March 22, 2007 — The St. John Animal Care Center hopes a new program will find mainland homes for the Virgin Islands' growing stray pet population.
Inspired by a similar program in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the program reaches out to tourists in hopes they'll return home with an otherwise abandoned dog or cat, said Elaine Campbell, an Animal Care Center board member.
The center has printed fliers advertising the furry friends and plans to put them in vacation villas on the island and at Caneel Bay and the National Park station, said Elaine Campbell, also a board member.
"There have always been a few people who have adopted and took back, but not near enough," said Campbell, who in January suggested the program after seeing a similar strategy's success in the Turks and Caicos — where more than 500 puppies have gone home with tourists.
"It's really successful there," she said.
Two elderly homeless cats flew to a new home in New Hampshire with a Delta Airlines flight attendant last week, and a tiger-striped kitten found a caretaker at Caneel Bay. The kitten is headed to Massachusetts on a private plane, Campbell said.
Caneel Bay, she said, has been especially good to the stray critters, catching and spaying homeless cats at its own expense.
Animals need a rabies shot and a health certificate before they can travel to the mainland. A feline leukemia test for cats is recommended but not required.
St. John has two veterinary clinics that administer rabies shots — one in Palm Plaza near Cruz Bay and another in Coral Bay. Both can also provide health certificates.
All airlines serving St. Thomas and St. Croix accept pets, although reservations for pets are strongly recommended as each plane limits the number of pets in one cabin.
Cats and dogs should be transported in escape-proof carriers, the Animal Care Center said.
Most airlines charge for a pet ticket and costs vary. Unfortunately, like everything else, costs for a pet ticket have gone up. One way is $50 on Delta, while one way on American and U.S. Airways is $80.
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