By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net THE Veterinary Medical Association of the Bahamas has announced their approval of Project Potcake, a mass spay and neuter campaign targeting 2,000 strays in one month. Dr Peter Bizzell, president of the association (VMAB), also announced the association's own plans to spay or neuter upwards to 15,000 animals in the next five years through the New Providence Five Year Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Initiative. With this new initiative, Bahamian vets will try to spay or neuter 3,000 pets per year for only $50 each. In cases where the owner cannot afford it, the service can be provided at a discounted rate or even free. Project Potcake is organised by Animal Balance, an American non-profit group that would send their own vets to Nassau in August, to perform the operations on strays, free of charge. Animal rights activists have been eagerly awaiting the approval of the project, which they said can only start with confirmation from the Ministry of Agriculture which relies heavily on consultation from the Veterinary Medical Association of the Bahamas (VMAB). Last month, Humane Society board member Lissa McCombe said the project "really hangs in the balance" of whether the VMAB votes for or against it. With the stray problem continuing to explode across the country, experts feel breaking the reproductive cycle is the only credible way to tackle the problem. It was "after careful deliberation," Dr Bizzell said, that the VMAB agreed to Animal Balance's proposed project. However Project Potcake must not "in any way diminish or negatively impact" the VMAB's own five-year initiative. He explained that was the reason why some Bahamian vets, while acknowledging the stray problem, expressed "reservations" concerning the project. "The veterinary profession in the Bahamas is growing and the need for outside assistance in dealing with spay and neutering is becoming less and less," Dr Bizzell said. "Our young Bahamian vets are nationalistic, they're very proud of the contribution they are making to animal welfare in the Bahamas. "Just like any other profession, they obviously would question the need for outsiders to come in to do something that they're quite capable and experienced and skilled to do themselves." However, the VMAB has ultimately agreed to the project, deciding that Animal Balance's involvement wouldn't "detract from the core 3,000 per year project that the veterinarians have committed to do," Mr Bizzell said. "We're going to help them and facilitate them in any way we can." The VMAB members are "most appreciative of Animal Balance's participation and are grateful for the efforts they plan to expend on behalf on the pet-owning public of the Bahamas," he stated. The two groups will work side by side, with Project Potcake focusing on "strays and neighbourhood animals without clearly defined owners" while owned animals will be spayed or neutered under the VMAB's five-year initiative. "It is anticipated that Animal Balance's contributions during 2012 would give a substantial boost to the total number of spays/neuters during the first year of our five year project," Dr Bizzell said. "If, indeed, a total number of 5,000 dogs and cats are spayed/neutered during 2012, 3,000 by members of the VMAB and 2,000 by Animal Balance, this would provide an almost immediate reduction in the number of unwanted dogs and cats in the subsequent years and would effectively jump-start the five-year programme." If pet-owners in Nassau wish to have their pet spayed or neutered under the VMAB's new initiative, they can contact either the Bahamas Humane Society, Proud Paws, or Baark! to have an appointment made with a local participating vet. "For the first time in the history of animal welfare in New Providence, all of the veterinarian professionals are prepared to participate in low cost spays and neuters, all are committed to our five-year initiative, and hopefully all the animal welfare organizations appreciate what the vets are offering," Dr Bizzell said. The project is currently limited to Nassau, but Dr Bizzell points out "there is veterinarian medicine going on in the Family Islands."