The Homeless Animals At The Old American Base

An Environmental Programme By The Iraklion School Of Arts

The main objective of this programme, which I was honoured to serve as coordinator, remains in a continuous redefinition because the showcasing of the problem, as well as the search for viable solutions, is still in the developmental stage. And all this at a time when caring for homeless animals is considered a luxury, and when "cruel methods" in confronting this "problem" is the rule.

The students, however, and not only those that participated in the programme, but the student body in its totality, focused on this multifaceted problem and broke it down to three levels: The inability, the weakness and/or the irresponsibility of an individual to care for his animal;

the weakness of the state to deal collectively with the problem, and the unpleasant recording of the savagery and criminal behaviour toward these unprotected small animals.

The students, coming in contact with the model shelter of hospitality for abused and uncared-for animals which functions with the voluntary contribution of Mr. Manolis Spatharakis, near their school, had a powerful motive to act individually and/or collectively. Thus, functioning voluntarily and with their active attendance, they helped to make certain actions a reality:

1) They collected money through the sale of calendars and by placing piggy-banks in many local businesses.

2) They informed the local communities about the existence of the shelter and helped with the adoptions of some of the animals.

3) They helped daily in the care of these animals.

4) They contributed dry food for the shelter animals because no financing is currently available.

5) They sent a delegation together with Mr. Spatharakis and Mrs. Irini Androulaki, a well known animal rights activist, to ask Gouves Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis to visit the shelter. (This action resulted in the mayor ordering that the shelter be connected to running water and the area to be further extended with additional fencing).

6) They participated, together with posters, in the presentation of environmental programmes held at the museum of natural history, and in the Gouves municipal environmental meeting.

From all of the above, we conclude that such a programme remains as a continuous open call for our society to commit to a responsible attitude towards these animals, on an individual as well as on a collective level.