HOME to a vast number of wildlife species, from sea lions to blue-footed boobies, the protected Galapagos Islands are so popular with tourists that they now face tragic pet overpopulation.
According to the Charles Darwin Foundation, the spike in tourism resulted in an increase in trash — from 15 tons in 2001 to more than 800 tons last year. This, in turn, caused the number of stray dogs and cats to multiply because they feed off garbage and reproduce faster while still more pets are illegally smuggled in from the Ecuadorian mainland.
Unvaccinated pets carry the contagious diseases parvovirus and distemper, plus fleas, ticks and other parasites, which threaten endemic species (sea lions are particularly susceptible to distemper). Yet there is currently no animal hospital on the island to treat the growing pet population — and that’s something New Yorker Tod Emko plans to fix.
“My goal is to build the islands’ first animal hospital,” says Emko, who volunteered in Galapagos with the marine conservation society Sea Shepherd. “Pets that need treatment now are handled by the Galapagos city pound.”
In July, Emko pulled a starving stray off death row. To Emko’s horror, Ben the pup underwent sterilization surgery without anesthesia. “He was howling in pain, operated on for two hours by an untrained employee,” Emko recalls.
Emko arranged for Ben to receive emergency care; the dog is now here in Manhattan looking for a home, as are two other Galapagos strays: a mutt, Roxy, and a kitten, Simon.
Partnering with the nonprofit Amigo Fiel (Spanish for “Faithful Friend”), Emko also plans to open a sanctuary. “It will be Galapagos’ first no-kill shelter,” he says, “so I don’t have to bring handfuls of pets back to New York each time I go!”
So, why should New Yorkers care about pets in Galapagos? Because, Emko explains, “Its wildlife replenish the oceans, and if we don’t work to protect all the islands’ animals from disease, then the entire world will suffer, because there will be no wildlife left.”
To donate to Amigo Fiel, or to foster Ben, Roxy or Simon, visit ecuadoranimalshelter.org
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