JUNE
It has been a while since we updated you on the situation in Crete but here is the latest news:

As we told you in the last update the European Association for the Protection of Animals and Nature have offered to purchase a large piece of land for sale on the Akrotiri and for many months Silke and her supporters were very positive that this would be an ideal solution. Unfortunately the owner of this piece of land hasn't kept to the time limit for the contract so an alternative piece of land has been chosen, which is much smaller than the other, but of course much cheaper too. This land is also located on the Akrotiri. In April the land was measured for the contract. There is no legal objection to the use of the land as an animal shelter but the authorities are of course demanding various new licences and documents for the ground which will take some time to sort out. Added to this the owners of the land are now divided about the sale so that issue has to be resolved first. Purchase of the larger and more suitable piece of land has not been ruled out completely.

The old municipal shelter in the Souda area is still being used to house up to 100 dogs and the authorities are not objecting to this it seems. Two German veterinarians are helping out on a permanent basis now and have converted the shelter into several separate areas so that puppies, new arrivals, animals ready for rehoming abroad and the sick are all housed apart from each other. Running water should at last be available within the next few days and an electricity generator is due to be flown in by the German army at the end of June. The cats are in a private compound at Silke's private home, the 14 donkeys are being tended to on another piece of land on the Akrotiri. Unfortunately the different animal locations are some 15kms apart so a lot of driving is involved to care for them. The rescue, caring and castration work goes on. Animals are being rescued continually and luckily a lot have been flown abroad to new homes already this season. Silke and a volunteer are caring for the youngest animals in the information shop in Chania Old Town. This is something of a round the clock job as there was a virtual puppy and kitten birth explosion in February and March and still more babies are brought in every day. Most of these need bottle feeding and almost constant tending.

Promising contacts have been established between the various Cretan animal welfare groups and the Association of Hotel Owners on Crete. Following protests by holidaymakers about the animal welfare situation here the association has offered its support and will update visitors on what is being done to alleviate the problem and will display collecting boxes at their properties. Contact has also been made with an animal shelter in Malia, Eastern Crete, and arrangements have been made for Noah's Ark veterinarians to neuter animals there on the first weekend of every month. Animal friends in Rethymno (between Chania and Heraklion) plan to build a tiny clinic and a very small animal shelter for a maximum of 10 dogs. The local authorities are keen to participate and have offered finance. In 14 areas across the island there are regular neutering projects in operation. People in these areas report that the reduction in stray dog numbers is apparent.