Project Balam: support vet care, food, rescue

The Dogs of Ek Balam, Mexico (Feb 2015-January 2024)

Help us bring a better quality of life to the dogs living within the Ek Balam Mayan Ruins, Village & other areas of the Yucatan Penisula.

Project Balam was originally an initiative to help the stray & village dogs of Ek Balam, Mexico. We had hoped to raise enough money to have all the dogs fed on a regular basis, be vaccinated, treated and spayed or neutered. Projects evolve and are posted on the updates. We are not only focusing in the Ek Balam area but will help where it is needed and where there is an organized volunteer individual or group. To date, we have assisted with clinic sponsorship in Ek Balam, Tulum, Puerto Adventura, Valladolid & Puerto Morelos and with donations for veterinarian treatment to rescue groups: MexiPaws(Puerto Adventura), Cocos Cat Rescue(Playa del Carmen), Snoopi Project(Playa del Carmen), FRESA(Tulum), Planned Pethood International(Puerto Morelos) as well as others.

Background & update:

Upon visiting the Ek Balam Ruins in January 2015, I was shocked & saddened to find malnourished and docile dogs living within the Mayan ruins’ grounds. There, they found some safety and a few scraps of food from the workers. The most heartbreaking situation was a mother(Baretta) with a broken leg and her puppies, which all had skin lesions and were very thin. Like many of the tourists, we were at a loss. We had no food to give them and no information on how to help them.

After returning to Canada and with much research, I had connected with Lee Christie of Genesis Ecolodge near Ek Balam. Lee had been doing rescue and humanitarian relief for area stray dogs for years using her own funds & small donations from tourists. She has also assisted with veterinarian care, fostering and adopting out 70+ dogs within Mexico and to the USA and Canada. Lee had provided occasional food & medical supply to the Ek Balam dogs, but she must have financial support to continue carrying out this work. Nine years later, although the situation has improved, the ongoing expenses continue. Anyone with pets is certainly aware of that.

At this time, there is a request to spay & neuter 5 village dogs.

Past Clinics sponsored:

Nov 2015, 10 dogs treated with deworming & vaccinations with 5 spayed or neutered from Ek Balam ruins and village.

 May 2016, mobile clinic in Ek Balam for 68 animals. 

July 2017,  donation to MexiPaws toward clinic.

 May 2018, donation to MexiPaws for a spay/neuter clinic in Playa Maya.

June 2018, donation to Lost Dogs Foundation for their clinic in Tulum.

Nov 15, 2018, $750 covered the cost of 21 dogs + 1 cat for spay/neutering @ Planned Pethood International(PPI)in Puerto Morelos for MexiPaws

Nov 17, 2018, $420 sponsored 13 sterilizations @ PPI for APACCC (Danielle Michon) from Valladolid

Nov 22, 2018, 15 dogs for sterilization via PPI sponsored by Wendy Fortner and Sharon Ceslak

(included with the sterilization are pain medication injection, long acting antibiotic injection and other medications for obvious conditions such as mange, fleas, tick born diseases. Ticks are removed, ears cleaned, nails trimmed.

July, 2020

 Parvo Vaccination(30 dogs) & deworming(45 dogs) clinic Ek Balam village

Funds available:

All funds have been allocated

 Over the past few years, we have learned so much from the volunteers who live in Mexico and devote their time, energy and resources to controlling the population of dogs and cats and to rescuing the injured and neglected. 

Thank you!

Thank you for your support! Your contribution, whether in the form of donation to the campaign or sharing the message with your family and friends, is truly appreciated.

If you would like more information, post questions on GoFundMe. Once again please read the updates.

Sharon, Wendy & Angela