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View Dr. Jane Goodall’s (PhD., DBE, UN Messenger of Peace) video of support here.
A video of our pilot education/ spay-neuter program can be found here.
The journey of developing Animal Welfare Karpathos as a non-for-profit organization began with Animal Friends-Karpathos (Οι Φίλοι των Ζώων-Κάρπαθος), which was established as a legal association in 2002. The latter changed the scene of animal welfare on Karpathos, as animals had no veterinary care or advocacy on the island prior to its creation. Animal Friends-Karpathos was founded by a number of people. Some of the most notable contributors were Dr. Martina Greve, Patricia Moser, Rita Weber, Nikolaos Alexiou, Angeliki Frangos, Vena Kamaratou, Anja Van Rossum, and others.
Of special note among those who contributed was also Alf B.Meier who inspired many people on the island to take better care for their pets. Alf devoted over15 years of his life to keep the free Animal Welfare Clinic on the island open 5 days a week and made himself available for any animal that was in need. It was because of his dedication that many volunteer veterinarians kept coming back to the island to help. Even though he is not a veterinarian, he was able to save hundreds of animals when no veterinarians were on the island. When he moved to the US in 2016, the free clinic closed, but the volunteers continued to rescue animals daily and fostered them in their homes. As a result of the hard work of all of these volunteers over the years, more than 3000 animals were spayed/neutered by accredited veterinarians who volunteered their time on the island, and over 1500 animals were sent for adoption abroad.
Anna had experienced the dedication of all the animal welfare volunteers from a very young age. She spent a lot of her vacation time on the island with Alf at the Animal Welfare Clinic. This experience was instrumental in her decision to go back to the island and provide pro bono veterinary care for the animals of Karpathos. After graduating veterinary school and obtaining her training in emergency medicine, Dr. Katogiritis approached Alexandra Desmond, Yvonne Deutchand Angeliki Frangos, and together they began brainstorming and developing a plan for the creation of a new NGO on the island. At the same time, the Greek America Foundation had asked Dr. Katogiritis to lead an Animal Welfare campaign in Greece. Anna offered her help for free with the only request that the first program be organized on the island of Karpathos, as the animals there have a dire need for medical care and the stray population of cats has reached nearly 1000.
In July 2019 Dr. Katogiritis had a personal meeting with the newly elected mayor of the island, Mr. John Nisirios in order to present the plans and proposals that the team had worked on, and requested his support. Mr. Nisirios was very enthusiastic about all of the initiatives that were presented to him.
After a year and a half of planning, and in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, Animal Welfare Karpathos (Φιλοζωική Δράση Καρπάθου) was officially registered in court as a not-for-profit organization with a renewed vision and mission. This initiative was also supported by the island’s mayor, Mr.John Nisirios, and the UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall.
The mission of the organization is not only to provide the necessary medical care for stray and wild animals in need but also to continue to promote adoptions and educating the public on the ethical treatment of animals.
If you would like to partner or support Animal Welfare Karpathos please visit
www.AnimalWelfareKarpathos.com
Follow the organization on Social Media via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
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. 
