Bons Amigos

BONS AMIGOS is a private non-profit organisation with activities in Cape Verde.

In the capital Praia, as well as in other places, many dogs and cats roam the streets unattended. This is often perceived as a curse and actually is a big problem both for animals and humans.

Started as a spontaneous initiative from Austrian veterinarians and other volunteers in the year 2000, Bons Amigos has worked continuously since then. We named our group BONS AMIGOS, Portuguese for „good friends“.

BONS AMIGOS is now a registered association in Austria as well as in Cape Verde.

The aim of the work of BONS AMIGOS is to effectively control the sanitary and hygienic problems caused by dogs and cats living in the streets and to improve the quality of life for animals and humans.

BONS AMIGOS reduce the number of animals through castration, help injured or ill animals, and relieve dogs and cats from deadly parasites.

Thus we make a significant contribution to the health of humans and the well-being of animals. This includes the appreciation of the animals’ dignity and health in the sense of a comprehensive protection of the animal. Hence, we care especially for strays who live their lives without human protection. The hospital of Bons Amigos is open all year for all sick animals, for those without owners as well as those who are brought to us for medical attention.

The treatments depend on medical necessity and are generally free. However, we ask everyone who comes to us for a donation within his or her financial abilities to support us.

The work of BONS AMIGOS is based on the idea of benefits for all parties involved in the chain of problems.

The concept of the work is geared to the guidelines of the WHO (World Health Organisation) and the ICAM (International Companion Animal Management Coalition) in regard to the handling of stray dogs and cats. Substantially it consists of therapy against zoonoses and other diseases, castrations of the animals, information and inclusion of the population, the creation of „responsible communities“ and cooperation with the responsible public authorities and policy makers.

Due to the continuous work of the association it can be shown that the commitments, both, to the well-being of humans and animals are not contradictory to each other, but part of a successful master plan.

BONS AMIGOS work in Praia, the capital of the Republic of Cape Verde on the island of Santiago. Since the inception of the project many collaborations and initiatives have also been put in place on other islands of the archipelago.