Earlier this year, Balto, a Cuban dog, was in the news after he died after being abandoned in Mexico by someone hired to bring him to the United States. The development of events after abandonment is less clear, but one report suggests that the animal was likely sacrificed because it was “depressed and did not want to eat.” mexican newspaper.
Officials say the story began when Balto's owner, a Cuban who immigrated to the United States, hired him. Shipping agency of Osmany Benavidez —Also Cuban and living in Las Vegas—brought his dog from Cuba. The transfer will be carried out by Mexican nationals and will take a route that includes stops at airports in Mexico City and Tijuana, eventually arriving in U.S. territory and possibly entering Mexico as a pet.
This strategy is used by many immigrants to bring animals left behind on the island into the United States. Travel agency in Mexico, August 2023 I confessed El Nuevo Herald She said she thought the dogs, which were taken from Cuba to Mexico using airline tickets sold by the company, “would then continue on to the United States.” [and] This dog has never been reported as coming from Cuba, but rather from Mexico. ”
According to U.S. officials, Cuba Countries where the risk of dog rabies infection is high. Therefore, animals transported from there must follow much stricter protocols than animals transported from other countries.
Unfortunately, in Barto's case, the story ended tragically. According to the owner's Facebook page, the small animal was abandoned at the airport in Mexico's capital in late December and was not heard from again until early January, when an animal rescue group learned of the victim. . .
Osmany Benavidez was contacted by On Cuba I wanted to know his version of events, but he did not respond until after this memo was published.
Increase in pets at airports
Cuba has seen an increase in the migration of affectionate animals in recent years.about 2,000 Pets that left the island during the first 10 months of 2023.This number is double Number of people who left the island during the same period last year. Most of them made the journey thanks to the efforts of their owners, who left them with family and friends before their departure.
This is a phenomenon that has increased considerably in recent years, says Dr. Maria Gloria Vidal of the National Center for Animal Health (Cenasa). Interview with Reuters. This agency is responsible for legalizing the Animal Health Export Certificate, a required document for pets leaving the island. and overseeing the operations of a licensed veterinary hospital for the installation of identification microchips, application of vaccines, sample extraction, and other requirements of the complex process owners follow to travel and reunite with their pets. Also included.
requirements It depends on the destination country and the species being transported (for example, dogs are subject to more regulations than cats). The speed will be determined by variables such as the funding available to stakeholders and the Cuban city in which the process will be carried out.
The final step, assignment, occurs under circumstances as diverse as the cases in question. Animals can be reunited with their owners after traveling with family or friends, or after being placed with one of the agencies that provide transportation. Cross-border services.
When leaving Cuba, pets take different routes. Their main destinations are Spain and the United States, which coincide with the poles of attraction for their owners. Some of those sent to the northern country stop in Mexico, to some extent replicating the migration route taken by thousands of Cubans in recent years.
when family leaves
Many of the stories are similar to that of Alicia, a woman from Ciego de Avila who traveled to Spain in 2019 thanks to a university scholarship. Her mother and her minor brother remained in Cuba, awaiting a “new grandchild law” (democratic mnemonic) This will allow you to apply for Spanish citizenship.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and delays in promulgating regulations, the reunion has been postponed. It wasn't until mid-2023 that Alicia's mother received a Spanish passport and was able to begin the immigration process with her son. They had to decide what to do with their family's Pekingese.
Its care and subsequent transportation to Spain was entrusted to Alicia's uncle, who lives in the city of Camaguey. One of his private clinics in Cuba operates in Cuba with the necessary accreditation for this process.
“For animal keepers, it's a pain because they have to take twice for vaccinations, deworming, blood draws… But we're not talking about expensive procedures. For example, microchips and The rabies vaccine costs 2,500 pesos each. The most expensive part is transporting the blood and testing it at a laboratory in Valencia, where you pay 100 euros. You can find everything you need, such as thermoses and containers for samples, on the internet. You can get it at an affordable price,” said the man in charge.
Those who don't have a way to buy these items abroad will have to look for them online in the island's vast resale market. Among the star products, thermos flasks from brands such as Tilcare and Disoncare stand out. It was originally intended to transport insulin vials. Amazon It sells for $20 to $25, but in Cuba it sells for twice that price.
These containers are used to send samples to laboratories outside Cuba, but are avoided because there are no laboratories within Cuba that do not have the necessary degree of accreditation to approve them. There are no measures. The shipments will primarily go to laboratories in Valencia (Spain) and Kansas (USA), which have traditionally been most heavily used by Cubans.
sample crisis
companies such as Traslados Pet Cadena Miranda We offer comprehensive pet transportation services, including blood testing and documentation, ranging from $2,500 to $3,000 per pet, depending on the region of the United States of final destination. In this country, according to 2023 Census, home to 2.8 million Cuban Americans. About 1 million of them were born in Cuba. 464,197 Cubans from October 2021 to October 2023 would have arrived In the US. In addition, Traslados Pet Cadena Miranda also sends pets to Mexico. Mexico is typically a transit country and a frequent destination for Cubans immigrating to the United States.
Cubans living in Louisville, Kentucky, home to an island community. Increased hasused this company's services to reunite with his beloved dog.she declared On Cuba The process was “very quick and smooth.” They took care of everything. ”
The alternative, she lamented, “is to fall into a trap formed by promises.” [for blood draws] And all of that. My elderly mother couldn't face this problem and I couldn't quit her job and go to Cuba to solve the problem myself. ”
In Havana, the number of people wanting to take their dogs out has exceeded the capacity of the Carlos III clinic. This clinic is the only clinic in the capital that is approved by the National Center for Animal Health to collect blood from pets exported abroad. “If it can be done in multiple clinics, parents will be able to resolve immigration procedures more quickly,” said a Havana veterinarian on condition of anonymity. Many users have complained about the difficulty of making reservations on social media.
The situation is such that some people are recommending traveling to neighboring states for testing. This issue does not affect cat owners, as they are not required to undergo a serum test when leaving the country. For felines, a microchip, rabies vaccine, and a certificate to prove it are sufficient.
Many interests are at stake
In order to resolve this crisis, the controller of pet immigration from Cuba to Spain will require veterinarians authorized to collect and process samples to speed up the process and reduce the possibility of abuse or corrupt practices. He proposed to Senasa that the number be increased.
“If there were five clinics in Havana with this option, this stagnation could be avoided to some extent. I think it's time to talk to the Ministry of Agriculture about opening other veterinary hospitals that can do the same thing. There are also many veterinarians and clinics trained to perform the procedure.” Said Animal rights activist Claudia Diaz was also part of the group.
Decisions to facilitate pet and family reunification can make a significant contribution to reducing abandonment. “The reality is that relocating stranded animals is nearly impossible and their fate is dire.” Warning Seda, a Cuban animal defense group;
in tutorial In this regard, the association has reported extreme cases such as owners who have pressured activists to find a home for their puppies or kittens, or leave them alone. . street. “
options such as dog hostel The facility, which opened in El Vedado for international travelers who want to safely leave their pets, is just a palliative measure to a problem that will likely worsen as a result of recent waves of immigration. As soon as they are settled in their new homes, many Cubans begin the process of adopting pets, increasing tensions within an already overwhelmed system. At least Havana has the most surgeries.
Allowing more laboratories to take samples and perform other procedures would be a solution to this situation, but some of the people consulted for this memo said: Some were pessimistic about it. “This is a business and no one wants to lose their share. When money is involved, things go wrong and then there's no way to make it right,” he said of completing the procedure in Camaguey. Alicia's uncle, who was praising himself, guessed. So Cenasa allowed private clinics to carry out this process, making it faster. “However, we have seen an increase in the number of people retiring recently, so we will soon see what will happen,'' he ventured.
After so many Cuban families left, travel preparation for pets became a full-time job for many entrepreneurs. It is highly profitable and is expected to continue to grow.
Unfortunately, just like human migration, not all pets are the same when it comes to changing lives, and some pets are even abandoned on the streets of Havana or at airports in strange countries like the Baltic.
A mitigation measure would be for Cuban authorities to expand the number of clinics authorized to process these requests. Another is that the accreditation of the Cuban laboratories that test the samples is controlled by countries like Spain. These conditions would shorten long and difficult separation periods between pets and human relatives.
