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Newborn puppies dumped in Gran Canaria ravine as shelters hit crisis point
Santa Lucía centre pleads for fosters amid island-wide abandonment surge
A box of helpless newborn puppies has been found abandoned in a ravine in Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, sparking an urgent call from the local animal shelter that's now bursting at the seams. Local Police responded to a report in the Barranco de Tirajana, quickly collecting the tiny litter and rushing them to the Municipal Animal Protection Centre for urgent care. But staff there say they're at breaking point, with no space left for more arrivals and these nursing-age pups needing constant feeding and monitoring around the clock.The centre took to official channels to explain just how tough things are. They're full to capacity, struggling to give every animal the one-on-one attention they deserve, especially vulnerable newborns like these. They're asking anyone who can foster, adopt or even share info to get in touch right away: WhatsApp 659 58 94 41 or contact the Santa Lucía centre directly.
This isn't a one-off. Around 10,000 dogs and cats get abandoned across Gran Canaria each year, with over 8,000 put down in shelters like Bañaderos because adoptions don't keep up. Maria Rosa Gonzalez, director at Bañaderos, put it bluntly: "We can not keep pretending there is no problem, if the social pressure will not initiate the change, politicians will not make it themselves." A Change.org petition with nearly 900 signatures is pushing for reform, including sterilisation drives, bans on pet sales and empathy lessons in schools.
Locals point to tough rules, beaches and promenades off-limits for dogs, heavy fines, as part of why owners give up. A petition at change.org is calling for Gran Canaria to act, with ideas like prison volunteers caring for strays to cut reoffending by 70%.
Image: Amy McCormack/Pexels
