ON THE BEACH

So far, the rainy season has been a very meager one, with only a couple of brief, light downpours and a few sprinkles.  Temperatures remain in the low nineties with an average humidity of 85%.  

The heat and summer vacation mean some beaches are littered with more than the usual amount of cigarette butts, styrofoam, plastic and other kinds of trash.  There is currently a movement underway in Puerto Vallarta to eliminate all plastic straws, plastic bags and styrofoam. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which covers more than the combined countries France, Germany and Spain, contains an estimated total of 1.8  billion pieces of plastic weighing 80,000 metric tons.

“PLASTIC DOESN´T RETURN BY ITSELF.  TAKE IT BACK HOME WITH YOU.”

Consuming plastic is lethal for the accounted for hundreds of thousands of sea animals and a million sea birds annually.  On a recent panga excursion in Banderas Bay with Karla de la Peña, owner of Boca Divers, we encountered many turtles.  This is mating season and turtles do have to come up for air.  Gestation is usually 7-10 weeks, but turtles have held on to fertilized eggs for as long as two years.  Incubation is 60 days with approximately 100 eggs laid.

TORTUGA CON POPOTE EN LA NARIZ.  TURTLE WITH 12 CM. STRAW UP ITS NOSTRIL.  EN RESTAURANTES Y EN BARS, FAVOR DE PEDIR “POR FAVOR, NO POPOTE.  PLEASE REQUEST NO STRAW WITH YOUR DRINKS.

As we swam near the dolphins that had approached us, we at once noticed by sight or by sting, the many dozens of small jellyfish in the water. This means fine dining for turtles.  Plastic bags are sometimes mistaken for jellyfish, and we always see some plastic or styrofoam in the bay.  On every excursion, Karla has a pool net with an extension pole for collecting trash.

BELLA BAHÍA DE BANDERAS

On the way to Sayulita,  I stopped off at Destiladeras beach for a swim.  A friend from Mexico City was involved in a film being made there, and invited me for lunch and what was a wonderful time body surfing in front of the W Hotel.  As Destiladeras is 22 miles north of centro Vallarta, it´s not a beach I visit often.  It is an absolutely gorgeous, three-mile long, palm-lined beach with talcum-powdery sand.  The rolling, white-crested waves are perfect for body surfing, and when they get big, Destiladeras is great for board surfing.

HERMOSÍSSIMA PLAYA DE DESTILADERAS

DESTILADERAS – FRENTE DEL HOTEL “W”

SAYULITA during summer, Easter and Christmas, the beach town is jammed with nationals and foreigners.  The water at the main beach in town is not perfect, so if one must swim in Sayulita, best to go to the walkable los Muertos beach to the south,  or to the beach at very northern end of town. 

SAYULITA   photo:  Huffington Post

There are several good restaurants in Sayulita and Don Pedro´s, located next to the beach near the surfboard rentals, offers  delicious fresh ahi tuna tostadas. 

MIRANDO SOCCER EN LOS TELES DE DON PEDRO – SAYULITA.  WATCHING WORLD SOCCER ON T.V.´S IN FRONT OF DON PEDRO´S – SAYULITA

FRENTE DE LA PLAYA – SAYULITA – IN FRONT OF THE BEACH IN SAYULITA

Clothing, jewelry and home accessories shops are plentiful, sophisticated and usually pricier than shops in Vallarta, but the merchandise can be uniquely beautiful .

DENTRO DE UNA DE LAS TIENDAS EN SAYULITA

PELICANO EN MAL ESTADO -A UN LADO DEL MALECÓN

ON THE BEACH IN PUERTO VALLARTA:

Two men on the beach next to the malecón were hunched over  a arge object.  
Approaching, I could see that it was a pelican.  One of the men was stroking its head as the other held the bird´s bill open to see if something were caught in its throat.  When they let go of the pelican,  it feebly tried to flap his wings and then collapsed onto the sand.  I called 911,  and asked for the “patrulla verde” (“green patrol”), a section of the police department trained for animal rescue.  In fifteen minutes, three uniformed officers arrived in the patrulla verde truck. 

One of them put on gloves and held the pelican´s defensive, snapping bill shut while the other two carefully loaded the ill or injured pelican into a large dog kennel.  They promised they were taking the pelican to the ecological offices to see if it could be saved.

IF YOU SEE AN ANIMAL IN DISTRESS OR ABUSED,  PLEASE CALL 911 AND ASK FOR THE GREEN PATROL.  

ALTAVELA (“High Sail”), NAYARIT.  No sails in sight at this newish community a couple of miles off the highway at Mezcales, halfway point between Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita.  At this inland location in the neighboring state of Nayarit, there are rows and rows of small, single-story cement houses on streets named after different seas in the world.  The clinic took place in one of these empty houses on Mar Amarillo (“Yellow Sea”), across the street from a large primary school.  A sail would not have done well this far sea.  There were no breezes and it was very hot and very humid – approximately 93 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celcius) with 73% humidity. 

VOLUNTARIO FRANK OHLY –  SU PLAYERA ERA PRUEBA DEL CALOR. WET  TSHIRT PROOF OF THE HEAT ALTAVELA, NAYARIT.

STERILIZATIONS AT ALTAVELA – JULY 4-7

Male dogs – 13; Female dogs – 35; Male cats – 23; Female cats – 52

TOTAL: 123  PLUS

Pregnancies terminated for 1 cat with 4 fetuses and 1 cat with 3 fetuses

ALTAVELA, NAYARIT       photo:  Frank Ohly

ALTAVELA, NAYARIT -NO QUERÍA ESTERILIZAR  A SU PERRO.  CHOSE NOT TO NEUTER HIS DOG.

FIFTY PERCENT OF THIS CLINIC WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GENEROUS GRANT OF $10,000 USD (5.5 CLINICS) FROM A FOUNDATION THAT WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. 

GATOS DURMIENDO DESPUÉS DE CIRUGÍA – ALTAVELA

DONATIONS AT CLINIC IN ALTAVELA: 1.600 PESOS (1,000 of which were donated by good friend Maca MacMorran, who was happy to visit the clinic with me).

EDUCATION PROGRAM:  Schools out for summer vacation.  No education programs until classes resume.

NIÑOS CON LOS LIBRITOS EDUCACIÓNAL DE PEACEANIMALS PARA COLOREAR – ALTAVELA, NAYARIT

VALLE DORADO:  PEACEAnimals visited this inland town close to Nuevo Vallarta a couple of months ago.  As the need was so great then, the team returned to the same location at the grassy plaza.  At six-thirty Wednesday morning, the line to register pets had begun to form.  At 8:30, the vets began their work in the small, enclosed office space.  Unfortunately, the AC wasn´t working, so fans were brought in.   Our clinic will be in Valle Dorado again next week.

CLÍNICA EN VALLE DORADO, NAYARIT

STERILIZATIONS AT CLINIC IN VALLE DORADO:

MALE DOGS – 15; FEMALE DOGS – 52; MALE CATS – 24; FEMALE CATS – 54

TOTAL:  145  PLUS  PREGNANCIES TERMINATED FOR:

1 DOG WITH 8 FETUSES;  1 DOG WITH 5 FETUSES; 1 CAT WITH 4 FETUSES; 1 CAT WITH 3 FETUSES; 1 CAT WITH 
2 FETUSES …  TOTAL ANIMALS NOT BORN TO SUFFER:  22

VALLE DORADO

DONATIONS AT CLINIC IN VALLE DORADO: 1,710 PESOS

Aurora Ubeda Perez- daily lunches for the vet team  MIL GRACIAS

LESLIE CARATACHEA – VALLE DORADO – photo:  Linda Stewart

DONATIONS AT CLINIC IN VOLCANES:  460 PESOS (July 30)

DONATIONS TO PEACEANIMALS:  

Michael Turner – $50 USD (monthly)
Humane Society – Portland, Ore. – 3 small used kennels and 2 used wire kennels – collected and brought down by Amy Welch, treasurer of PEACEAnimals and Banderas Bay Charities, Inc.

CHECANDO SU MASCOTA ANTES DE CIRUGÍA – VALLE DORADO

FOR PHOTOS/NAMES OF RESCUED DOGS THAT NEED HOMES, THE CITY SHELTER (FORMER CENTRO DE ACOPIO) HAS A CURRENT ROSTER THAT INCLUDES PHOTOS, NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS.