Monchique is to launch a mobile animal rescue unit for emergencies like fires, or any other ‘catastrophes’ that hit the hillside borough.
Integrated within the municipality’s ‘Animal Seguro’ (Safe Animal) programme, the idea developed after the last devastating fire in 2018 which threatened the lives of many animals.
“You think in a fire that you can let animals loose and they will save themselves”, mayor Rui André explained. “But it’s not like that”. A lot of animals died in the 2018 fire, and many needed veterinary assistance.
Thus the unit will work in these situations, ideally to gather animals up in areas that look like they could be in the path of flames.
The plan was one of a number presented during a visit to the borough by environment and climate action minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes this week.
Mr Matos Fernandes heard how the municipality is also planning vaccination and sterilisation campaigns for cats and dogs and raising awareness among locals that dogs should not live their lives on the end of a chain.
