“I’ve always loved animals, even when I was little. My mom and dad would find things in my pocket, or you know, I would bring home a squirrel or a baby bird.”
Those are the words of Terri-Lyn Rhyno, the founder of South Paw Conservation.
South Paw Conservation is a Nova Scotia foster-based nonprofit organization focused on rescuing animals, helping with animal overpopulation issues in the Bahamas, and with taming local feral cats.
There is currently an animal overpopulation crisis in the Bahamas, leaving many shelters, like the Bahamas Humane Society struggling to find a way to care for the sheer number of animals.
In a statement issued by the Bahamas Humane Society Facebook page on April 26, 2021, they said, “In a matter of weeks since our last freedom flight, our shelter is, again, well over capacity. The pound is also full where animals are waiting to come into our care.”
Priding themselves on being a no-kill shelter, the Bahamas Humane Society wants to continue to save all the animals they possibly can.
Nonprofit organizations like South Paw Conservation help alleviate the issue by coordinating airlifts to rescue animals and bring them to Canada, eventually helping them get adopted into loving homes. While this is no easy task, it’s truly rewarding to see the animals find loving homes and start new lives.
Coordinating airlifts with the animals is oftentimes the most difficult and demanding because it usually comes with a hefty bill and requires significant energy to ensure its success. The folks running the operation at South Paw often get no sleep when flights come in, regularly taking phone calls in the middle of the night. This is, however, all worth it in the end when the animals are safe and get settled into loving homes.
All of this is made possible by the long hours worked and the dedication of the volunteers at South Paw Conservation, who ensure the animals’ needs are met.
For the flights, South Paw enlists the help of many local volunteers to make sure everything runs smoothly. Local businesses, students, and families When the flights arrive, there is a parking lot full of people excited to meet their new foster kitties or puppies.
On the last flight in November, South Paw received volunteer help from the local high school, they don’t always have the helping hands they need, and things can get busy.
To thank the students for their efforts, South Paw Conservation donated three $500 bursaries to the local high school in support of the students. The money was raised by one of their kitty moms. She and a group of friends make and sell Christmas wreaths each year.
While the team at South Paw Conservation are taking it day-by-day, caring for the animals, the long-term goal and dream would be to start an animal sanctuary.
“We’d love to have a facility, a warm space for cats where they will be safe.”
For now, however, the volunteers at South Paw are content helping with animal overpopulation in the Bahamas and are determined to make a difference.
