Three Weeks on Galapagos...

In April 2024 I traveled to the remote island of Isabela, Galapagos with the team from Animal Balance. The trip was to celebrate 20 years of working on these magical islands, and the beginning of this incredible organization we call Animal Balance. While we were there, our team was involved in many different projects, from a spay/neuter and wellness clinic on Isabela, to free dog training classes for the community in the park each day. We were also filming for an upcoming short film about the work we have been doing here over the past 20 years. More on that later! When we were not filming, meeting with old friends, celebrating, training dogs or doing surgeries, we were working on a brand-new project which has the potential to be a game changer in terms of the way we approach the work we are doing on Galapagos, and which will help us navigate our plans for the next 20 years here.

We felt that the most accurate way to determine the impact our work has had over the past 20 years would be to conduct a house to house survey about pets. To make sure this survey would produce the most accurate, valid and usable data, we solicited the help of world-renowned wildlife biologist and research specialist, Dr. John Boone. Dr. Boone joined us in April on Isabela and together we used ARCGIS technology to design a census which would be used in a house-to-house survey conducted on the islands of Isabela and San Cristobal. Animal Balance worked with the Franz Weber Foundation, the municipalities in both San Cristobal and Isabela, as well as our friends at World Vets, to put together teams of volunteers to execute the survey.

Upon returning from an amazing trip to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Animal Balance, I was offered the opportunity to return just weeks later to assist with the implementation of the survey. I am learning Spanish so this would be a great opportunity for me to immerse myself in the language and culture, so of course I said yes! So, a month after returning home from two weeks on Galapagos, I packed my bags for another three-week journey.

Now, as I reflect on almost three weeks here, I am sure that the census we have all been working so hard to accomplish will provide groundbreaking new evidence of the impact our work has had on the islands over the past 20 years, as well as providing a roadmap for the next 20 years. The team on San Cristobal has gathered data from nearly 900 households over the past three weeks, while the team here on Isabela got started this week and has gathered data on almost 200 households so far. We have been to countless neighborhoods, talked with hundreds of residents and therefore have had the unique opportunity to experience "the real Galapagos". Far away from the tourist hotels, the restaurants who cater to international travelers and the tour operators offering every opportunity under the sun. Our teams have gone "behind the scenes" so to speak, to gather this information about people's daily lives and the lives of the pets they love.

The information we are gathering including about how many pets are sterilized, what they are fed, how often they go on walks, if they are allowed to free roam, where people obtained their pets from and so on, will help us determine where in the future to hold spay/neuter clinics, which neighborhoods to target for marketing campaigns, what type of education programs to develop and where to implement them; as well as what type of equipment and supplies we need to import in order to make sure that community members have the tools they need to be responsible pet owners. We will also be working with local municipalities to help rewrite old ordinances that are too restrictive for pet owners, helping to make sure that reasonable expectations are in place and that the resources are available for community members to be responsible pet owners.

Some of the most interesting data that we have come across so far includes an overall sterilization rate of 71% between the two islands! In addition, we have learned that over 50% of pets were acquired as gifts from friends or family and more than 75% of pet owners say that they do not plan to acquire another pet in the future. Some data we are collecting but have yet to sort is what type of education the community thinks is most important; this will help us to design new educational programs in the future to supplement the existing spay/neuter and wellness clinics and dog training classes already being offered.

So, what does it all mean? 20 years of work and over 70% of pets sterilized on two of the most populated islands in the Galapagos Island chain, is amazing. The overarching goal is of course, not only to protect people and pets, but to save the endemic species of the Galapagos. The giant tortoise, the marine iguana and so many others who are impacted by non-native species such as cats and dogs when the populations are not kept under control and when owners do not have the knowledge and resources to keep their pets contained. 

We will now have hard data that will allow us to continuously pivot to meet the needs of the community using information straight from the communities in which we are working to guide us. I feel incredibly lucky to have been a small part of this effort and cannot wait to put the results to work as we design the next 20 years of work on these magical, iconic and irreplaceable islands who we can now say act as a model to the rest of the world in regard to responsible pet ownership - if it can be done here, it can be done anywhere!

Megan Gram

Animal Balance