¿What's New?
April 18 Update
SANTUARIO RESIDENTS PAST/PRESENT
April 18 Update
PLEASE HELP
The Santuario is asking for help.
April 18 Update
FOR THOSE WHO'VE HELPED
Gwen sends THANKS to all who've lent their support.
"At this special time in my life, it has been difficult for me to keep up with the Santuario. Illness means a constant return to the U.S. and less time to do what I love and that is to rescue and care for animals. Hopefully all will come out well and my life will return to what I consider normalcy. Thank all of you for your help, your contributions and concerns for the Santuario cats."
CRISIS UPDATE
13 May, 2009
Is there Hope?
Santuario
operates on the fundamental principal
that all life has value and must be treated with
respect.
Mission and Goals
Established in 1994 in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, as a no-kill refuge for the protection, care and well-being of cats in crisis, Santuario's purpose is to shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, and heal the sick and injured.
Santuario firmly believes that controlling population is a cornerstone of animal rescue. We neuter and spay all residents to prevent unwanted births.
Our ultimate goal is to provide the above in a loving and nurturing environment for the benefit of both animals and humans.
Santuario is a self-supporting nonprofit dedicated to these goals:
- To alleviate the suffering caused by abandonment, hunger, illness, accidents, or inhumane treatment; and
- To provide protection, shelter, food and medical care in a nurturing environment for cats in crisis or transition.
History
Gwen Bouschor came to Mexico to do what most people come for, to enjoy the beauty, the peacefulness and to begin a more relaxed way of life. Instead of relaxation, she found more work. Gwen discovered that she could not turn away from the abysmal conditions that existed around San Carlos for unwanted animals.
She and a friend, Sachi Matsumoto, began caring for some of the street animals. They made the rounds of construction sites and beaches and picked up the dogs abandoned there. The dogs were treated, cared for and, when health was regained, they were vaccinated and spayed by Dr. Martinez in Guaymas. Then homes were found for the strays.
Expanding Roles
Soon Gwen and Sachi were receiving calls about abandoned dogs and cats from all around San Carlos. The calls were answered and the animals were cared for. Food was distributed to the abandoned animals and to animals belonging to poor families, as well. In turn, the animals were sterilized.
Help was needed and help was offered. Medical emergencies occurred. Injured animals requiring stateside attention were transported to the US, and transportation and medical costs were paid for by Gwen.
Another Alliance for the Cause
That fall Gwen moved to the Caracol peninsula. There she met a neighbor, Joyce Vella, a compassionate and loving woman who fed the feral cats around her home. Joyce was also trapping these cats and having them sterilized, but she was concerned that they needed more than she could give - she was only in San Carlos for short stints, two or three times a year. Gwen offered to feed and trap during those times Joyce was gone. However, Joyce became incapacitated, then this loving woman passed away, leaving her legacy with Gwen, who knew how much this woman loved these animals.
The Santuario Is Born
Gwen's terrace grew into a feeding station when she had no other place to feed abandoned animals. Her heart was too big, and her terrace too small, but thanks to the serendipity of events, she was able to acquire the property across the street, where she built a garden refuge for cats, and Santuario was born.
The community soon learned that Gwen was sheltering needy animals, and the strays poured in. The cats had their garden, but what about the dogs? Sick and starving dogs also found their way to Gwen's doorstep, but there was no place for them. She had no choice but to adopt.
Spay/Neuter Clinic and SBPA San Carlos, A.C.
When the financial and physical burden of caring for all of the needy cats became overwhelming, Gwen petitioned San Carlos' Comisario for permission to open a neuter/spay clinic. She was granted space in the DIF Building, and also formed a Mexican civil association, the Sociedad Benefactora y Proteccion Animal (SBPA) de San Carlos, A.C. The SBPA, A.C. opened its doors in October, 1995. Thus, Santuario became the founder of the SBPA A.C., which has served San Carlos and its surrounds ever since, making a difference, one animal at a time.
The U.S. NonProfit, SBPA Services, Inc.
SBPA de San Carlos, A.C., a Mexican civil association, was formed as a parallel extension of Santuario, and the two groups worked side by side helping the animals of the San Carlos community. When the needs of SBPA de San Carlos, A.C. outgrew the amount of support available locally, then SBPA Services, Inc. 501(c)(3) was established in the United States to provide help through its U.S. non-profit status.
Santuario in the Present
Today the Santuario exists as a one-of-a-kind, no-kill refuge. The cats roam freely through the jungle of tropical plants, watch the fish in the pond and hope for a small bite. They lie beside the small waterway, which winds down from a waterfall to the pond below.
The Santuario is a peaceful, serene setting. The smaller kittens are housed indoors on the premises. Once vaccinated and sterilized they are then allowed outside with the others, to climb the trees, chase the falling flower petals or just snooze in the morning sun. They have their encounters, but all in all Santuario residents coexist very peacefully.
Caring for the Multitude
The elderly and infirm are also housed indoors where their diet can be supplemented and they can receive medical care if needed. The ones who become ill and need veterinary care are moved indoors where they receive round-the-clock attention.
Adoptions
Adoptions are carefully screened ... Gwen does not want to put an animal back into the same type of situation from which it was rescued. Like all other pets, Santuario cats would benefit from having a family and home of their own. Until the right family comes along, however, many rescued cats are lovingly cared for in the peace and serenity of the Santuario.
How to Find Santuario
Santuario is located in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Gwen can be contacted by phone...
in San Carlos, the MX phone number is 226-1460
from the US, the number (Vonage) is 520-225-0212
Or, please
email Santuario if you'd like to receive more information, or
if you'd like to
adopt or to help.
Santuario's US mailing address is:
7645 N. La Canada
Tucson, AZ 85704
