Abandoned and adopted animals in Spain
Veterinary surgeons still have plenty more to do in the fight against abandonment: animals are not just a fashion accessory.
How can we reduce the number of abandoned animals?
The number of abandoned animals has shown a downward trend in recent years. This is due to three factors:
- Lost animals reclaimed by their owners thanks to use of identification microchips.
- A decrease in unwanted litters as a result of more pet castration.
- An increase in the adoption of abandoned animals.
This post focuses on the last point by analysing the current situation concerning the adoption of abandoned animals.
Number of animals abandoned in 2015
In 2015, Spanish shelters took in a total of 137,831 pets, bringing the estimated annual rate of animal abandonment to around 22 dogs and 7 cats per 10,000 inhabitants. Considering not everyone has a pet, these figures are really alarming.
What happens to animals that aren’t adopted?
As shown in the graphs below, 45.8% of dogs and 41.2% of cats can hope to be adopted after being abandoned. But what about animals that aren’t adopted? In such cases, they will have to spend the rest of their days in a shelter or even sacrificed if the worst comes to the worst.
A rather shocking fact is that a considerable proportion of the cats and dogs found in Spanish shelters are adopted by families from other countries.This highlights the shortcomings in Spain with respect to the adoption of abandoned animals.
Here are some percentages regarding the adoption of abandoned animals
But there is also a positive side. In recent years, the adoption of abandoned animals has been on the increase. In 2014, 45.4% of abandoned dogs were adopted, rising to 45.8% in 2015. In terms of animals being sacrificed, the figures show a declining tendency from 8.3% in 2014 to 7.7% in 2015.
What happens to abandoned cats?
The trend is similar. Firstly, the level of adoption of abandoned animals has increased, from 36.9% in 2013 to 41.2% last year. The proportion of sacrificed animals fell from 17% in 2014 to 14.7% in 2015.
In summary: One of the key strategies for reducing the number of abandoned animals is to promote adoptions. People should be reminded of the outstanding work done at shelters, which are usually staffed by volunteers. Everyone needs to help educate society better in this respect.
