News & Events
We are currently organizing for a 2 day free spay/neuter program for stray cats. It will be held the weekend of November 8-9 at the rural veterinary clinic οf Chora. Volunteers are needed. If you are available, please contact info@animal-zone.org.
In honor of World Animal Day (October 4th), AZI's Program Coordinator Litsa in collaboration with the Filozoiki organized visits to all kindergarden and primary schools of Amorgos, in order to teach children sensitivity toward animals. In addition to lessons in the classroom, the visits included activities such as games and a short film. Also, there will be an essay contest for the older children and an art contest for the younger ones with the theme on animal rights and animals as our friends. We look forward to receiving the entries!
AZI's Center held an Open House reception at on August 28th. Wine and pizza were served. Sweets were donated by Yanni's pastry shop. Thank you to all who attended! From the left: Mrs Anastasia Voulgaridi, Litsa Passari, Mrs Lily Clevede, Jackie, Mr Lawrence Bianco, and a friend. Anastasia and Lily are our most active volunteers in Aegiali. Larry and his friend Jackie are supporters from New York who came to Amorgos for a visit in August.
Open House reception
Mrs Irene Giannakou and her husband Mr Simos Giannakos are the owners of the building where AZI's center is located in Pera Rachidi. They live in Chora of Amorgos. They also feed some cats in the area.
Mrs Irene Giannakou & Mr Simos Giannakos
Our former rescue dog Sara with her new owner Angeliki Courti at her jewelry shop in Chora.
Sara and Angeliki are always together. You can find them at her shop, on the beach, even at a bar getting a drink!
The Greek Animal Welfare Fund/Animal Action Greece equine team will return to Amorgos on June 9 & 10, 2014. The team, invited and partly sponsored by AZI, consists of a veterinarian and a farrier who will offer their services for working animals (the donkeys, horses, mules) of the residents for free.
On June 9th, they will be in Kat Meria and Katapola. On June 10th, they will be working in Aegiali and Chora. Last year they treated 48 animals in total. We hope this year will be as great a success!
GAWF poster for June 2014
Bobby Marley and 14 other dogs were found badly neglected in Katapola, crowded in a dirty room. The Philozoiki was called by the local council to help. Bob Marley (now Bobley) was adopted in Belgium in November 2011 and enjoys his new life in the countryside with six dogs and two horses. Bobley’s owner wrote two books in which Bobley and local volunteer Lamia play an important role, and a third book is in the works.
At the end of March, we began a vaccination program with veterinarian Dr. Despoti. First, the cats at the center were vaccinated. Next, we focused on the cats in the various colonies in Xylokeratidi, Katapola, Ag. Georgios Valsamitis and if we still have vaccines left we'll continue with Ag. Barbara and Aegiali. Each cat was also given a medical exam. Our goal is to vaccinate 150 cats--wish us luck!
With the help of four volunteer vets, Dr. Maria Despoti, and a final year veterinary student, we completed a two-day program of sterilization and vaccinations with great success. 88 cats (46 females and 42 males) and 1 dog were spayed/neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and examined and treated for fleas and ticks. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who were a part of this huge effort!
The team of EDKE with the volunteer Mairi Tavernaraki and Litsa Passari
With the help of three veterinarians of EDKE and Dr. Maria Despoti, 109 cats and 2 dogs were sterilized on Amorgos over the weekend of November 9-10, 2013. We have to thank our volunteers who worked for two days without a break for the success of the program. They are:
From Aegiali: Giwrgos Kantarakias, Lily Clevede, Mairi Tavernaraki and Jack Mestre From Chora: Νikoleta Kolyda, Anna Kolyda, Marina Pistevou, Giwrgos Anzoulakos and Spyros from Cafe Giasemi From Ag. Georgios Valsamitis: Εvangelia Mavrou and from Katapola: Angeliki Palioura, Litsa Passari, Lamia Enan, Hariklia Psaki, Eleytheria Psaki, Rania Thiraiou, Giannis Vassalos and Gewrgia Symidala and the policeman Konstantinos Kypriotakis from Chora who brought 2 cats
Mairi Tavernaraki (volunteer from Aegiali), Litsa Passari, Angeliki Palioura (president of Filozoiki) and Rania Thiraiou (volunteer from Katapola)
Cat Waiting Room
On June 19 & 20, 2013, GAWF (Greek Animal Welfare Fund) made their annual visit to Amorgos. Veterinarian & farrier team Eliza Geskou and Giannis Brastianos treated 32 donkeys, 4 horses and 12 mules. This year many new equines were treated on the island in addition to the animals sheltered at AZI's stable. In general the body conditions of the animals were found to be good. Most needed routine dentistry and farriery care. A few cases of fly-bitten legs were seen and treated and insect-repellent medicine was given to all equines.
It was a successful visit. They could follow up on cases from previous visits in 2012 and 2011, and also treated many new equines in new parts of the island. We were very pleased with the turnout. Thank you, GAWF!
Three vets from EDKE, Voluntary Action of Veterinarians Greece, came for a second time to Amorgos. During the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd, with their invaluable help, 45 cats and 2 dogs were spayed/neutered. All cats were given a thorough health exam and dewormed. The two dogs also received microchips and were vaccinated for rabies. Because of them and their efforts, the weekend was a great success. Thank you to Drs. Angeliki Degkleri, Themistoclis Michael, Attalidou Pigi as well as to Dr. Maria Despoti.
Elisa Geskou, the vet, and Jiannis, the farrier from GAWF (Anglo-Hellenic Animal Welfare Organization) returned to Amorgos at the end of May and stayed 2 days. Their visit was very successful! Last year they treated 17 animals. This year they treated 34!!!
Many farmers responded to the invitation extended by Philozoike to bring their animals to be treated by professionals, especially in the area of Aigiali (the northern tip of the Island) ,where the team was working for the first time. Various cases of skin mange, bacterial skin infection, horseflies (a big problem on the island) and ticks on equines were found and treatment was given. Owners were given advice about how to use insect repellents to keep the flies from bothering the animals.
In our shelter, where we now have 2 donkeys and a horse, they treated our donkey Daisy who was suffering from a skin disease and also seemed to have a very rotten tooth which was pulled. She is now a much happier old donkey. Her skin is healing and she put on some weight: she is finally eating regularly. The hooves of all the sheltered animals were trimmed and they all got an anti-fly medicine.
We are very grateful to all people who made this possible. First of all to Elisa and Jiannis of GAWF for their patience and all helpful counseling. Many thanks are also due to to Maria, the local veterinarian, for her assistance, and Evangelitsa Passari, who will soon be working as the AZI program coordinator in Amorgos. Last but not least wish to thank Nikos Vassalos, Panajotis Psichoios and Vangelis from Eligryson for offering rooms and breakfast!
GAWF members will return to Amorgos next Spring.
For more about this remarkable story, please read Elisa's own diary entry:
AMORGOS (29-30 May 2012)
The team travelled 9 hours on the boat to arrive to Amorgos on Tuesday the 29th, at 02.30 in the morning. We started our work in the north part of the island on the first day and in the central and south on the second day, both days working until dark. We treated 24 donkeys, 7 horses, 7 mules and a baby goat with a skin injury.
A big problem on the island are the flies biting the body of the equines, especially the legs of the donkeys, therefore we showed the owners (that hadn’t met us last year) how to use the insect repellents. Various cases of skin mange, bacterial skin infection, horseflies and ticks on equines were found and treatment was given. A sarcoid was found on a horse and advice on how to treat it if he wants was given to the owner.
Routine dental and farriery treatment was offered to all the animals needing it. Big hooks and overgrown feet were rasped back to normal, relieving the mouths and legs of the animals. A very rotten tooth was extracted at one of the very old donkeys rescued by the local welfare group. Last year we had trimmed the very long feet of a retired donkey in Chora that could barely walk and had given analgesics for long time in order to alleviate the pain coming from the foundered feet. This year, the same donkey arrived to have his long feet trimmed again, but he was a much happier donkey walking without pain.
Amorgos is another island (like Naxos and other neighboring islands) where hobbling is used on animals, in order to keep them confined in one area and not escape. Once again we informed the owners about the dangers of hobbling and tried to advise new ways of tethering an equine; to the old ones that don’t change their habits, we tried to convince them at least to use soft materials and place them on parts of the leg where they can cause less damage.
During the visit, Giannis also had the chance to show ways of training and riding horses to some of the young boys of the island who own pleasure horses and are not able to handle or ride them properly. This is not usually part of the Equine Team’s work, but having a properly trained and ridden horse makes a happier and healthier horse - which is our aim.
Anna from the local welfare group rasped some feet under the guidance of Giannis. The equines that they have rescued need some rasping all through the year, so it was a good opportunity for Anna to learn how to keep them trimmed if needed.
The team had been invited by the local welfare group “Filozoiki Merimna Amorgou” and Anna and Vasilis Apostolakis. Litsa Pasari from the welfare group and Maria Despoti, the local vet, were with us during our work around the island. We would like to thank all the above for the organizing and their hospitality, as well as Ioanna and Nikos Vassalos and also Panagiotis Psychogios, member of the welfare group, for offering us the accommodation.
It was a successful visit following last’s year’s visit, as we managed to treat most of the equines treated last year, plus many more new in other parts of the island, therefore keeping the promise we had made before leaving the island last year.
GAWF is a London-based organization that strives to bring about significant and lasting improvement to the treatment of animals in Greece through a special program offering professional support in effort to help local animals. One of our local volunteers contacted GAWF to come and visit Amorgos and help us to improve the live of the horses, mules and donkeys there. We were pleased when they responded positively with interest in our request. In cooperation with Elisa Geskou who is a vet working for GAWF as a volunteer, wearranged a visit to Amorgos in the end of May, after their yearly visit to the island of Naxos.
GAWF
They arrived on the May 29th to work on the south part of the island, close to Kamari to help the animals from the surrounding villages. The following day they were at the port of Katapola where AZI's horse and donkey live at the new stable. The GAWF vets treated 17 local equines with farriery (hoof care) and dentistry as well as applied treatments to protect the equines from flies (a big problem in the summer months). One donkey was in such bad need of hoof trimming that he could hardly walk. Our vet Dr. Despoti assisted, and of courseall of the treatment, advice and medicine was free of charge.
All of the farmers were very satisfied with the visit and we are very pleased with the level of participation.
