A grass roots organization has come forth with a radical idea to help end needless animal cruelty. The group is called 600million.org named for the roughly 600 million stay dogs and cats in the world currently. Started by one of the original founders of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) twenty five years ago, Alex Pacheco has come out of retirement determined to help end needless animal cruelty. He has studied the problem and concluded that a great deal of abuse heaped upon stray dogs and cats is due to overpopulation.
Since it would be impossible to get every stray animal in the world rounded up and taken into a veterinary office for spaying/neutering, he and a team of scientists are working towards a permanent super single-dose birth control for these strays.
“He began doing research in an attempt to understand the state of the science underlying such a bold plan. He was surprised to learn that several products had already been developed and patented, yet strangely were not available in the commercial marketplace”
Either these medications are too expensive for mass distribution or they would put an end to what is otherwise a profitable business for big pharmaceutical companies and other businesses that profit from the problem of stray overpopulation. (Think ‘animal testing’)
Realizing what he would be up against, Alex’s goal became clearer: “To develop permanent single dose, or long term multi-dose oral sterilization formulas or pills for dogs and cats, either male or female, which will not harm the animals, the environment or humans.
Funding for such a project is at the core of getting it off the ground, but 600million.org has already begun to attract celebrity support such as actor Eric Roberts who introduced the organization on HLNs Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, Rachelle Begley, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) and David Duchovny.
“Last year was our first "official" year of being public and we're currently an all volunteer organization, with no employees” states Pacheco. “We're in serious need of volunteers!”
The task of getting his goal of producing an affordable, effective super birth control will take more help than the organization currently has. Interested persons should visit 600million.org for information on how they can volunteer their time or make donations to the cause.
One area of focus that Pacheco emphasized to me is their ‘rabies project’. One of the biggest problems with stray overpopulation is the number of people who are bitten by a stray and end up infected with rabies, or because they cannot catch the animal to quarantine it, must undergo painful rabies vaccinations as a safeguard.
This latter problem visited yours truly last May when I bent down to pet a stray cat that had come up to me acting friendly, and then bit my arm. The animal couldn’t be caught and I had to go through the pain of rabies injections at the site of the bite (the underside of my left forearm, a rather tender area). Not only was the treatment painful, but the cost of having those injections was painful on my wallet since it’s not covered by medical insurance. The price of the vaccine alone exceeds $500!
600million.org is looking for pictures and/or stories about persons infected with rabies after suffering a stray animal bite to put a face to the problem and further support the need for a super birth control to help end overpopulation. If you have such a story, contact Alex Pacheco or Maria Papazian here.
Stray overpopulation affects us all. These animals suffer needlessly in agonizing hunger and extreme temperatures, and also find themselves at the mercy of those who would abuse them for entertainment or profit. They never know the loving hand of a pet parent who would protect them and love them.
The task Pacheco and his volunteers have set for them selves is monumental, but it’s not impossible. He asks for any and all help.
While reducing the number of stray dogs and cats won't completely end animal cruelty, it will definitely lower the number of cases reported, and even those not brought to light, drastically.
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More from Michele Gwynn: Ms. Gwynn is also the San Antonio Sex & Relationships Examiner. Her humor in explaining "the unexplainable" goes hand in hand with her candor. She has even interviewed celebrities for her column, and a former UN Ambassador and Broadway stars of The Jersey Boys for local San Antonio newspapers.
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