Nicaragua: Challenges and hope.

 

General Information

The Republic of Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, located between Costa Rica to the south and Honduras to the north.

 

Nicaragua with a population of 6 million persons, is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti, Nicaragua is located 2 hours by air from Miami, Florida and 3.5 hours from Houston, Texas and a world apart in regards to animal welfare, from the U.S.

 

Education

In the communities where the association works, poverty, age and low education levels, accompany each, hand in hand: 

 

• While only 4.7% of the persons under 20 years old stated to have never gone to school, 25% of the persons in the age group 51-60 stated they had never gone to school. 

 

• From the same group, 36% of the persons under 20 years old had completed their secondary education, while only 11% of the 51-60 years of age had done the same. With the majority of persons, never having finished primary school.

 

• Access to minimal information on animal welfare, management, and care are non-existent or not accessible to pet and working animals owners.

 

Income

• According to the IMF, the per capita GDP of the country is U$ 3,300 annually.

 

• Minimum monthly salary approved by the Government of Nicaragua for agricultural workers is C$ 2,566 (U$ 100.62) with the range extending to C$ 5,799.15 (U$ 227.44) for construction and financial sector workers.

 

• The average income from data taken from association beneficiaries is U$ 133.69 per month; this has to cover food, health, education and housing for an average household of 6 persons.

 

 Legal Environment 

• Nicaragua has on the books an Animal Welfare Law since 2010, the law however has not come into effect, because the government has not approved, funding, to make the law operational.

 

• As of 2014, animals in Nicaragua have no legal protection, with what would be considered cases of abuse or cruelty in other countries, an everyday occurrence.

 

• The same law that banned any activity that was deemed to be cruel and abusive to animals, paradoxically, legalized the sport of cock fighting, a trade off to gain support for passing the law.

 

 Veterinary Access 

• Access to veterinary care is negligible, as veterinary clinics are mostly located in the upscale neighborhoods and fees for services, can be higher than the monthly family income of one family.

 

• Day to Day, spaying and neutering programs are non-existent; litters that survive are abandoned or end up being strays, continuing a cycle of unwanted dogs, cats and other pets.