The mobile clinic of Lega Pro Animale spays and neuters stray cats and dogs throughout Southern Italy. (Stock photo) |
Since 1986, a small group of veterinarians have traveled through Italy in a mobile vet clinic, spaying and neutering stray cats and other pets of Italian citizens. Dorothea Friz, a German veterinarian living in Castel Volturno in southern Italy, founded Lega Pro Animale after she noticed the stray cat and dog population roaming Naples’ streets. Her efforts to control that stray population have led her to spay and neuter nearly 40,000 animals in the past 20 years.
Today, Friz and a staff of four veterinarians operate the mobile clinic to help control the stray population; they often perform up to 20 surgeries per day. They trap, neuter and return stray cats and dogs, and will perform the surgeries for pet owners at a discount. The fee is waived if the family has adopted a stray animal.
Her group also operates an animal shelter, currently home to about 50 cats and 60 dogs, as well as goats, rabbits, ducks and even buffalo. Friz appears on a daily television program, “Pet Hospital,” which shows her at work and gives her a forum to talk about the stray animal population in Italy.
Friz said she sees an end to her work and believes the stray population in Italy can be controlled within the next 5 to 10 years. To learn more about Lega Pro Animale and the spay/neuter efforts of Friz and her team of veterinarians, click here.