Raise your Paws for the Cause - A Spring Benefit for the Animals of Amorgos

Throughout the pandemic, Animal Zone International has continued its work, transforming the lives of the animals and residents on the island of Amorgos.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we cannot wait to do our part to change the world. That is why we are asking you to act now and register for the auction.

Register now to gain access to all our auction packages, including:

• Exclusive travel packages and private tours

• Vintage Chanel, Scherrer, and other haute couture dresses

• Art and photographs by Damien Hirst, Wegman, Kenro Izu, and Glen Luchford including a Jenna Jameson print, all signed by the artists

• A 1501 Aldine Edition of Petrarch’s Canzoniere, Alecto Historical Editions 1997 book

• A "For Your Ears Only" recording by none other than Edoardo Ballerini

• 1970s signed Gerry Lopez Lightning Bolt surfboards

• Rare original Dogtown Skateboards

• A Linof 4x5 Master Tenika Classic Rangefinder

Bidding Closes Thursday, June 24th at 11:00 PM EDT

Rescue of a Grey Heron

June 2021—A few weeks ago we were told that there was a big bird on the beach who was unable to fly. Our program coordinator Litsa went to investigate where she found a grey heron (Ardea cinarea) making every attempt to fly.

The bird was clearly exhausted from flying during migration season, completely skin and bones. He was given first aid immediately and the next morning he was sent to the Alkioni - Aegean Wildlife Hospital on the island of Paros, where they specialize in the care of wild birds.

The bird was given a poor prognosis as it was in a very bad shape, so much so that a feeding tube to the stomach had to be inserted. Yet the bird proved to be a fighter and managed to fully recover.

A few days ago the Alkioni - Aegean Wildlife Hospital together with the Special High School of Paros released the bird back to its natural environment. We were thrilled to see him fly off in good health.

The Alkioni - Aegean Wildlife Hospital does amazing work protecting and caring for wild birds. Τhey are always willing to help us with advice and for this reason, we are grateful and appreciate their work.

https://www.facebook.com/282833361820028/photos/a.284314225005275/3605366772899987

A Joyful Reunion

Last year, in 2020, Kanelos and Feevos were rescued a week apart, taken from their former owners and the miserable conditions in which they lived. Kanelos was tied up on a remote mountain, alone, with only a rusty barrel for a house, and Feevos was kept in a dirty warehouse, not even able to see sunlight. They spent a few months together at our shelter, recovering from their traumatic experiences, and in a relatively short time, both were adopted in the Netherlands by two amazing families.

We had informed both families about our suspicion that the two dogs were possibly brothers — as they had belonged to two brothers, are very similar to each other, are the same age, and they got along well at our Center. We thought it would be nice to schedule, if possible, a playdate for the dogs once they were settled in their new homes. And two days ago it happened.

Feevos and Kanelos, after about a year of separation, had a joyous reunion. From the moment they recognized each other they played and ran for two hours straight, in complete bliss. Seeing the photos documenting this jubilant reunion made us very, very happy and strengthens our resolve to fulfill our mission of rescuing abused and neglected animals and give them a full, happy life instead.

Spay/Neuter Program Spring 2021

The Spring sterilization program was completed successfully. A total of 145 stray cats (81 female and 64 male) were spay/neutered from all the villages of Amorgos, as well as 2 male dogs from AZI's shelter.

The program was made in collaboration with the Municipality of Amorgos, Animal Zone International, and Aegean Cats / “We live together” (www.welivetogether.gr).

We would first like to thank our amazing veterinarian Dr. Manolis Vorrisis, the founder of "We live together" (based on the island of Syros) for the uninterrupted support and assistance. Also we offer sincere thanks to the Municipality of Amorgos for the continuous support and perfect cooperation, the veterinarian Dr. Anna-Katerina Bacher who came from Thessaloniki to work for our sterilization program, the local veterinarian Dr. Dimitris Simos for his participation and impeccable cooperation, our Chariklia Psaki who worked eagerly as a veterinarian assistant, our amazing volunteers Giorgos, Anna, Mata, Melina, Lamia, Evangelia, Ventoula, Maria, Sofia, Fani and Alexandros who "plowed the island" and went up and down many stairs in order to collect and release cats as well as to assist in the clinic and of course all the inhabitants of the island who helped each in his own way. Thank you all!

This sterilization program is crucial for both the cats and the residents of the island. Without this effort, the population of cats would explode to unsustainable levels. Cats reach the age of reproduction very quickly at 6 months and can have two or three litters a year. When there is an explosion in the cat population, it is difficult to feed and care for them all, and they soon become parasitic and sick, suffering from malnutrition and common infections, and increasing dissatisfaction within the community. When the cat population is under control, we are able to give them proper food and treatments for parasites, so that their overall health improves which reduces their risk of being a nuisance. Suffering is reduced and harmony is achieved.

Regarding the contradiction which speaks of interference in the nature of the animal, our veterinarian Dr. Manolis Vorrisis points out that “for us, the cat is not a wild animal, but a pet. We intervene because we want her near us. Just as we intervene in our own lives with medical procedures etc. to benefit our health, we also intervene in hers.” To us, it’s clear that it is the right thing to do.

If you agree, please continue to support our efforts to improve the lives of the cats of Amorgos. Make a donation to AZI today. Thank you!

Rescue of two dogs

On Saturday, December 5, 2020, we received a call from the Public Prosecutor of Naxos who asked us if we could host two dogs who were living in miserable conditions and needed to be urgently removed from their current situation. The prosecutor had ordered their removal after receiving a complaint from an Italian visitor to our island.

When we arrived at the scene, we found two emaciated dogs—literally skin and bones—fenced in a small unsanitary enclosure with two inadequate shelters. One was chained while the other was free. There were buckets of a dark green-yellow liquid that perhaps once contained water. The brown dog was called Jack and he had scars on his face. The other dog, a white and brown one, was called Voris, and he had matted fur with many bald spots and an old injury on his chin. The dogs were clearly neglected and the stench coming from both of them was unbelievable.

We took Jack and Voris to the vet that very afternoon and, after the necessary examinations, both were taken to our shelter. Both dogs got blood tests to further investigate their state of health. Jack, the older dog, was found to be healthy while Voris turned out to have a serious liver problem, requiring special treatment as well as prescription dog food and supplements. In one month he will be checked again, and we hope that we will see signs of improvement.

On December 22, 2020, after examining all the evidence that had been gathered, the Public Prosecutor issued a new provision that permanently removed the dogs from their owner and officially entrusted them to Animal Zone International. We are relieved, for now the road for adoption is open to them. We will search high and low for a good, loving, and safe home for them.

Since then, Jack and Voris have been doing very well. They eat with gusto and have happily put on weight. They have been groomed, dewormed, and treated for fleas and ticks. They go for long walks in the mornings and afternoons and are enjoying their newfound freedom. Jack, a handsome Segugio Italiano, is about 9 years old; Voris is about 7 years old and is a beautiful English setter.

We hope that a good home will be found for them soon—it’s what these two most deserve, a happy new life in peace and comfort. If you’d like to help them, please consider a donation for their care (food, medicine, and hopefully soon, funds to help with their adoption). No donation is too small. Your help is needed and very much appreciated! Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/Donate-AZI

Casper

In May 2020, Casper was found abandoned in a remote area of Amorgos, thin and very frightened. (You can read the original post of his story here.)

Once rescued, Casper turned into a darling boy. From the start, a number of people showed interest in adopting him but in those early months he was frightened of everyone so we decided to keep him a little longer until he began feel more secure.

Casper was temporarily placed with a family with extensive experience nurturing dogs who have experienced trauma and soon he blossomed into a calmer dog. Once he was ready for adoption, a family in Holland was ready and waiting for him but Covid-19 made travel impossible.

Finally, in January of 2021, Casper traveled from Amorgos to Piraeus with our program coordinator and the next morning he was on his way to his new home. Casper is now a Dutch National and he loves his new home and his new dad.

We offer our thanks to Herman for giving a loving home to this sweet boy and we thank Mirtos Animal Project for helping to make this possible.

To our tiny sweet ghost, we wish you a wonderful long life with your new family.

Mayia

Mayia is a small dog weighing about 7 kilos /15 lbs. She was abandoned along with another dog, Casper, back in Spring 2020, somewhere near the village of Kolofana.

We were able to rescue Casper easily but Mayia eluded us the entire summer. In October, a kind man from Kolofana spotted her following his dog. We asked for his help to secure Mayia by putting food out in an enclosed area. The next day he called us to get her; she was in his garage.

When we first met her, Mayia was completely scared and she kept trying to run away, and on a walk she did just that, pulling out of her harness and disappearing once again. We didn’t see her or hear anything about her for a long while.

Then, about two weeks before Christmas, we had some good news—a shepherd spotted a loose dog in the mountains. When he saw Mayia's picture, he said it was her, so we had him help us rescue her by putting food in an enclosed area once again. A week later, just two days before Christmas, the shepherd called saying he had Mayia. Finally, she was back with us at our Center, and the hard work to socialize her began. We also made sure her harness was secure on walks this time!

After a couple of weeks, Mayia improved quite a bit and she is learning to trust people more. She has bonded with our volunteer Giorgos with whom she spends most of her time. She was also reunited with her brother Casper and plays with him a lot. We’re thrilled to see her happy and safe. Welcome sweet Mayia!

Our dog shelter

Our dog shelter was finally emptied thanks to the adoption of the three dogs we had been hosting, which means that we can now continue the work that we began earlier to maintain the safety and comfort of this small canine compound.

Using bamboo taken from another area where it wasn’t needed, we created a sheltered area to protect from the summer sun and the autumn winds.

We also added new gravel to the ground since it protects the dogs from the mud when it rains. It took over one hundred sacks of gravel to cover the area, which will help keep the dogs clean and dry. We also laid fresh hay in the doghouses. All of this was done in time to welcome two new canine members to our facility.

Next, we must repair the roof so that protection from the rain will help to make the shelter a truly comfortable enclosure.

If you would like to help us with the maintenance of our dog shelter, you can make a contribution here: https://tinyurl.com/Donate-AZI

Our work on Amorgos is dependent on your donations. No donation is too small!

We thank you and wish you the very best during this trying time.

Ivan is Adopted

In early November, we were very concerned that Greece might be entering another lockdown due to the pandemic and prevent us from getting Ivan to his flight to Holland. But by grace and good fortune, we managed to get our beloved Ivan to the airport, and thereafter to his new home in Holland.

Lucky for him, this sweet fellow got on on the very last ship from Amorgos to Athens just before the lockdown began. Then our amazing volunteer, Julia, hosted him in her home in Athens for two days before she and Pepi escorted him to the airport. From there, the wonderful Corina from the Mirtos Animal Project came from Holland and escorted Ivan on the flight to Holland.

Finally, late on Sunday evening, Ivan arrived at Schiphol Airport and into the arms of his new mum. We wish them both a long and beautiful and happy life together, sharing love and companionship. Ivan in particular loves to be hugged so we send him so many warm hugs to accompany him in his new life.

Lemonaki

Lemonaki gazes at her childhood photograph which was taken at our program coordinator’s home nine years ago. Back then, she was a tiny underfed two-month-old kitten found in Katapola square in Amorgos.

But, through grace and good luck, she was adopted by an amazing couple, Malin and Emilio, where she now lives a safe and happy life in Sweden and treated like a queen.

Thank you Malin and Emilio!!

Update on Bolec and Lolec

The latest rescue of two orphaned kittens, Bolec and Lolec, has been a great success. (See their original post here.)

These two are very happy, affectionate, and playful and would be a wonderful addition to a warm and loving home. What about yours? They will entertain you nonstop!

Preparations for winter

Winter is just around the corner so preparations have begun both at AZI’s Center and at our equine shelter so that our animals will have warm shelters during the cold months. The roof of the stable at the equine shelter received a fresh layer of primer and insulating paint. This will help protect the wood from wear and to offer more insulation to the stable.

In addition to the many cats who live inside our Center, we have a number of stray cats who live around our Center. For these cats we have made little houses in our garden which have been filled with hay to offer more warmth, safe shelter, and protection from rain and wind.

A few weeks ago we cleaned the garden, tidied our food and sand supplies and pruned the plants. We are now ready to welcome winter!

Our first customer! These shelters are made for cats like him, who live outdoors around our Center. This one jumped right in even before we were finished, and seems grateful for a soft and safe place to rest.

Winter Spay/Neuter Program

NOTICE: An extended sterilization program is being planned for early next year (Jan-Feb 2021), in order to cover more effectively all the villages here in Amorgos. This is an essential program, as we are seeing a rise the illegal use of pesticides to poison cats. This program aims to prevent an overpopulation of cats and thereby protect existing cats from being targeted with poison.

To achieve this we have created a GoGetFunding campaign to raise the amount needed to cover the various and many costs of this program (veterinarian fees, medicines, surgical supplies, etc.). Any help you can offer would be very much appreciated. This work so valuable to maintain the balance of the cats on the island and which ultimately benefits the community here as well.

To donate specifically for the sterilization program, click here: AZI Winter Spay/Neuter Program

We are grateful to our loyal supporters and all who join us in this cause. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

AZI Slideshow

The video below shows some of the sweet cats and dogs (and a goat!) we have rescued so far in 2020. So many kittens came to us sick and malnourished and now they are beautiful, healthy cats. Some have been adopted but many others still need a loving and safe place to call home.

We can do this with only with the help of our supporters like you. Your contributions are crucial, so please give what you can. No donation is too small! Each creature that comes to our Center gets a chance at a better life. We tend to the sick, feed the hungry, and search out good homes for as many as we can.

Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/Donate-AZI

WARNING: Some “Before” images are graphic.

Update on Kanelos

Kanelos, whose story we posted a short time ago, has been given the legal right, by order of the Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Naxos, to be rescued by Animal Zone International.

See his original story here: https://www.animal-zone.org/news/2020/4/24/the-rescue-of-two-dogs

After nearly six months with us at our Center, Kanelos has finally found his forever home in Holland. He will be given the love that he was denied in his first year and now this sweet young dog will be able to give back the love that so clearly fills his special heart. Kanelos is living now with another dog, named Mila, and two cats.

We want to thank Mirtos Animal Project and their team for all of their help in finding a home for Kanelos. From Julia and Wensley who escorted Kanelos to Simone and her family who so lovingly opened their hearts to this handsome boy. We wish a long and happy and wonderful new life to our dear Kanelos!!

Our work on Amorgos is dependent on donations so we ask for your help in saving these innocent creatures. Please make a contribution today! https://tinyurl.com/Donate-AZI

Bolec and Lolec

Recently two newborn kittens arrived from the area of Rachidi in Katapola. We learned of their existence because their constant crying was keeping people awake for several nights. Fortunately we arrived just in time. These two helpless kittens were not even a month old, malnourished, dehydrated, and clearly abandoned. It seemed that their chances for survival were slim. But, after five days of feedings of two or three drops of milk throughout the day, they began to eat on their own and gained strength and their health. Now, they are feeling better and starting to play together. We welcome them and wish Bolec and Lolec a long and happy life.

Melenia and Marianna

Marianna arrived in our Center in Oct 2019 when she was only two months old, a tiny undernourished kitten both blind and deaf and suffering from a number of neurological problems. Born in a garden in the area of Katapola, Marianna was cared for by the owner of the garden who had allowed a colony of cats and kittens to call his garden home. When he realized that Marianna had serious health issues he turned to AZI for help, and since then she has been under our care. Unfortunately, her eyesight and hearing were permanently damaged so could not be saved, but we felt that she was healthy and happy enough to be adopted.

Melenia had come to our center two months before Marianna, a tiny kitten only two months old with serious injuries from being hit by a car. She was given very low chances of survival but in spite of this, she proved to have great strength and a powerful will to live. Melenia had also lost her vision due to the impact but over time it returned and the only lingering result of her injury now is a slight limp. Her moving story is told here: https://www.animal-zone.org/news/2019/12/2/the-miracle-of-melenia

The stories of Marianna and Melenia merge with the story of two visitors to Amorgos from Germany. During their holidays two years ago they found a very sick cat in the streets of Aegiali and they learned about our center when trying to rescue this cat. Although we tried our best to save this cat, unfortunately, it did not survive.

Time passed, Kris and Lauren were ready to adopt a pet, they decided on a cat from our island in memory of the one they had tried so hard to save. We had only Marianna and Melenia available at that time, both special needs cats, but the caring couple decided to adopt both.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the wait to receive these two cats was long but finally, Melenia and Marianna have joined Kris and Lauren to become one family. Our coordinator Litsa traveled with the cats from Amorgos to the airport in Athens and Kris arrived from Munich to take these two sweet cats home.

We give our heartfelt thanks to Kris and Lauren, a lovely and amazing young couple, and we wish the four of them a long and very happy life together. We will miss our sweet special girls but we know that they will be warm and safe and enveloped with love.

Update on Yupi

Yupi arrived safely in his new home in Belgium. The people of the shelter there will do their best in order to give this handsome boy the special care he needs. Thank you all!

Kanelos

Kanelos was found living alone on a mountain slope, chained between two barrels, a very lonely and undernourished fellow, but, in only a short time, after his rescue, he responded to our care and attention and soon he learned to trust us and he became transformed into a happy, active and playful dog with no resemblance to the frightened boy that we first met.

On 30 September 2020, Kanelos left Amorgos to be with his forever family, a family that is ready to love him and keep him safe and well. We send our great good wishes to Kanelos. Very soon you will have the life you deserve and you will live in the warmth of your own home. We will post updates and photos from his new life as soon as we have them!

Kanelos as we found him

Kanelos at our Center in Amorgos, playing with Casper.

Yupi

When he came to Animal Zone International’s Center, he was a bony creature with a respiratory problem and severe diarrhea. After a few days, we discovered he had a very serious condition — partial paralysis of the large intestine and a malfunctioning sphincter, which caused the incontinence and frequent infections, etc.

We’re told it was possibly caused by a stroke. But we know an animal in this condition cannot survive in the streets and adoption is not so easy for special needs cats. So we turned to a shelter in Belgium which is known to take on difficult cases.

Happily, Yupi was accepted and on 29 September 2020, he traveled to the Netherlands where he will stay for a few days before he heads to Belgium in order to be evaluated by experienced rescuers. We hope against hope that he will find his own home as he is an absolute cuddly sweet creature.

We want to acknowledge all the caring people who started the chain of events that saved him. From the tourist who picked him up from the streets of Tholaria, the volunteers who took care of him at our Center, Marina who accompanied him on the ship from Amorgos to Piraeus, Pepi and Daniel who picked him up from the port of Piraeus and hosted him at their house for a few days and accompanied him to the airport, Sophie and Jelle who accompanied him on the flight, Juliet who picked him up in the Netherlands, hosted him for a few days, and drove him all the way to Belgium to deliver him to the shelter who agreed to take him in.

This show of love and care makes us very optimistic, knowing there are many who do not remain indifferent and rather are willing to work together to help a small creature very much in need.

We hope that our little Yupi will be well —as well as possible. We wish you a good start in your new life and we hope that you will soon find your own family who will accept you as you are.