasts the special five-minute program about the vets in action and their work in the country.
Link to the news video
Another point of the contract requires that a simple veterinary practice is provided by the city, in which a veterinarian from the neighboring island castrates the cats once a month, which were either too young or could not be caught during the action. With this contractual cooperation we make clear that the reproduction of stray cats can be reduced with the right measures without any use of poisons or other cruel methods and that the population can be kept under control.
The strategy of the Vets in Action is to make the communities responsible as well. Our work is focused on specific areas in northern Greece, southern Bulgaria and southern Italy. In return for our deployment, we insist on signing a cooperation agreement with the relevant authorities in each region. These agreements ensure that the objectives and responsibilities of each party are defined. This is the only way to achieve long-term success.