Just a few blocks inland from Cancun’s pristine white sand beaches and beautiful Caribbean views you begin to see undernourished and unwanted dogs and cats roaming the streets. Rodrigo Hernandez, Cancun’s top environmental official, estimates that there are between 30,000 and 40,000 street dogs in the city. It is estimated that there are at least as many unwanted cats in Cancun, possibly more. In Cancun’s poverty-stricken areas you see starving, unwanted animals along nearly every block.

Every day in Cancun uncared-for animals are hit by cars because they are wandering in the street.  These animals may or may not die immediately from their injuries, but each of them suffers unnecessarily.  Often the city of Cancun is slow to simply remove their bodies.

The culture in Cancun helps to compound the problem of stray and unwanted animals.  People here often feel that animals, especially dogs, are here to serve them, not the reverse.  A dog is seen as useful for guarding one’s property and protecting one’s family.  But the dog’s needs are often overlooked.  As a result many dogs with owners in Cancun are undernourished, un-vaccinated and un-sterilized.

In many cases pet owners are uninformed about the population explosion which results from allowing their pets to reproduce.  They also do not realize that allowing their un-vaccinated pets to roam leads to the spread of disease.  Another problem is that many pet owners in Cancun cannot afford the high costs of vet care and sterilization.  So even in cases where the owners wish to sterilize and vaccinate their pets they cannot afford to do so.

Cancun is a young city, it was founded in the early 1970’s and has grown quickly.  Because of the rapid pace of growth here Cancun’s city government has struggled to keep up pace with the problem of stray and unwanted animals.  Current laws do not effectively address the problem and there is little public budget to enforce those laws.  There is very little public education about this problem.  And because the government is underfunded it is slow to respond and it’s efforts are often only partially effective.

RAP was founded to address these problems.  Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home as many unwanted dogs and cats as possible.  We also provide access to quality, affordable pet care.  And we work to educate the public about the need for vaccinations, preventive healthcare and especially sterilization.