animal welfare Archives - Carol Fletcher Photography

Do you ever feel cooped up? Frustrated by the same old-same old? Restricted, not in control, with zero spontaneity in your life? Furious with boredom? Restless with ennui? Well, this is a little story for those of us who feel that way.

Well actually, it’s a little story about a little soul who lives in a 1 x 3 foot tank–and has lived in those glass walls for at least 32 years. This is about Forrest, an Eastern Box Turtle.

Forrest lives next door. He’s lived there for eight years, belonging to a teenage boy. Prior to there, he lived with another kid for about 20 years. And it is likely he came from another aging kid before that. Lucky or not, Eastern Box Turtles can live to be 100-years-old. By current estimates, Forrest is in his thirties, if not older.

In any case, for eleven days this summer, we dog and turtle-sat for our neighbors. As I put fresh lettuce down for Forest that first day, I noticed the quiet in the room, the isolation in that tank. He sat staring into a corner. It was as if boredom had an odor that I recognized. I decided to take Forrest out to the backyard for a walk. Maybe it was a little bit risky–what if something happened to him? And maybe it would take a little too much time–I had a million other things to do. But, a little walk in the grass and some fresh air to add some spice and variety to his life seemed like a good thing to do. Give him something he could ruminate on in his memories for days yet to come.

And so, for the next eleven days, Forrest got to stretch his legs in his backyard. He got to smell the grass, the mulch, feel the dew and the sprinkler rain, and lift his head into the morning sun. I enjoyed those days very much. These photos are from those days.

Forrest Eastern box turtle in grass — Forrest would sit for a moment when first placed in the backyard. Maybe inhaling the fresh grass smell or feeling the morning dew between his toes. He’d stretch his neck to look through the grassy jungle and pick a destination.

Forrest the box turtle in his backyard — Forrest walked past leaves with caution, sometimes stopping to sniff or look. If startled, his head and feet would suddenly pull inside with a little air-tight suction sound. Forrest never waited long before bravely coming back out.

Forrest the turtle stretching his legs — Forrest stretching his legs. His tank is too small for him to stroll far. It surprised me how fast he walked when he got started. Forrest walked with purpose, from one end of the yard to the other. I had him outside for 20-30 minutes every day, and he walked around most of that time.

Forrest digging a hole. Under the old swing set, there is a bit of mulch. Forrest burrowed into the mulch a few times, digging down quickly to make a little pit. He seemed to enjoy the dirt and the smells.

Forrest climbing into the area under the swing set. One of my favorite things to watch was Forrest climbing into the mulch area. His stubby back legs pushed on tippy toes until his flat stomach leveled out on top, then his front legs pulled everything forward until his back feet touched again.

Forrest's belly — *Forrest’s beautiful yellow belly.*

Forrest hiding under the garden plants — *Forrest under the garden plants as the sprinkler passes over.*

*Forrest looking out his tank by the window. His food bowl full in the foreground.*

Forrest kicked me into action. Or maybe it was that he saved me from action. There was something about his situation, about his life, that settled on me. Something that nudged me to try different things, to add new things to my routine.

I did some research to learn what else I could feed him to liven up his life. I brought him a grape, apple bits, arugula, spinach, romaine, carrots. I also learned that box turtles are slow crawlers, slow growers, give birth to few offspring, and are extremely long lived–yet the species is vulnerable due to death by agricultural machinery and cars. I learned a new word: ANTHROPOGENIC or human-induced mortality, as in what’s happening to the world’s species and environments because of human overpopulation.

I can sometimes see Forrest in his tank next door when I take our stairs, but the light has to be right and he can’t be hiding under his bridge or astroturf. I hope he enjoyed those eleven days. I did.

Introducing Aniplant and Nora

Animal welfare in Cuba is a daunting challenge. On my trip to Cuba, I had the honor of meeting Nora Garcia Pérez, the founder of ANIPLANT, an animal care and protection organization in Havana. Nora has dedicated the past 30+ years to the animals of Cuba: from big ventures like founding Aniplant and promoting animal welfare on Cuban radio and TV, to smaller efforts like traveling around Havana in a little yellow Fiat with the passenger seat removed to make room for two street dogs who sleep in the car every night.

ANIPLANT, or Asociación Cubana para la Protección de Animales y Plantas, is located in Centro Havana, not far from the University and only steps from the beautiful Malecón sea wall. ANIPLANT seeks to eliminate the suffering of Cuban animals through sterilization campaigns to reduce the number of strays, public education to promote the need for good veterinary care and animal health, facilitation of dog/cat adoptions, and hands-on intervention in cases of animal abuse.

Animals in Cuba

If you’re a dog lover and have ever been to Cuba–or to any third world country for that matter–you know the helpless heartache of seeing painfully thin and sick animals on the streets. And while Cuba is a highly educated, healthy and empathetic population, their lack of resources is a tremendous problem. Often, people simply do not have the means to properly care for animals. That means that many dogs/cats go without spaying/neutering, resulting in unwanted animals roaming the streets in search of food and shelter. The Cuban government collects strays from city streets, and almost all of those dogs/cats are immediately euthanized by poisoning or electrocution.

ANIPLANT’s Mission

ANIPLANT’s main mission is to reduce the number of strays by providing as many spay/neuters as possible. They performed nearly 5,000 sterilizations each year since 2012 and are currently trying to expand operations throughout Havana and all of Cuba. Like everything related to Cuba, it is complicated. While ANIPLANT is the only animal protection organization legally permitted to function in Cuba, there are ministries and permissions to deal with and there are the obstacles of getting medical supplies and donations with the U.S. embargo still in place.

ANIPLANT in Havana

The ANIPLANT location at 128 Principe is home to a few dogs. The dogs have the run of the back areas of ANIPLANT–the kitchen, a play area outside and a little room just off the courtyard. There are employees at ANIPLANT who work to train and socialize the dogs, and to prepare their meals of rice and meat. A veterinarian and vet tech are also on staff for routine procedures and emergency care. And weekly, hundreds of pounds of meat for dog food are delivered to ANIPLANT to be sold to the community for fundraising. The place is immaculate, colorful, lively and upbeat–the receptionist sings on occasion and offers tiny cups of strong coffee to those waiting patiently for services. Dog and cat owners chat with each other and hold their pets close in the tiled lobby. Potential adopters check in at reception and discuss the adoption application process. And every now and then, the dogs break into barks or whines as a visitor makes their way back through the courtyard.

Helping the Animals of Cuba

I spent several days at ANIPLANT, photographing and videotaping. As a dog lover, Nora’s work inspired me. A few months after I first published this article, the founders of TAP Animal Project asked me to join them to help the dogs and cats of Cuba. If you are moved by this story, please consider a small donation to TAP Animal Project, a USA-based non-profit supporting and supplying resources for spay/neuter campaigns in Cuba. Considering that veterinarians in Cuba make only about $250 a year, any amount of money donated will go a long way to helping the animals. For more information on how to help the animals, or to make a donation, please visit: TAPanimalproject.org.

Aniplant lobby reception cuba tap animal project — The reception area of ANIPLANT, located at 128 Principe near Hospital in Centro Havana.

Veterinarian Edgar Llorente Llano, cleans dog teeth cuba aniplant tap — ANIPLANT veterinarian, Edgar Llorente Llano, cleans the teeth of a sedated Beagle in Havana, Cuba.

cat awaits surgery at Aniplant cuba tap animal project — A sedated cat awaits surgery at ANIPLANT. Havana, Cuba.

Training dog aniplant cuba tap animal project — In the past ANIPLANT housed up to 20 dogs. These days, only a few stay at the clinic because of Cuba health codes. These dogs get training–like leash walking and basic commands–from the trainers on staff at ANIPLANT, in Havana, Cuba.

Disposable surgical gloves washed and drying in a window cuba animal welfare tap animal project aniplant — Disposable surgical gloves are washed and dried for re-use at ANIPLANT. Medical supplies are precious and nothing is wasted. Havana, Cuba.

Potential adopters visit Aniplant dogs cuba TAP animal project spay neuter — Guests visit Aniplant and spend time with the resident dogs. Havana, Cuba.

Dog rests in a built-in space in Aniplant kitchen TAP animal project spay neuter cuba — ANIPLANT moved into their space in 2010 with the help of USA-based non-profit, TAP Animal Project. Renovations included building cave-like spaces for the dogs in the kitchen. Havana, Cuba.

Man carries a dog aniplant veterinary care TAP sterilization welfare cuba — A man brings a Husky in to the ANIPLANT lobby for veterinary care. ANIPLANT is open 6 days a week for veterinary services, workshops, and the sale of fresh meat for animal food. Havana, Cuba.

Dog in a bathtub at Aniplant tap animal project welfare cuba — This sweet face was always the first to greet me…and anyone else at ANIPLANT. Havana, Cuba.

animal welfare cuba Dog in shopping cart Aniplant TAP — This dog had been hit by a car and was carried into ANIPLANT in a shopping cart for follow up care. Havana, Cuba.

Cuba Aniplant Veterinarian Edgar Llorente Llano animal welfare TAP — ANIPLANT Veterinarian, Dr. Edgar Llorente Llano, checks his messages while waiting for the clinic to open in Havana Cuba.

Nora Garcia Pérez ANIPLANT Carol Fletcher TAP animal project welfare cuba — Founder of ANIPLANT, Nora Garcia Pérez (left), and Carol Fletcher following our interview. Havana, Cuba 3/13/15.

Thank you for reading

Carol Fletcher is a traveling, dog-loving, coffee-addicted, tree-hugging, Nashville born-and-raised photographer living in Chicago. To see more photo essays and projects, please visit www.carolfletcher.com. Select Cuba photos are available for purchase on Etsy.

Traveler, dog lover, photographer, writer

animal welfare

A Turtle’s Summer