By: Tom Doody

Trouble in Paradise?

Playa's Animal Population Problem: Getting Into Action

The story behind the Adopt-a-Playa Pet program

By any Mexican standard, Playa del Carmen is the land of milk and honey. The tranquilo environment, natural beauty and booming economy attract dreamers, romantics and entrepreneurs from all over Mexico and around the world. Evidence of high earnings and expendable income are everywhere; cell phones, first world fashion and stylish vehicles abound.

A stroll down Playa's La Quinta (Fifth Avenue) reveals another fashion accessory that's a symptom of new affluence--pets. An endless parade of stylish owners walks a virtual who’s who of the AKC Registry.

It looks great; all those happy people with all those happy pets. But there's another side to the boom town nature of pet life in Playa--the young and transient population of owners. Ten minutes in any sidewalk cafe reveals the aftermath of impulsive pet acquisition - leftover pets whose luck ran out with their owner’s job or visa in Playa.

Of course, not every stray is a former house pet. Playa is also overrun with generations of canine and feline offspring that were conceived, born and are destined to die on the streets.

The problem has reached such runaway proportions that, at times, it’s difficult to tell whether there are more people or stray animals in Playa. One thing is for sure. The animals are reproducing at an alarming rate that gives every stray the potential to spawn thousands of offspring. This is compounded by the fact that we live in a culture that largely views spaying and neutering as unnatural.

What to do?

Simple solutions are elusive for a complex problem that has been so long in the making. As with many self-perpetuating environmental issues, the answer should be a combination of immediate action and education for the future.

Depending on your perspective and capacity for optimism, a look at the statistics can be both daunting and inspirational. The Feral Cat Coalition of California states that a pair of breeding cats, over 7 years, having 2 litters per year (they can actually have 3) can theoretically produce over 400,000 kittens. Just a little quick math will reveal the startling potential for a population that already has thousands of sexually active stray dogs and cats.

Conversely, there’s also cause for optimism in the number of animals that can be counted out of the future census with each successful neutering. The bottom line is this: if you take responsibility for insuring the neutering of just one dog or cat, the future population will be reduced by thousands of potential offspring animals in the very near future.

How People in Playa can make a Difference

In a town that’s filled with sensitive and caring people, there are individuals who have stepped-up to the responsibility of addressing the problem in whatever way they can. A coordinated effort is now underway to address the problem and relieve the pain and suffering of the victims.

VIDAS (Veterinarios Internacionales Dedicados a Animales Sanos or International Veterinarians Dedicated to Animal Health) is a Colorado-based group comprised of veterinary students, veterinarians and other animal loving volunteers. Each year they travel to Quintana Roo, Mexico with all their medical equipment and supplies in hand and provide a week of free veterinary care in an effort to fight pet overpopulation. Their goal is prevention of animal suffering. VIDAS also recognizes that overpopulation of animals contributes directly to human disease as well.

VIDAS is able to continue their work solely due to the gracious support of the residents of the Yucatán Peninsula and the generosity of veterinary pharmaceutical companies, veterinary clinics, and other amazing benefactors. Each clinic costs in excess of $10,000 USD. VIDAS’ May 2004 clinic sterilized over 260 animals in Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen. The VIDAS web site is www.vidas.org

Claudia Lewy Sánchez-Aldana, Playa's best-known veterinarian and Director of Clinica Veterinaria on Avenida 45 between Calle 1ra. Sur and Avenida Juarez has been tirelessly serving people and their pets in Playa del Carmen since coming here in 1997. Claudia’s Clinica Veterinaria was the host site for the May 2004 VIDAS program.

The consortium of local volunteers and visiting teams from the States has a great impact and would like to do more. With additional funding, the range of clinic services could be expanded to include vaccination, de-worming, heartworm prevention and Leukemia/feline HIV testing as well as helping to subsidize the basic costs of airfare, hotel stays and food costs.

The Adopt-a-Playa Pet Program

Playa Maya News has thrown its editorial support behind the local community by hosting the Adopt-a-Playa Pet program in both its online and print versions. The brainchild of Playa resident Pamela Robins, Adopt-a-Playa Pet matches needy animals that need good homes with responsible owners. Visitors to the site www.playamayanews.com or readers of the bi-monthly print version will soon be able to view pets that have been thoroughly checked and deemed ready for adoption.

How You Can Help

For donations to help animals locally (trapping, spaying, neutering, vaccinations etc.) you can contact Sherry Stevens Spina. Sherry is a 3-year resident of Playa who has been tirelessly working in the coordination of local clinics and has spayed and neutered over 100 animals here with her husband Franco. Donations can be made to their Pay Pal account using the email address This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Hands-on volunteers are always needed. For additional information on volunteering your time at an upcoming clinic, please contact: Claudia (Clinica Veterinaria) 873-1108 or Sherry Stevens Spina at 803-0809 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

Remember, if you are considering acquiring a pet, look to a source like Adopt-a-Playa Pet and save a loving animal's life. If you or someone you know already owns an unneutered pet, or know someone who does, act now and become an advocate for neutering. Let's keep life in Playa beautiful for people and animals.

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