Posts filed under 'News'
June 27th, 2009
Helping Cats in the Riviera Maya, Mexico
Coco’s Cat Rescue is a non profit organization with a no kill policy, dedicated to reducing and controlling the cat population in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We achieve this via our TNR (trap spay/neuter and return) program for feral cats, and our rescue, treat, spay/neuter, and tame program for kittens under 3 months. We aim to find a permanent loving home for all the rescued kittens in our care.
We are also committed to education which encourages responsible pet ownership and challenges negative associations with feral cats and consequent cruelty. We provide free or low cost spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and basic pet care to those on a low income. Our long term mission is to expand our model to embrace other local areas, as well as to extend our current program and enlarge our facilities to be able to shelter, foster and find homes for kittens older than three months and cats of all ages.
See their website! www.cocoscatrescue.org
October 15th, 2008
For years I have seen this guy walking the 5th Ave selling his crickets and hats. A couple of years ago I was having lunch with a friend, Astrid and this man walked up to our table and set one of his crickets on the table and said “$20 pesos”? My friend, Astrid was HORRIFIED and said abrubtly, “NO!” and then shoo-ed him away with her hand movements! I was stunned and baffled, this was not at all her normal nature. The cricket man walked off and I said, “What was that about?” She said, “How GROSS! That guy was selling dead crickets!” I cried laughing because the crickets this man sells are made by him from palm leaves! The 32 year old cricket artist is a kind and smiley man named Juanito Cruz Martinez originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico. He has been making his crickets, woven from one long plam reed for the past 6 years in Playa. He charges about $2 USD/ $20 pesos per critter. He also makes woven palm leaf hats. I laugh every time I see him as I remember the story with my friend.
- Sherry
September 10th, 2007
The amazing VIDAS Volunteer Vets, Techs and Students came to the Yucatan Peninsula to help our local animals and community. They set up their temporary animal sterilization clinic in Playa del Carmen Aug 8-11, 2007 in the colosio at a Primary school. They offer their services for free in hopes to prevent animal suffering due to starvation, disease, and other health problems associated with pet overpopulation, recognizing also that overpopulation of animals also contributes directly to human disease. Their focus is safe sterilization, vaccination and parasite control for the animals and education for the local people about safe animal handling, zoonotic disease and general animal husbandry and health care.
After finishing a 4 day clinic in Playa del Carmen, they broke down the clinic and moved it to a school in Puerto Morelos and completed a 2 day clinic there as well, Aug 13 &14, 2007.
The total number of animals sterilized and treated (Includes cats and dogs, male and female).
Playa del Carmen in 4 days: 201
Puerto Morelos in 2 days: 97
Here are some photos to take you through some of a day of the Playa del Carmen VIDAS clinic.
After advertising the clinic weeks prior in local papers, radio and fliers around town… people start showing up for the free clinic in the morning at 8 AM.
First, we check them in with owner and pet information. Then they wait their turn for general exams.
Volunteers have plenty of time to meet and greet all the friendly customers. This is the best part!
Next, they get the pre-med ready for each individual animal in the surgery room.
This is US VET Meghann Burgland, she is in charge of everything that goes on with the medication doses and the flow of the surgery room. She is basically the backbone of the surgery room. Keep in mind they averaged 50 surgeries a day!
In one of the classrooms of the primary school they have their surgery room with 4 operating tables made especially for animals, other stations for sterilizing equipment etc.
Dr. Erica Periman beginning a surgery.
At 1:00 or so everyday, one of the Visiting Vet Students that is fluent in Spanish, taught classes to the local children.
Teaching them basic animal care and safety.
They LOVE it!
Kids having a ball with Vidas Volunteer Teacher, Nolan Zeide. He is a vet student at Purdue University.
Showing off their work!
This is the recovery room where all patients go after surgery to recover and wake up.
Volunteer, Deborah Payne checks a sweet Playa puppy for ticks.
We make comfy soft places to lay them and while they are still sleepy, we do a lot of extra care such as, cleaning ears, picking ticks, and a lot of TLC.
Any animals in need of parasite control or have skin conditions are treated at the clinic.
Volunteer, Diane Patterson from Michigan takes care of a tiny black kitten in the recovery room.
After waking up and going through the recovery process, it is time to go home. The owners are told when they could return for their pet according to when they were dropped off. Some pet owners stay and wait the whole day and even help in the recovery room.
”Mom, I am ready to go home!”
It was a prefect success. Our community is grateful to VIDAS organization and volunteer crew. All of the visiting crew comes from the US or Canada, paying their own way and use their vacation time to come to this area and volunteer their skills!!!!- We love them for this!
During the clinic we have many locals and local businesses that have donated housing, meals, transportation assitance and hands on help. The Blue Parrot donated wonderful lunches for all the crew and volunteers, as well as, a thank you party at the end of the clinic. Mexico Escape donated two beautiful properties, as well as, an individual, Judith York Newman donated her condo for the visiting crew.
Vidas provides new collars and leashes to any animals in need! These dogs came with electrical cords as leads. (on the black dog in this photo you can even see the plug around his neck). If you have interest in getting involved with VIDAS or helping the animals please check out http://www.vidas.org/ or go to our local animal charity page.
I want to give my gratitude for the locals and visting volunteers that helped make this clinic work!
Thank you to Dr. Sandra Valdez, Dr. Claudia Lewy Sanchez, Dr. Diego Queijeiro G, Glenda Gabriel, Brenda Lee Carson, Deborah Ritchie, Libby and John Bekas, Paula Tunstall, Madi Collins, Deborah Payne, Marilyn Wall, Dale Cabauatan, Diane and Richard Patterson, Leslie Clark, Claire, Judith York Newman, Jan and Larry Hoffman and Pam and Tom of the Blue Parrot and their lovely staff – Sherry Stevens
August 22nd, 2007
Hurricane Dean made landfall well south of the Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya. We had a little wind and rain, nothing more. We are sunny and blue skies again, Come join us!- Sherry
Please see the below article published by BBC NEWS earlier today. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Published: 2007/08/21 12:25:08 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Hurricane Dean hits Mexico coast
The storm is expected to cause widespread flooding
Dean hits Mexico
Hurricane Dean has struck Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula near the border with Belize, bringing driving winds and lashing rain.
Cancun and other tourist resorts were spared a direct hit as the storm came ashore at 0330 (0830 GMT) about 40 miles (65km) north-east of Chetumal.
The storm has weakened to Category Three, with winds of 125mph (205km/h) as it crosses land.
It could strengthen when it hits sea again after crossing the Yucatan.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida said the eye of the storm had made landfall near the town of Majahual.
At 1200 GMT the centre of the storm had moved inland about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Chetumal, travelling west at about 20mph (62km/h).
‘Windows shattered’
Last-minute evacuations took place along the coast as Dean was expected to bring a heavy flood surge.
The NHC said the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize as well as Guatemala and northern Honduras could expect heavy rainfall which could cause flash floods and landslides.
Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from resorts in the Yucatan but many others are still there, huddling in shelters.
The resorts have been boarded up and offshore oil facilities are closed but there is concern for residents of poor communities living in flimsy homes.
Andrea Montalvo, of the US-based Spanish-language Telemundo television network, said the storm was wreaking havoc in the Mexican city of Chetumal.
“Inside the hotel it is really bad, every 10 or 15 minutes you can hear windows shattering and people are coming out of their rooms in panic,” she said.
City officials said there were power outages as the wind knocked over trees and sent debris flying through the air.
Ernesto Calzada from Quintana Roo radio and TV told the BBC: “I looked out of my office window and saw an enormous tree close by topple over.”
Further south, in Belize City, officials closed the hospitals and urged people to head inland, saying the town’s shelters were not strong enough to withstand the hurricane.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who is attending a trade summit in Canada, said that he would leave on Tuesday after a meeting with his US and Canadian counterparts.
Looting fears
The hurricane has already claimed at least 11 lives in the eastern Caribbean, but largely spared the low-lying Cayman Islands on Monday.
Cancun and other popular Mexican resorts are escaping a “direct hit” but that has not stopped around two-thirds of Cancun’s tourists leaving the area.
Some holidaymakers camped overnight at Cancun’s airport to find a flight while others were turned away.
Police officers have been deployed to prevent looting while residents boarded up their homes ahead of the storm.
Mexico’s state-oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, has evacuated its workers and shut down production on the offshore rigs.
The hurricane is moving steadily west over the Yucatan and may regain strength when it hits sea again over the Bay of Campeche on Tuesday night, the NHC said.
It is due to hit Mexico’s coast for a second time near Tampico in the state of Veracruz.
Dean is expected to be less damaging than the Category Five Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which lingered over the Yucatan for a day, killing 10 people and wrecking large areas of Cancun.
Category Five storms are rare – only three have hit the US since record-keeping began.
In the US, the return of the space shuttle Endeavour was brought forward by a day, to Tuesday, in an attempt to beat the hurricane should it eventually reach Texas, where Nasa’s mission control is based.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6955163.stm
Published: 2007/08/21 12:25:08 GMT
© BBC MMVII
August 17th, 2007
Since I live in Playa del Carmen, I will make this short and sweet. We are all watching the path of Hurricane Dean today, August 17, 2007. We like the following site for information: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200704.html
Along The Riviera Maya coast, we are preparing with boarding up windows, gathering water and non perishable foods, candles etc. It is routine for us living in this area and it is not difficult to prepare. It is always possible to change course but at this moment it appears that it could reach land on the Yucatan Peninsula Monday sometime. If you are traveling to this area in the next few weeks or so, please check the above website and watch the storm. Our community seems to get things back in order pretty rapidly even if we get hit by a hurricane so don’t assume your vacation plans are ruined. I will be posting what it looks like on our end as soon as possible. – Sherry
July 11th, 2007
Congratulations Mexico!
Chichén Itzá has won a position as one of the NEW 7 wonders of the world!
Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures – the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
If you would like to plan a tour while in the Riviera Maya, Mexico we have a Private Official Guide that is available for persoanlized day tours or we can offer you a bus tour to Chichén Itzá.
To view the official 7 wonders site, http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=315
Come see it for yourself! – Sherry
March 15th, 2007
There is a unique opportunity that we have come across…
Our very own Chichen itza Mayan Ruins are on the list of candidates to be one of the newly named 7 wonders of the world. Chichen itza is a spectacular Ruin located due west of Playa del Carmen about 3 hours within the state of Yucatan. It has been 2,200 years since the original 7 wonders had been named and now YOU have a chance to vote for your top 7 favorites.
We hope you will consider voting for our Chichen itza Mayan Ruins. Chichen itza (A.K.A. as my father likes to call it “Chicken Pizza”) symbolizes worship and knowledge.
Go to this site to place your vote! There is still plenty of time before the votes are counted. They will announce winners 07-07-2007.
VOTE HERE! http://www.new7wonders.com/ VOTE HERE!
We are offering a tour to Chichen-itza in our tours & fun section!
