Summer Edition 2025

Hello dear readers,

We're reaching out this month with a second newsletter. This summer edition is meant to bring Mallorca and Finca Noah to mind even while you're on vacation. We already hinted in the July newsletter that summer tends to bring more emergencies than usual. The many holidaymakers who flock to Mallorca are fortunately not just party tourists — many explore the island and discover injured animals, lonely creatures, or animals in miserable conditions. We want to share some deeply moving stories that have touched our hearts and will stay with us for a long time.

Last-Minute Rescue

A tiny chick had found refuge in our care. We always protect our smallest ones from the danger of birds of prey. In the safe environment of our aviary, everything seemed fine, and we believed the little one was secure. But one morning, we discovered it was injured. One of its tiny wings was half torn off, the wound infected and surely very painful. We were shocked for a moment. Once again, it was a day when the veterinarian wasn't open. Not every vet here treats chickens — unfortunately, we don't have much choice about which clinic we can go to. We knew every minute counts, and with each passing moment that we delay, the chances of the little chick surviving grow slimmer. My son Juan, our little chief, who has become quite knowledgeable about birds, chickens, pigeons, and such, carefully treated the wound with trembling hands. He administered painkillers and provided the little creature with food. He cared for it day and night and managed to keep the chick alive. We still had to take it to the vet. Despite all our efforts and great care, we couldn't save the wings. We're aware that the chick will never be able to run around in a chicken group, will never peck at grass with its fellow birds, but we know it will still be a happy rooster or hen. Juan managed to give the little one a second life. And he'll help it enjoy a beautiful life without wings.

A Bit of Luck in Misfortune for Little Lala

Finca Noah is surrounded by fields where our neighbors graze their sheep. Much to our annoyance, these sheep are often tied together at the legs — supposedly to prevent them from jumping over the low stone walls. Or they have bells tied around their necks. It doesn't sound like music to our ears, least of all to the animals. Three weeks ago, we made a horrible discovery. A mother sheep lay motionless in our neighbor's field, beside her a little sheep, also lying on the ground. A baby nearby, screaming from hunger, thirst, and desperation. The little baby had lost her mother and brother — we don't know why. We took the little one immediately and provided it with milk. It's midsummer and very hot; we don't know how much longer the little sheep would have survived. We informed the owner of the sheep right away, and he simply said he'd give us the sheep — he didn't want it back. We've experienced a lot, one might think nothing shocks us anymore, but we're still repeatedly disappointed by how people treat their animals. The little one was named Lala. She was about four weeks old when we found her. Today, little Lala walks around the Finca Noah farm as if it's the most natural thing. She spends some time in the enclosure with our large sheep but shows little interest in her own kind. The deer Coco is always at her side, and Lala enjoys the attention, protection, and security that Coco gives her. Fresh grass and green leaves are so wonderful to Lala that she forgets she's surrounded by 9 dogs watching her with fascination. They say sheep aren't exactly the cleverest animals. I think little Lala is quite clever. At least she had luck in misfortune.

A Tomcat in Search of Help, Love, and Food

A friend of Farah's who works in animal protection reached out after a long time. She had been a great help here at Finca Noah many years ago. She asked Farah for help because in her desperation, she only knew one person who could help her — or rather, help the tomcat. Estefania cares for a few stray cats, providing them with water, food, and a little attention. Out of nowhere, a red long-haired, very hungry tomcat appeared. Initially a bit cautious — he'd surely been through a lot searching for food. He looked very worn out and sick. She couldn't possibly leave him to his fate. We took him in the very same evening of her call for help. The next day, he allowed me to comb out all his mats and matted fur. It apparently hurt so much that he'd scratched his fur off by himself, leaving bare patches that were partly bloody. His entire coat was also full of lice. Every rescued soul is examined by our veterinarian Toni and treated as needed. The lice turned out to be his least problem. He appears to be somewhat older, which our vet determined from his teeth. He had exactly three teeth left, two of which were so painfully decayed they had to be removed immediately. His blood work looked relatively good, but unfortunately the mandatory test for feline AIDS and feline distemper did not. The feline AIDS test came back positive. His right eye is definitely blind — whether an operation is necessary is currently being clarified with a specialist in Palma. His right ear was full of mites and severely inflamed. A tomcat who has had to endure so much suffering, who seemingly seeks help by appearing in a colony of stray cats, simply has to be helped. His will to live is still there — otherwise, he would have hidden and quietly surrendered to his fate. Dear Urs Streuli gave him a name. Personally, I think the name Elmo is more than fitting for him. Urs immediately took on sponsorship for Elmo. Elmo doesn't yet know how lucky he is, but a constantly full food bowl makes him happy nonetheless — more so than a conversation about sponsorship. Keep your fingers crossed for little Elmo that he won't need an eye operation. For now, he can recover from the hardships of the past and enjoy a life in safety with lots of love and attention.

Supposed Animal Protector Overwhelmed Beyond Measure

For years, Animal Police has supported animal advocates and animal welfare organizations with pet food. Isabell contacted Farah and asked if Animal Police could help her with cat food. Isabell had a few cats in her neighborhood that were hungry. At that time, we didn't yet know what "a few" meant to her. We repeatedly educate people that feeding alone is not help for stray cats. Spaying and neutering is the be-all and end-all for ownerless stray cats. What starts as two or three cute little cats quickly becomes an uncontrolled cat colony. It didn't take long before Isabell called desperately, pleading with Farah for help. Many conversations followed, but she rejected the help and advice we offered. Again and again, we as an organization and Farah as an animal advocate offered help that Isabell desperately needed for herself and her cats. But again and again, she backed out at the last minute. Farah could no longer reach her. Until the situation spiraled out of control and Isabell was simply no longer able to cope with all the cats. Isabell's family asked us to help the animals, the cats, urgently. Even then, many long conversations were necessary to make the family understand what the help needed to look like. Isabell will be leaving Mallorca for health reasons. Left behind are approximately 30 to 60 cats of all age groups, many not spayed or neutered, sick, full of fleas, mites, and probably worms too. The smallest ones all have inflamed eyes, they have coughs and sniffles. They live in a filthy hoarding house where feces, mold, and garbage lie everywhere. You can barely walk; you have to watch where you step. The stench in the house is barely bearable, and that's even though the doors are always open because the cats can do what they want. The cats have been left to fend for themselves for quite some time. Once a day, the cats are provided with food and fresh water so they can somehow survive. This was the first help Farah could organize. We simply cannot continue to watch this situation and have offered immediate assistance. We're talking about 30 to 40 cats, which means the help has to be well planned. Our veterinarian Toni will support us, and together we'll go to the scene, into the house of horrors, and rescue the cats from the clutches of a woman with compulsive hoarding disorder. How we experienced the rescue, how the cats are doing, and how we'll continue to help — I'll tell you about that in the next newsletter. So there's more to come.

Once again, my heartfelt thanks for reading.

Nadine