In Cuba, migration is for the dogs, too

Littlefield

16/11/2023 11:00

By Anett Rios and Alien Fernandez
       HAVANA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - When Bingo first stepped foot
in the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after months of
arrangements ahead of his departure from Cuba, he did what any
grateful dog would do: He licked his owner's face.
    The 15-lb (6.8-kg), sandy-haired chihuahua with perky ears
was among the lucky ones.     
    Cubans, pushed by the economic crisis, have left their home
in record numbers over the past two years - and increasingly,
many now want to bring their dogs and cats, too.
    But like their owners, pets seeking to leave the island can
face onerous regulations, expenses and logistical issues, said
Nathalie Osorio, an animal rights activist who told Reuters she
has helped facilitate travel for more than 150 pets.
    "There was a lot of misunderstanding at the beginning about
the procedures. It has been very cumbersome," said Osorio, who
helped Cuban migrant Karolina Vazquez reunite with her dogs
Bingo and Sasha in the United States. "Many of the migrants
still cannot come (back to Cuba) and so they rely on third
parties to send them their pet."
    Maria Gloria Vidal, a specialist with Cuba's National Center
for Animal Sanitation, told Reuters that the practice is
nonetheless booming. 
    Cuban authorities have issued over 2,000 export certificates
for pets thus far in 2023, she said, more than twice as many
certificates for the export of pets as the year before.
    "Many people think there are complications on the part of
Cuban authorities, but that is not the case," she said. "We have
always been willing to collaborate."
    But every country has its own rules around the import of
animals, sometimes complicating the process.
    The U.S., the top destination for migrants, has placed Cuba
on a list of countries with a high risk of dog rabies, adding
additional hoops to the process.
    Cuba does not have a U.S.-approved laboratory, Vidal told
Reuters, which means rabies blood tests must be sent abroad for
analysis.
    Activists say that despite such hurdles, both migrants and
their pets are already reaping the benefits of services designed
to help.
    "We have even helped puppies left alone in an apartment ...
with only a distant relative who goes and gives them food then
leaves," said activist Osorio.
    "It really has been very gratifying."

 (Reporting by Alien Fernandez and Anett Rios, editing by Dave
Sherwood and Sandra Maler)
 ((dave.sherwood@thomsonreuters.com;))