DistantNews
Support us
🇲🇽 Mexico /Culture & Society

Lack of empathy and awareness fuels animal abuse and abandonment

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Activists and authorities say Ciudad Juárez faces widespread stray-animal overpopulation driven by abandonment, economic hardship, inadequate awareness and a lack of sterilization.
  • Oswaldo Robledo of the Alianza Animalista un Millón de Esperanzas said abandoned, unsterilized female dogs reproduce and contribute to the formation of packs.
  • The article also describes continuing abuse, including the alleged killing by burning of a chow chow, which activists want authorities to investigate and punish.

Ciudad Juárez is struggling with a serious problem of stray dogs and animal abuse, activists and authorities say. The causes include financial hardship, limited awareness, a lack of empathy, failure to sterilize pets and simple ignorance about responsible ownership.

Oswaldo Robledo, a representative of the Alianza Animalista un Millón de Esperanzas in Chihuahua, told EL UNIVERSAL that the city has a large and growing animal population. In many cases, he said, the problem begins with owners who abandon their pets.

“There is a great overpopulation of animals, and it is not the animals’ fault. It is the fault of irresponsible owners who abandon them,” Robledo said. He added that unsterilized female dogs reproduce when they go into heat, helping create packs of stray animals.

There is a great overpopulation of animals, and it is not the animals’ fault. It is the fault of irresponsible owners who abandon them, and the saddest thing is that they are not sterilized.

· Oswaldo RobledoThe animal-rights activist described how abandonment and the lack of sterilization contribute to stray-animal overpopulation.

The problem exists across the city, but it is especially visible in areas away from the urban center and on the outskirts, including Juanita Luna, Felipe Ángeles and Camino Real. Robledo said many abandoned dogs in those areas face deadly conditions.

The activist, who has spent more than 11 years rescuing animals from the streets, said some owners abandon pets because they cannot afford food or veterinary care. In other cases, families give an animal to a child as a whim, treating it like a toy until it grows larger and becomes difficult or dangerous to manage. The animal is then left on the street.

Abandonment is accompanied by abuse and cruelty committed by owners or other residents. In one recent case, a chow chow suffered extreme cruelty after a man allegedly burned it. Local activist groups have called for the alleged perpetrator to be detained and punished.

Sometimes this continues because of a lack of money. People struggle to feed them or provide medical care, so they throw them out onto the street.

· Oswaldo RobledoHe explained how financial difficulties can lead owners to abandon pets.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog