Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 13 days ago

    How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general, knowing that we have great shelters to provide help with the animals, and also have a great TNVR program for feral cats?

    Hello everyone,

    I hope all of you are doing well. It has been a while since I last touched base with you, but I have been so busy, sick, and stressed with all the programs that our organization is managing to keep our Latin community updated with all the fabulous programs that South Carolina has for pets.

    I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you who, at the beginning of this journey, have been helping me with a lot of information about the AVER/TNVR program.

    I am going to start writing and updating you on all the things we are doing right now in Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, the situation isn't great. Our organization is the only Latin women-led group taking care of the environment and protecting wildlife. Now, we are also involved with the TNVR/AVER program. However, most of our members speak Spanish, and the Latin community doesn't pay much attention to these issues. On top of this, our laws regarding feral animals are minimal, and our feral cats are the ones who suffer the consequences of the community's ignorance.


    #CommunityCatManagement
    #CommunityPartnerships*
    #Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice

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    Myriam Martinez
    President
    Mujeres Latinas SC
    SC
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  • 2.  RE: How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 13 days ago

    It sounds like your organization is doing incredible work in Charleston! It's inspiring to see your dedication to helping animals and promoting programs like TNVR for feral cats. It's unfortunate that awareness within the Latin community is a challenge, but your efforts to bridge that gap are crucial. Keep up the amazing work, and I'm sure your updates will help raise more awareness and support for your cause.



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    Avery Jones
    Engineer
    CraftyCreator
    CA
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  • 3.  RE: How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 13 days ago

    Thank you for your kind words; they mean a lot to me. However, I have the impression that people are less enthusiastic about interacting with animals. When we call for beach or forest cleanups, people show up and help us. But when we ask for assistance with wildlife or feral cats, I often sense a negative reaction.

    I appreciate your support and any insights you may have on how we can encourage more involvement in our animal welfare initiatives.



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    Myriam Martinez
    President
    Mujeres Latinas SC
    SC
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  • 4.  RE: How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Hi Myriam,

    Cultural change is usually a long, slow process (unless there is an economic incentive!)  Building a community cat program in Montenegro, I frequently have to remind myself of this important lesson I learned as an anthropology major in the 1970s.

    That said, maybe you need to consider different outreach and marketing strategies for the TNVR program?  Are there Latinas  already informally (or formally) fostering kittens?  Are there potential vet students? Are there people in the Hispanic community already feeding cats, who are unaware of free or heavily subsidized spay-neuter programs?  Maybe they have no idea that they can be humanely trapped and returned to them?

    You will always find people who want all of the work done for them (trapping, sterilizing, and returning the cats),  and others only willing to trap in their own neighborhoods.  Keep helping and training those folks, and every so often you will find a gem who grabs a trap and takes off!  Try to build small teams of 2-3 people, instead of creating large meet-ups as you do for clean-up days.  There are "cat people" everywhere!  Your mission will be to find a couple.  Often they can introduce you to more "cat people".... and you build from there.

    How do you reach the people already feeding and fostering?  Give them some incentive to contact you!  Free food, free kitten formula and Miracle Nipples.  Develop relationships, time you offers of training for after kitten season.

    Since you likely won't have big meet-ups for cat trapping, plan 2-4 days per year of potlucks and social activities for them to build community.

    As for the rest of the Spanish-speaking community, is there a newpaper where you can contribute a  monthly "Did you know?" piece about cat behaviors, reproduction, and solutions?  Maybe that would be a first step to change that doesn't involve too much of your time.

    Cheers!



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    April King
    Volunteer and Board Member
    Kotor Kitties
    +1 206 407 5336
    http://www.kotorkitties.org
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  • 5.  RE: How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 9 days ago

    Hi Myriam!
    My experience in the hispanic community does not correlate with what you are sharing. I am wondering what type of outreach you are using? A big lesson learned for me is I needed to step away from certain english-animal welfare jargon. How are you sharing about the work you are doing? Have you already identified community members who are already caring for community cats?
    I think its important to realize community cat caretakers haven't always been treated nicely by animal welfare, so it'll be safe to assume they may not be super willing to even admit they are caring for cats. Its important to take time to build trust and relationships.



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    Debra Olmedo
    RVT
    Patitas y Palabras
    CA
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  • 6.  RE: How can we approach the Hispanic community or the community in general?

    Posted 6 days ago

    Thank you for your help. I always try to use simple language and avoid pictures with hard content. I approach people nicely and talk to them in a way they can understand everything I do. But as you mentioned in your last comments, most of the Hispanic volunteers are afraid of the neighborhood administration because some managers have betrayed our volunteers, telling them that they are going to call the police on them if they continue to feed the feral cats. This makes it very difficult for us to achieve our purpose and goals.



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    Myriam Martinez
    President
    Mujeres Latinas SC
    SC
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