Written by: Dr. Anna Katogiritis
It doesn’t always happen that your childhood hero becomes one of your most beloved supporters. In a heartwarming video, Dr. Jane Goodall (PhD, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute) sent her congratulations to the mayor and volunteers of Animal Welfare Karpathos and extended her support of our efforts.
Dr. Goodall’s compassion for all living beings is evident through all of her actions. As an individual, she cares deeply not only about animal welfare, but also about human welfare and environmental welfare. Through her lectures, youth program and projects she has taught many of us the true meaning of “One Welfare”. More specifically, through her educational youth program, Roots & Shoots, Dr. Jane has managed to captivate the hearts of youth across the globe, inspiring millions to take positive actions for animals, humans and the environment.
During her visits to Greece in 2016 and 2018, Dr. Goodall had the opportunity to see first hand the number of strays in various locations of the country and appreciated the lack of animal welfare and the need for bold actions to protect needed to protect them. It was during the few moments where we would interact with the strays in Athens, Thessaloniki or Crete when we would discuss ways in which we could contribute to their well-being. During our discussions, I would often mention Karpathos. Being my home-island, the idea that over 1000 strays suffer in the streets has always been a point of discussion and discontent for me. It has also been my driving force in life; a source of inspiration and passion for the improvement of their welfare.
Karpathos, though a small island overall, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island has a number of wildlife species (mostly small mammals, reptiles and birds) and an ever growing population of stray animals. During my last survey on the island during the summer of 2020, I was able to estimate that the island currently has over 1200 stray cats and at any given time a small number of stray dogs. Most of the stray dogs are often abandoned puppies from unwanted pregnancies, as not all citizens understand the significance of spaying/neutering, and often times those who do, do not have the finances to fulfill this important step.
The lack of spay/neuter campaigns has led to a significant increase in the stray feline population, since the volunteer veterinarians who would often visit the island prior to 2016 faced various obstacles after that year. Between 2016-2020, only one spay/neuter campaign was organized through the municipality, during which a little over 100 cats were spayed/neutered.
For those of us with experience in the animal welfare arena, it is easy to understand that 100 spay/neuter surgeries in 4 years are a drop in the ocean, given the rate by which our feline friends reproduce. For this reason, I have had a series of discussions with the mayor, Mr. John Nisyrios, during which I explained that through Animal Welfare Karpathos we are able to organize campaigns, as long as the municipality is supportive of our programs. What does “support” mean? In Greece, in order for volunteer veterinarians to be able to take part in animal wellness and spay/neuter campaigns the municipality (and more specifically the Mayor) of each region must welcome them through a series of formal decisions, including temporary designation of a proper room for surgeries that meets legal requirements and issuance of temporary permits through the government. Thankfully, Mr. Nisyrios was supportive of all the ideas that the AWK team and I recommended. A formal partnership with the city hall of Karpathos was formed and a room has been approved for the duration of two years with unanimous voting by all members of the municipality board.
With that said, Animal Welfare Karpathos has continued to grow as an organization and we have been able to maintain high standards of financial transparency, veterinary care, and adoption protocols. My partnership with the Greek America Foundation will now extend to a partnership of GAF with Animal Welfare Karpathos in an effort to have better results this coming summer (June, 2021). The spay/neuter campaign which will take place under the auspices of the Karpathian municipality is aiming to spay/neuter a minimum of 500 animals in one month. You can read more about this volunteer program opportunity here.
Dr. Anna Katogiritis is a Greek- American small animal and wildlife emergency veterinarian. She considers herself a global citizen, as at any point in time she may be found saving lives in different locations around the world. Anna is a passionate animal advocate with over 20 years of experience in animal welfare practices. She has worked with organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute and offers consulting and pro bono services for companies, organizations and animal sanctuaries globally. 
