French Polynesia is an Overseas French Territory (TOM) inhabited by about 250.000 inhabitants and as wide as Europe. The most of this surface is the Pacific Ocean in which are the 120 little Polynesian Islands.
Its capital is Papeete, on Tahiti Island. It counts about 150.000 inhabitants, that is the main of the population.
Fenua Animalia is an association under the french 1901 law (non-profit), created the 14 November 1996 in Papeete, on the previous associations ruins ...
(Fenua means country in Maohi ( = in tahitian)).
Statutes abstract, (Art. 2) :
Its aims are :
The Association declares itself apolitical, non denominational and non ethnical.
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public sensibilisation to the animal cause,
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defend (by lawsuit if needed), safeguard and protection of Animals within all the French Polynesia Territory,
It undertakes to respect the secularism in proceedings during comitee, Administration Council, General Assemblies meetings, or in any demonstration it could be the origin.
Its - subscription - is of the weakest in the Territory (2 500 F cfp <=> ± US$ 20.00).
The situation in French Polynesia is so hurting that any normal one can't psychologically remain in contact "on field" for long without suffering consequencies. The main of goodwillings gives up after few months.
The big challenge we have permanently to take up is to allow each active member to withdraw before it is too late, for the period he thinks necessary, without jeopardizing the association working, and without loosing him/her.
We works at present without subsidies or financial public helps (Territory, State, ...), it lives uniquely on its subscriptions and gifts it receives.
We have the support of some foreign associations and organisms (USA, United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, ...)
Our active team is still too small (< 15 persons, at Territory scale) and is made only with volunteers, though for a lot its public image is as if state-controlled.
Cats and dogs represent the main of ours interventions, but others animals are also present in our scattered Noah's arch : birds, horses, cows, ...
Faced with total lack of shelter and free-clinics, the common internal opinion is we are working to maintain of a just been cleverly thrown together, to offset the emergenciest. The lack of resources and the wide extents of problems requires us more to use towells rather than to be able to invest for a plumber : Without serious reception facilities, without appointed vet, good willing and brave heart allows only bit by bit actions.
The main effort giving tangible results is the keeping of a phone duty, the 423 423 where all calls converge. There pass all SOS calls, all advice demands, etc...
The main of abandonned/threatened animals who find a new home pass through the "423".
This work enforced by the generous help of the main local newspaper La Dépêche de Tahiti which, for free, by reproducing in its classified (petites annonces) the list of adoption candidates, allows us, taking one year with the next, to solve a great part of the everyday critical cases which reach us.
Our aims, concretely, are :