Lawyers donate $8,000 for animal care education

| 27/03/2017 | 16 Comments
Cayman News Service

kidsCARE visits schools in Cayman

(CNS): Following what may have been one of the first ever successful prosecutions of someone charged with animal abuse in Cayman, local law firm Ogier has donated US$8,000 to help produce PetZone magazine, which teaches Cayman children about the care of and compassion for pets. The kidsCARE Education Programme is a 100% volunteer-run initiative under the umbrella of Cayman Animal Welfare Enthusiasts (CARE). The volunteers visit local schools with an introduction lesson on pets and pet care to improve levels of animal protection.

Despite the well-documented incidents of shocking animal cruelty in the Cayman Islands, securing prosecutions seems elusive.

However, Marcel Archer was recently found guilty of animal cruelty and sentenced to home confinement for four months in relation to a case first documented seven years ago. Archer was accused of cruelty and animal abuse of several animals at a farm in North Side and is now banned from owning any animals for two years. The magistrate found animals supposedly in his care had undergone unimaginable distress from starvation, dehydration and heat.

But this is just one incident; in many more no one has been prosecuted.

CARE hopes that by raising awareness among kids they can address future animal abuse by encouraging and educating the next generation.

“The kidsCARE programme takes an interactive approach to teach students empathy for other beings and care for their environment, qualities which play an essential role in raising aware, kind and compassionate citizens,” officials said in a release.

Ogier donated the money as part of its new initiative to support staff working in charities with cash and paid days off so that they can volunteer; one of their team is a founder of the charity.

The donation will enable the PetZone magazine, which features information about stray animals, free spay and neuter programmes, wild Caymanian animals, pet care, animal cruelty and pet overpopulation, to be produced and distributed to local primary schools every quarter.

Ogier partner Rachael Reynolds said, “This is a project that is already delivering results across our community, but we want to help them sustain the education effort so that the message hits home for the next generation of Caymanians. Over the course of the year, members of our team will also be spending time attending kidsCARE events, volunteering in classrooms and assisting in pet wellness clinics and building feral cat feeding stations and community dog houses.”

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Category: Courts, Crime, Local News

Comments (16)

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  1. Well then... says:

    Did you save favors and horderves? Nope! Permanent Residency points BABY!

    We ALL know that the ‘lazy caymanians’ didnt take part in this marvelous ‘initiative’. Oh no you gotta give it to the foreigners…as always….PR POINTS ON DECK!!!

    Was monies probably raised by all the hard working Ogier employees who contributed to the cause and not of them being lawyers only and directly 😉 hmmmm…thats how most firms in Cayman do it anyway.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I hate animal abuse but there are more important causes than animals. I stopped donating to charities that donate to animals rather than hungry children. That includes the 100 women who care. Never again.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Great job and fantastic idea to focus on the next generation.

    Now if the respective laws would just have more teeth and some government departments would show more balls, more people would be convicted of animal cruelty.

    Also curious to know how the “home confinement” is going to be enforced and why there was no financial penalty involved. People don’t tend to take heed unless they feel it in their pockets, and those cruel bastards should have to pay for the fact that the country has to employ people to deal with such cases.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Did the convicted cruel guy’s family contribute anything?

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    • Taura says:

      First! Bravo to CARE for helping to educate kids in the right direction for animal ownership and responsibility?? Kudos to Ogier for recognizing the value and benefit of education and compassion that will help towards breaking the cycle of irresponsible/confused/abusive or neglectful humans.??????

      Marcel Archer was not required to pay a fine, although the animal law could have allowed for this, along with up to 1 year in jail…. his original 8 month jail time was reduced to 4 month house arrest after a social inquiry found him to be described as a ‘good man’.

      I understand during his first 8 weeks of “house arrest” he is allowed out of his home 2 hours a day for health related errands (does this include: ” I have a headache, so I need Advil from the grocery store” I do wonder…) and then allowed out of for 4 hours on Sundays for church…. where in Cayman does it take 4 hours to get to church, attend church and get home from church?? What’s that, like a potential of 112 hours of ‘freedom’ for his health and religion?(Not including doctor’s visits if they are requested and approved by the courts)

      In the last 8 weeks of his “house arrest” he’s allowed to leave home from 6:01am to 5:59pm… freedom for 12 hours a day.
      That’s what 672 hours of freedom….

      I really don’t see a limited stay at home for such a short time as a loss of his ‘freedom’ nor do I see how it really addresses the concern of his neglect or how to ensure that no animal is ever put at risk by him again as he will be allowed to own animals after 2 years….

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  5. ThIs WrItInG Is VeRy IrRiTaTiNg says:

    Great initiative. Let’s also have somebody teach kids some other first world basics like (a) having proper child seats for children and wearing seat belts is mandatory not optional, (b) unauthorised parking in handicapped spots is very inconsiderate, and (c) that littering is completely unacceptable. If the children start talking to their parents about these things maybe they will start to improve rather than deteriorate.

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    • Taura says:

      Agreed, there are a lot of basic responsibilities we need to teach our kids and it starts at home, with parents and older siblings, grandparents and family friends. Hopefully, parents will take ownership for the work and time they need to invest in their kids.
      Traffic enforcement could definitely be improved and if properly enforced could generate funding for various RCIP projects as it relates to a safer community.

  6. Rob says:

    Obviously, animals matter deeply to people spear-heading this program, but when I read it the all I could think of was where is the money to educate kids about bullying and how to stop it when they see it, instead of just standing there watching the recipient suffer.

    Humans matter to me more than animals, that’s all.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Dear Rob, All lives matter ! It really is that simple. The Link between violence to people and violence to animals is well documented by research, both nationally and internationally. In its simplest form: violence to animals is a predictor that the abuser may become violent to people, and vice versa. Abuse is abuse no matter what the form or whom the victim. Whilst you state human lives matter to you more than animals I respect that but please take into consideration that whilst animals may not matter to you. This program teaches children empathy for other beings and care for their environment all qualities which play an essential role in raising aware, kind and compassionate citizens – by using kindness to animals as the example. Please try to look at the bigger picture here since in essence this money is going right to the the very problem you are highlighting.

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    • Taura says:

      Animal abuse and neglect is a form of bullying. By teaching kids responsibility with animals, caring/compassion I can promise you this lends itself to children becoming more aware about caring for others, even humans.

      We are all passionate about something. If you are passionate about stopping bullying, I would encourage you to reach out to the YMCA Or Big Brothers, Big Sisters or Kiwanis or the Rotary. There are so many great opportunities and funding be raised to support our kids, that I bet if you reached out and said, “I want to help kids build their confidence, self value and respect themselves and others,” I’m sure they would welcome you with gratitude and you could directly impact these awesome kids who need help to stand up to bullies or to learn strategies not to bully and learn tools that will help take a direction that is much healthier.

      Ultimately, if you see a cause or concern, please get involved with what you are passionate about 🙂

    • Anonymous says:

      A law firm would never fund that – that’s how they get work out of their staff.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It seems also that animals take priority over the upward mobility of indigenous Caymanians in the workplace and in the land of their birth. And don’t come and talk to me about entitlement, because if Caymanians cannot make such a claim where they have an inalienable right to make a good living, where else can they so do.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Lets not mix things here. There are lots of problems in the world and in the Cayman Islands. What Ogier has done is invaluable. Education in such matters started at an early age demonstrates wisdom. Thank you Ogier!
      P.S. traditional approach to bullying is not working. I would offer an experiment. Lets see what kids themselves think about bullying and how to stop it. Let them write essays about it, anonymous of course, and see what ideas kids have about “who is bullied and why and what to do about it.”
      Just remember, not a single war has ever been won. Not against poverty, teen pregnancies, bullying, drugs, cancer, diabetes, domestic abuse, environmental destruction, you name it. What you resist, persists. You can kill more flies with honey. There are many articles questioning the traditional approach to bullying that give food for thoughts.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well, you start it and you go run a children’s charity. There is plenty of room to take care of both. Also, Humans don’t matter more than animals, we coexists and that is how we all continue to survive. Circle of life?

  7. Anonymous says:

    Well done to all involved!

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