For the record, it was NOT the decision of Animal Balance to cancel OP 2014. It was the local organizers' decision after receiving the letter from the VMAB. With the donated time from the foreign vets, OP would have cost about $25 per dog with the possibility of 1,000 animals being spayed/neutered in five days. The vets declined foreign assistance, asked for $50.00 per dog, and said OP could only be three days. This, in effect, made the campaign non-viable and the organizers made the decision to cancel. High-volume spay and neuter has been proven worldwide to be an effective way to reduce stray numbers.

From BJohnson's post above:
"There is and never was ill will towards foreign vets coming in."

From the VMAB letter:
"Firstly, we politely decline the offer to have the additional veterinarians come in to assist in surgeries, inclusive of the cat clinic at the BHS. We apologize for any inconvenience that it may cause any person, as advanced notice is preferred under such circumstances. We do feel as though we are capable of carrying out a considerable number of surgeries, and would like to make a concerted effort to accomplish a realistic goal all on our own. "
If there was no ill will, why decline the offer? Especially after you had already agreed that a certain number of vets would be allowed for 2014. Why change your minds?

From B_T_D's post:
gauntlet Here it goes...I challenge each organization...Humane Society, Proud Paws, ark, baark, and all the others to come in here and say why Operation Potcake must be blocked. Between every one of these organizations cumulatively...did they all as a cumulative unit accomplish what OP did?

Operation Potcake 2013 was a joint effort between Animal Balance, The Bahamas Humane Society, Baark!, the Pink Potcake, ARK, Proud Paws, the VMAB, the Ministry of Agriculture & Marine Resources, and the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. The coalition of these groups became Operation Potcake.

The foreign vets that came in for Operation Potcake are all experienced in high-volume spay and neuter. The vet who was scheduled to come for the cat clinic calculated she could perform up to 100 surgeries a day if we could provide her the cats. Many of the Bahamian vets are unable to do the numbers in a day that any one of these vets can accomplish. The previously mentioned 7,000 animals over ten years works out to only 700 per year. Operation Potcake in January did over three times that number in ten days (2,315) with vets who donated their time, paid their airfares to come here, took time off work, and gifted us with their skills. Are our local vets so afraid to accept help that they cannot allow these people who are willing to donate their time, money, and energy to assist them?

7,000 animals divided by 10 years is 700 a year by my calculations. Operation Potcake did three times that amount in ten days.

The BHS number is actually 323-5138, but that line's not working right now. Please call 325-6742.