when the past Saturday, July 23, the evacuation was ordered of several population centers of Las Llanadas, in Los Realejos, a new milestone was also marked in the management of this type of emergency. As it is a mid-range environment, with a great agricultural and livestock tradition, it was necessary to evacuate more animals than people from the area. The City Council of Los Realejos, the Cabildo de Tenerife, the Red Cross and the College of Veterinarians collaborated in launching a public operation that, according to municipal data, removed 270 goats, 25 horses and mules from the risk area and 65 dogs, plus several dozen cats, chickens and birds.
To the more than 400 animals that went through the public operation, we must add various private actions such as that of the veterinarian Enrique Garcíaa native of this area of mediocrities, who from the outset, and without knowing the implementation of an official protocol, began to manage the collection, transfer and shelter of a large number of horses, mules, donkeys, goats and dogs of acquaintances .
«My phone did not stop at any time and, pulling friends and acquaintances, we managed to get more than a hundred animals out of the danger zone. We must highlight the great collaboration we had from people linked to the world of horses who came to Los Realejos with their trailers to take the animals from people who did not have the means to transport them”, recalls Enrique García.
“We move animals to farms in La Orotava, El Sauzal, Tacoronte and even Granadilla de Abona. People came together and collaborated to protect them, “says this realejero veterinarian.
The mayor of Citizen Participation, Macarena Hernández, was one of those in charge of the device, which had the support of Peludos Felices and the International Shelter of La Cruz Santa, “as well as numerous individuals who even welcomed herds of goats in El Rosary beads”. On that first day, many animals were taken to the Las Llanadas pavilion, “where we even had to buy milk to be able to breastfeed ten kittens that were rescued from a risk area.”
