These cats were left at the Saipan Cares for Animals. According to Public Law 21-31, it is illegal to abandon animals in the CNMI.
These puppies were abandoned in a parking lot on Mount Tapochao.
DUE to limited shelter capacity, Saipan Cares for Animals and the Saipan Humane Society are urging the public not to abandon injured or unwanted dogs and cats at their facilities.
Variety first reached out to SCA after they posted about an abandoned cat on their Facebook page on Aug. 6.
SCA said while they were conducting clinic hours at their Gualo Rai office, an individual “just came in and left” a mother cat, three kittens and cat food.
“We are not staying [on Saipan] and no one can watch them,” SCA stated. “We don’t have a shelter service anymore.”
SCA board member Natalia Roberto said their network constantly receives messages with requests to find animals new homes.
“Unfortunately, our facility doesn’t have the option to accept animals,” Roberto added. “We don’t have a shelter facility anymore. Despite this, we are always open to helping our community members with adoptions or fostering through our Facebook page, Saipan Cares for Animals CNMI.”
SCA managed to find three permanent homes and one foster home for the cats.
On Aug. 7, SCA used their social media page to solicit foster homes for two puppies abandoned at Jones Beach on Tinian. An individual expressed willingness to foster the animals.
Rie Matsuo, an SCA volunteer, said she discovered a kitten on Aug. 11, abandoned at the SCA office. An individual left the kitten in a plastic basket accompanied by a handwritten note on a paper bag. The kitten was adopted by an SCA client, Matsuo said.
“In case someone has pets they can’t take care of any longer, we ask them to take the next step: contact us via Facebook with a description of the pets and good pictures,” Roberto said. “We will make a post on our page. A lot of animals found their new homes thanks to spreading the word on social media.”
Illegal
Lauren Cabrera, president of SHS, reminds the public that it is illegal to dump animals under Public Law 21-31, which also prohibits animal cruelty and theft. Section 3193 of the law states that a person commits second degree animal cruelty if they abandon or desert an animal.
Cabrera said SHS, which is located in Garapan, is not an animal shelter, but an animal health clinic.
“Unfortunately, the ability to foster these animals at Saipan Humane Society is limited due to space constraints,” she said. “We do small-scale rescue and rehabilitation, but only a few dogs at a time, which are typically taken from the mayor’s shelter. We do not house puppies, kittens, or cats.”
Cabrera said if a resident has an animal in need of a new home, the person should first use social media or other means of communication to locate a new owner or a foster.
The public can also bring the animals to the Mayor’s Dog Control Program office in As Perdido. They can be reached at (670) 234-3647 and are open Monday to Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On July 30, Cabrera took to social media to post about four puppies her husband found abandoned in a parking lot on Mt. Tapochau.
On July 16, SHS stated it had to euthanize an injured kitten abandoned at its office.
“When animals are abandoned at our clinic without informing us, we may not see them,” SHS stated. “They might be attacked by stray dogs or otherwise suffer. It is heartbreaking for our staff to find animals in this situation when we are trying to go home after a busy day.”
Representatives from SHS and SCA said animal owners should neuter their pets to prevent overpopulation and promote the health of their animals.
Cabrera said SHS will have several opportunities to neuter animals in the fall. Their organization can be contacted at info@saipanhumanesociety.org/.
To contact SCA, email sca.cnmi2023@gmail.com or look for them on Facebook.
