stray animals

THE U.S. Army is here to help the local community and Saipan Cares for Animals address the island’s stray animal problem.

The U.S. Army’s 445th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services Support is conducting an on-site survey for a veterinary mission they hope to conduct in June or July, according to Maj. Dan Lavorgna, the program manager of Innovative Readiness Training.

IRT is a program under the secretary of Defense that allows servicemembers to work with local communities that need assistance.

The military unit, Lavorgna said, will carry out a veterinary mission to reduce the impact of the stray animal population on Saipan.

Saipan Cares for Animals, a nonprofit organization, has been working with the Saipan Mayor’s Office to address this problem. However, SCA is now in a dire situation after it was given by the CNMI Zoning Board until end of next month to move out from its current animal shelter, which Zoning said is not in compliance with the zoning law.

If it cannot move into an alternate shelter as soon as possible, SCA will have to euthanize over 150 dogs in its care, and there will be no shelter for the stray dogs roaming the island right now.

“We are hoping to make a dent into that problem,” Lavorgna said.

He said the community will get the benefit of animals getting spayed and neutered while the soldiers deployed for the veterinary mission will get hands-on training.

On Monday, Lavorgna said planners looked at the facilities they can utilize for the mission, the type of facilities available for the soldiers and for veterinary operations.

“So right now, we are at a planning stage,” Lavorgna said.

Maj. Rick Upshaw, a veterinarian, said they were trying to establish “where we are going to locate our people, how we are going to get them fed and what our mission is going to actually entail.”

He added, “We’re going to be trying to reduce the overpopulation of animals and we’re also going to work with community partners like Saipan Cares for Animals.”

Upshaw said, “We are [also] doing this for training purposes so our people get hands-on experiences working to assist the community.”

Civil-military partnership

CNMI Bureau of Military Affairs Special Assistant Glenna Palacios, on behalf of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, extended the Commonwealth’s appreciation to Major LaVorgna and the 445th Medical Detachment Veterinary team for their partnership. “We look forward to this summer’s mission,” she added.

The CNMI Bureau of Military Affairs, she said, is mandated, in part, “to facilitate the integration of military personnel into our community; to seek out employment and economic development opportunities; and to pursue [a] mutually beneficial partnership between the CNMI and Department of Defense, among other things.”

To meet these mandates, Palacios said the bureau established a Community Relations Program, the CNMI Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and is tapping into DoD programs that provide mutual benefits to the military and the community.

In an effort to address the island’s stray animals problem, she said the bureau submitted a community application for veterinary services in 2020 “and we are fortunate that our application was selected by the U.S. Army Command G-37 for the fiscal year 2022 funding cycle.”

“We have been engaging with Maj. Dan LaVorgna, the Army/Army Reserve IRT Program manager, SSS Gabriel Cosme, MSG Jennifer Bunch, Maj. Rick Upshaw, and SPC Shalleica Bowen from the 445th Medical Detachment Veterinary Services, since October 2021, discussing the mission project and the scope,” Palacios said.

“They are here on island for weeklong planning meetings and for onsite survey and assessment. We look forward to the execution of this project in the summer to support local efforts in controlling the population of stray animals on the island; to assist pet owners by providing no-cost veterinary services; and for our Army partners to learn about our islands, our culture, and of our people,” she added.

“We look forward to the execution of this mission in [the] summer with them, along with our supporting community partners, Ms. Aria Keilbach of Boonie Babies, Ms. Beth Pilscou of Saipan Cares for Animals, and Special Assistant Ali Ogo of the Youth Affairs Office.”