Orihuela owes the animal centre four months’ wages

Asoka, which operates the Orihuela Animal Protection Centre, is now again struggling to cover basic expenses. Its nine employees have not been paid in three months: June, July, and August.

In addition to these delinquent expenses, the organisation is owed April, therefore the City Council has only paid for May in the last five months. In May, the City Council awarded a contract for the collecting, maintenance, and administration of lost, abandoned, or confiscated animals in the municipality for a total of €778,392 and a three-year term (€260,000 per year), which can be extended to five years. However, three months later, in August, it was finally signed.

The May payment was made only a few days ago. The staff, who are now caring for 150 animals, elected to use it first to pay outstanding veterinarian bills and material charges to meet supplier obligations before receiving their pay cheques.

Several people, aware of the centre’s circumstances, have generously donated cleaning supplies and pet food. For example, a client adopted a greyhound that came at the centre in bad condition. She was spayed and had life-saving surgery as a symbol of the job they undertake despite the hardships they confront, but her survival is now in jeopardy.

Several people, who are aware of the centre’s circumstances, have donated cleaning supplies and food.
According to municipal sources, the City Council is making the payments specified in the contract to the body in charge of administering and allocating the funds, while emphasising that any outstanding sums will be paid “shortly.”

Economic improvement

The tender for this contract was issued in February, and it was set to expire in April. The current contract was approved by the local government board in an extraordinary session in March 2022, after the PSOE and Cambiemos parties raised concerns about the situation at the Animal Protection Centre, which had been plagued by unpaid bills and difficulties in meeting essential expenses, often resolved thanks to the generosity of individuals, since the contract expired in 2021. The budget for that occasion was €202,758. The preceding one, awarded in 2016, was €159,720.

Despite economic improvements, the same problem that existed more than three years ago has resurfaced, and the plant has been running without a contract from April to August. The new contract also covers the management of cat colonies, the promotion of responsible pet ownership, and auxiliary cleaning and maintenance services for the Animal Protection Centre, which can care for about 800 animals annually. It can accommodate up to 192 dogs, 74 cats, and 10 livestock units.

Furthermore, it has the necessary administrative declaration as a Zoological Centre of the Valencian Community and is permitted to host various species, including dogs and cats, equines, birds, and small ruminants.

Its facilities, located in San Bartolomé’s Lo Arques district, include separate regions for different species, quarantine facilities, a maternity ward and operation room, corpse freezing chambers, warehouses, a sealed well, a trash silo, and a parking lot.

Guarantees

Irene Celdrán, Councillor for Health, stated, “With this award, we guarantee a quality service that prioritises animal welfare, paying special attention to the protection and care of abandoned or vulnerable animals in our municipality.” She further stated, “The centre has the necessary staff and resources to operate under optimal conditions.”

According to the councillor, “coordinating all the tasks performed at the centre is essential to preserving the animals’ physical and emotional well-being , hence the importance of having a single specialised operator managing the entire service.”

In summary, the contract covers all areas of the centre’s overall operation, including veterinary treatment, socialisation, dog training, adoption procedures, and proper hygiene and sanitation. All of this is part of a thorough health program overseen by veterinary professionals. All that remains is to ensure the entire system does not fail.