Ontario veterinarian leads spay/neuter effort on Caribbean island
ONTARIO — A recent spay-and-neuter effort on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten transformed the lives of nearly 300 animals.
It also may have changed a way of thinking.
A local nonprofit group called 4 Leaf Rover, led by Ontario veterinarian Susan Burkhart, spayed or neutered 287 animals in five days.
Nine people — three veterinarians, two vet technicians, one veterinary student, two volunteers and a photojournalist — made the flight to the Dutch territory a couple of weeks ago.
"The animal culture there is different," Burkhart said. "People either can't afford it or won't pay for it (spay/neuter).
"There's a huge problem there. They don't take care of their pets like most Americans do."
Thousands of dogs roam the island. Burkhart attributed part of the problem to Hurricane Irma, which slammed Sint Maarten in 2017 and left many dogs homeless.
The island was on a strict lockdown during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. People struggled to get veterinary care. Burkhart said there are only eight vets on the island.
Further, the local economy tanked because tourists weren't visiting, leaving residents with less money to care for their pets.
"It was a series of events that made it get out of control," Burkhart said.
Florida doctor contacted Burkhart about most recent trip
Dr. Eddie Lee, who lives in Sarasota, Florida, owns a home on Sint Maarten. He reached out to Burkhart about the issues on the island late last year.
Lee contacted the Sint Maarten government, and Burkhart got a team ready to go. She said the surgeries were difficult because many of the animals were infected by ticks, resulting in a low platelet count and more bleeding.
Still, the team's effort may effect lasting change.
"It raised a huge, huge amount of awareness on the island," Burkhart said, adding there was media coverage. "It kind of started a movement that the locals were super excited about."
After the 4 Leaf Rover contingent left the island, the government issued a $90,000 grant. Veterinarians will be compensated for spay/neuter surgeries. They hope to fix 1,000 animals by the end of the year.
"I do think it will change (the situation)," Burkhart said.
Sint Maarten is the Dutch half of the island. The other portion is a French territory.
Bertha Bishop, who runs B.L. Bishop Photography in Mansfield, went along to take pictures. She handles marketing and social media for 4 Leaf Rover.
"I document everything we do," Bishop said. "We like to get images of the communities as well."
She even helped out in the clinic on the most recent mission because there were so many animals.
4 Leaf Rover details origins of group
Last year, Burkhart volunteered to go to Turks and Caicos, a group of islands in the Caribbean, to help with a spay/neuter effort.
Afterwards, she visited Grand Turk, a different island, for some relaxation.
It wasn't a relaxing trip.
"When I got there, there were hundreds of stray dogs roaming the island," Burkhart said. "I was so disturbed that I said I was going to have to do something."
Burkhart said Grand Turk has only one veterinarian, who flies in one day every other week.
The result of that trip was her decision to start 4 Leaf Rover, a 501(c)(3) organization.
"We raised a bunch of money and went back four months later," Burkhart said.
They fixed nearly 300 dogs and cats and brought some of them home.
Bishop and her husband have adopted three of their four dogs from the islands. She connected with Burkhart on Facebook, expressing her interest in adopting one of her dogs.
4 Leaf Rover also makes an impact locally.
"Since then, we've done a couple of local community cat days," Burkhart said, noting about 255 cats were fixed.
The cats were strays, some of them feral. Burkhart offered the services to low-income people and their pets as well.
For $25, the cats received the operation and a rabies vaccination. They also were tested for feline HIV and leukemia while getting pain, flea and tick medication.
So far, 4 Leaf Rover has spayed or neutered 881 animals in about a year.
Burkhart, who has 32 years in the field, wants to expand her reach. Her group has purchased a Freightliner truck, which they hope to renovate to be a mobile spay/neuter clinic.
"We also want to help our own animals," Burkhart said.
She hopes to raise $30,000 for the project. Donations can be made at www.4leafrover.net.
mcaudill@gannett.com
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One lucky dog
After her recent trip to Sint Maarten, Burkhart and her contingent took a ferry to Anguilla.
"We saw a stray dog that was absolutely starving," she said. "4 Leaf Rover captured that dog and took him to the local vet."
The dog, who was dubbed Bones, has since been flown to Sint Maarten, where he is staying with a foster and going by the name Felix.
"We try to save at least one dog who's not going to make it," Burkhart said of the trip, adding Felix was the 15th dog to receive that treatment. "Adoption is not our main focus, but you can't turn a blind eye to these dogs."
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ontario vet Burkhart and group 4 Leaf Rover help spay/neuter animals
