For many years, animal lovers and dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to improve the wellbeing of the animals of Hydra. Our hope was to provide a more balanced population among the island’s much loved cat community with regular THR (trap, neuter, release) sessions.
In the beginning, our focus was the large number of feral cats. With the great help of GAWF (Greek Animal Welfare Fund), and dedicated vets from Sweden and Italy, and Nine Lives in Poros, we organized spay/neuter programs. Each visit includes vaccinating and treatment for infections and parasites. There have been many others during these years and we are so very grateful to all who have helped change and save the lives of so many of these animals in Hydra.
We have wonderful donors who come to Hydra especially at the time of a vet visit to offer their help in any way they can.
And there are volunteers who live on the island. Without their dedication year round, none of this would happen. They feed colonies, rescue kittens and cats, make certain they receive necessary help, and work tirelessly during the visits from our vets.
For the last three years, the Equine Care Group of GAWF has visited Hydra and provided healthcare to the island’s donkey, mule, and horse population. Hooves are trimmed and shoes fitted correctly when needed. Teeth are rasped and cleaned and general health and wellbeing issues attended to. More than two hundred animals have been checked during these visits— many owners returning each year. We are so very grateful to these wonderful vets and hope this program will continue for years to come.
Our special appreciation goes to the Mayor and the Municipality for their continued support for our programs, and to our Hydra vet, Dimitri, who is there for the animals of Hydra whenever we call him. Thank you from all of us, and especially the animals of Hydra.
The greatest reward is those visitors who return to the island and tell us where once there were blind kittens, sickly, and doomed to an early death— now they see healthy, vital animals. We still have a long way to go but with your help, this will happen.
