SAGA news

[peterbj7]

It seems that the Veterinary Licensing Board has declined to give a licence to the new vet SAGA has employed, which means she can't practice and SAGA is permanently without its own vet.  I say "it seems" because I haven't seen any news about it, but SAGA have just issued an impassioned plea for people to sign their on-line petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savesagahumanesociety/ , saying that without their own vet it will be impossible for them to operate and SAGA will have to close down.

I don't understand why they can't find a way to work with SPAH, but there are some strong personalities at play here, and deeply entrenched positions.  Perhaps they might have been able to foresee this problem when they forced the vet to resign last year? - others did.  The fact that she was able with local sponsorship to continue operating really doesn't change the principle at stake.  The identity of the person who provided that sponsorship is irrelevant, although we of course all know who it is.

Unless there is something really major that SAGA are choosing to keep to themselves, and that wouldn't surprise me given past behaviour, we may be faced with the loss of our animal shelter and supporting staff.  That would be a disaster for pets and animals on Ambergris Caye.  I hope that this crisis will force people to start talking to and working with each other.

The only petition I would be inclined to sign if anyone were to put it up would be one to the various key players imploring them to quit posturing and start talking.  Asking the Licensing Board to reverse a decision they have presumably arrived at after a lot of consideration is missing the point and liable to be ineffectual.

[peterbj7]

I have just posted the below on Marty's message Board (thread at [url]http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/379656/1.html)/url]

Unfortunately Marty has muzzled Peter so he can't post here and I presume Laurie (the previous vet) can't either, but wasn't there a concerted effort by SAGA shortly after she left SAGA (having been driven out after she asked for financial information they weren't prepared to give her, apparently) to get her expelled from the country? Didn't they report her to the Immigration authorities as no longer having a work permit to work in Belize (untrue), and to the Licensing Board as not having a practising certificate in her own right (also untrue)? In fact, didn't they resort to every underhand trick in the book to ensure the Animal Hospital never got off the ground? Partly to ensure no competition for SAGA, but largely motivated by spite against Laurie?

I'm sorry if none of the above is true, but it is what was widely circulated at the time and it has never been plausibly denied by the people suspected of having instigated it. I do know at least part of it is true, because I saw a posse of police and other officials visit the hospital, and judging by the fact that they didn't take her away in handcuffs and the hospital continued to operate they found nothing untoward.

People are right in saying now that this is absurd childish behaviour and everyone should learn to get on for the benefit of the animals. I'm not really concerned with who did what when. I have long been concerned about the secrecy surrounding SAGA, mainly concerning financials, and have wanted major management changes there that haven't happened. However, I totally support the ethos of SAGA and contrary to what many people would have you believe, so do Laurie and Peter. He has after all raised a great deal of money for SAGA over the years.

Peter may have quite a lot of influence here, but I wasn't aware that he controlled the Veterinary Licensing Board. They have clearly come to some decision that we haven't been told, based on whatever facts were available to them. Do we really think Peter is behind that, because that is what someone (Marty?) has said above. In any case, do we really think their decision is so ill-founded that a petition asking them to reverse it will succeed? I am sure they considered the operations of SAGA in the context of the SPAH being nearby, an animal hospital that is now in many respects the best equipped in the entire country, and decided that the two organisations could work together. They clearly decided that there wasn't enough work for two full-time vets on the island.

So, WHY can't SAGA negotiate with SPAH to find a satisfactory working arrangement?

[deadserious]

They clearly decided that there wasn't enough work for two full-time vets on the island.

I don't think enough is known to say that.

There could be lots of reason why they might have been denied (do we even know for sure if they were?)

• someone paid off the big wigs
• technical paperwork issue
• misrepresentation of facts
• education/experience of the person being licensed
• etc

I don't know the real reason, but I don't think the answers are clear at this time... and probably will never be clear.

[azbob]

It's flying on the ACM and it's sad.  Only the animals can be hurt by this.

[ragman]

ds, you have been around long enough I think to realize that if I was a Medical Doctor (I'm not) and wanted to retire in Belize and volunteer my services I would not be allowed.  This has come up several times.  The reason I would not be allowed is because it would put other Belize doctors at risk financially.  Wouldn't this same logic carry over to vets?

A free clinic completing with an animal hospital which probably has the best equipment in Belize will probably put that hospital in financial jeopardy. The cost of this equipment was many thousands of dollars. If they where only doing cases who can not afford it that would be one thing but I don't believe that is the case.  Could it be they are purposely trying to harm the hospital financially?  With what has taken place in the past I would think that plausible.

Yes, I regret the animals may suffer and the two sides should come to a solution but there is so much bad blood that may not happen. 

[bethieb]

SAGA is crying wolf... it will not have to close its doors due to anything SPAH is or has done IMHO.  SAGA would best function as a top notch shelter for round ups and isolation, assessment and referral to the SPAH for MEDICAL treatment, and continue to provide outreach info services, collars and leashes, flea and tick control, etc.  Having visiting pro bono vets for mass spay/neuter is also a good function however the facilities are so much less proper for surgery than the SPAH.   SAGA wants to have a vet on payroll to generate income - income that will most likely NOT go back into building proper medical and surgical facilities.  Makes me sick that the animals will suffer from all this BS and posing SAGA is doing.   There is no way in hell those running SAGA will let it go or close it down.