500,000 dogs are abandoned on the streets of Mexico every year

Mexico ranks first in Latin America with the largest number of stray dogs, according to the Legislator, Valeria Cruz, who also called for the adoption and sterilization of animals.

The legislator pointed out that nearly 500,000 dogs are abandoned each year in the different states of Mexico. Likewise, Valeria Cruz expressed concern about the increase in animal abuse in recent years, since she believes that this has been reflected in the abandonment of dogs.

“Currently it is estimated that there are around 28 million dogs in the country, of which 70% are on the street,” she said.

Valeria Cruz explained that many times the abandonment occurs because the animals are used as gifts and later their owners realize how complicated it is to maintain them.

“According to experts in the field, this problem is often the result of animals being acquired as Christmas, Three Kings’, and Valentine’s Day gifts, and later their caretakers realize that their upkeep or maintenance is difficult for them and prefer to leave them on the streets,” she said.

The legislator added that another of the abandonment factors has to do with the indiscriminate sale of animals in different tianguis.

The situation of abuse and neglect experienced by thousands of animals has different causes, in addition to the one that has been pointed out. The indiscriminate sale of animals is another factor that fosters the conditions for dogs and cats to end up either on the streets or suffering some type of mistreatment, which is why the Government of Mexico City has prohibited the sale of animals in street markets in the capital.

Another factor that contributes to the abandonment and mistreatment, especially of dogs and cats, is the lack of care and attention in the sterilization of pets since the lack of these animal control mechanisms generates overpopulation, which many times ends in abandonment in the streets.

According to the Guide to Companion Animals for Responsible Owners, prepared by UNAM, the reproduction pyramid of a non-sterilized canine or feline female, which reaches sexual maturity under optimal conditions and under the assumption that in each litter 50% corresponds to females, it can generate an offspring of 67,000 dogs and 420,000 cats in six years and many of these offspring end up being abandoned.

According to this same guide, the importance and benefit of sterilizing pets in the first place is the control of their population, since when there is no control of dogs and cats, problems such as zoonotic diseases rise. (which can be transmitted between animals and humans), as well as environmental contamination.

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