Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten – March 19, 2024 – In honour of World Stray Animals Day, Aqua Mania Adventures will host a Sunset Sail aimed at connecting animal lovers and raising funds for local animal welfare organisations on St. Maarten. The event will take place on Saturday, March 30th.
World Stray Animals Day is recognized on April 4th, a date chosen in 2010 during the Dutch National Stray Animal Conference. The significance date of April 4th was selected because it is exactly six months from World Animal Day.
Aqua Mania Adventures has teamed up with the Animal Welfare Foundation, SXM Paws, and Animal Defenders to generate awareness about St. Maarten’s strays, and more specifically fixing, adopting and fostering stray animals. The pinnacle of this effort will be the World Stray Animal Day Sunset Sail on Saturday March 30th.
Proceeds from ticket sales, along with profits from t-shirt sales at the pre-sail gathering, and contributions of dog and cat food brought by attendees, will greatly benefit the island’s abandoned animals.
The funds collected will be distributed among the aforementioned animal welfare organizations on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, all of which rely heavily on private donations and volunteer support to aid stray animals. The genuine plight of these animals that are abandoned daily around St Maarten and left to fend for themselves, is truly pitiful. The Foundations are alone in their struggle to combat the ever-growing tide of reproducing strays.
Among these organizations is The St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the humane treatment of animals. Central to their mission is humane education, which has been a priority since 1992. Since that year the Animal Welfare Foundation had provided humane education materials for every primary schoolchild on the Dutch side of the island. They also host awareness activities and public service information.
All Foundations on St Maarten encourage residents to sterilize their animals to prevent reproduction. These organizations have sponsored over thousands of sterilizations for strays and pets, especially for residents of limited means.
Animal Defenders operate through a network of volunteers and supporters who work to provide medical care, food, shelter and advocacy for animals in need. They also engage in education to promote responsible pet ownership and raise awareness about animal welfare issues on the island. They manage several feeding stations around Dutch St. Maarten, with dedicated volunteers replenishing food multiple times a day.
SXM Paws is also a non-profit organization dedicated to the animals of St Maarten. This organization focuses on various aspects of animal welfare, including rescue, rehabilitation and adoption off-island to carry out its mission of improving the lives of animals on St. Maarten.
Michele Korteweg, one of the organizers, highlighted the importance of supporting animal welfare initiatives given the vast number of stray animals on the island and the challenges associated with spaying and neutering. Helping out daily can be as simple as:
- Calling Animal Welfare and reporting strays and animal abuse and neglect.
- Volunteering with one of the Organisations. Even as a visitor you can visit the SXM Paws Shelter and walk the dogs or spend time with them.
- Call SXM Paws if you are travelling off island and can accompany a puppy to its new home.
- Donate money, food, towels, pet supplies and leftover medications to the Organisations as often as you can.
- Pick up injured animals and take them to the vet.
- Keep food and water in your car and stop to feed animals in need.
- Encourage spaying and neutering and sponsor someone who cannot afford to fix their pet.
This will be the second annual sunset sail dedicated to benefit the wellbeing of animals on St Maarten. Aqua Mania has a history of dedicating their memorable sunset sails to good causes. Over the past 8 years Aqua Mania Adventures has organised a very successful Pink Sunset Sail in support of breast cancer, to take place this year on October 5, 2024.
Prior to the sail, participants will have the opportunity to engage at a pre-sail gathering starting at 3.30pm. Here, the participating foundations will host informational booths and sell their merchandise. Attendees can interact with animals, enjoy refreshments, snacks and donate towards pet food.
The Sunset Sail will commence at 5:15 pm, offering participants a 90- minute coastal sail with an open bar, snacks, breathtaking scenery, and the satisfaction of supporting the animals on the island. Adults pay $50 per person, Children aged 5 – 12 can join for $25, and those under 4 can attend for free.
Participants are encouraged to bring bags of pet food to donate or contribute financially towards much needed supplies, during the event.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support – book your spot now, buy tickets for a friend or family member, or even a colleague and help the stray and abandoned animals of St Maarten https://www.stmaarten-activities.com/tours/world-stray-animal-day
Please Support and enlist the aid of these Organisations to help St Maarten’s Animals:
Animal Welfare P: +1 721-520-8887 E: sxmanimalwelfare@yahoo.com
SXM Paws P: +1 721-520-8398 E: sxmpaws@gmail.com
Animal Defenders P: +1 721-553-3116 E: almewi10@gmail.com
