Summer edition 2025

Hello dear readers

We're back this month with a second newsletter. The summer edition is designed to take you on holiday to Mallorca, to Finca Noah. We already indicated in the July newsletter that there tend to be more emergencies in summer than usual. The many holidaymakers who flock to Mallorca are fortunately not just party holidaymakers, there are many who explore the island and find injured animals, lonely animals or animals that are in a miserable condition. We would like to tell you some very touching stories that have touched our hearts and will stay with us for a long time.

Rescue at the last minute

A little chicken chick had found shelter in our care. We always protect our little ones from the danger of birds of prey. In the safe environment of our aviary, everything seemed fine and we thought the little one was safe. But one morning we discovered the little one with an injury. One of its tiny wings was half torn off, the wound was infected and certainly very painful. We were shocked for a moment. Another day when the vet wasn't open. Chickens are not treated by every vet here, so unfortunately we don't have much choice about which clinic we can go to. We knew that every minute counts, and with every minute that passes and we don't act, the chance that the little chick will survive gets smaller and smaller. My son Juan, the little boss, who is now very familiar with birds, chickens, pigeons etc., treated the wound as best he could with trembling hands. He administered painkillers and fed the little creature. He looked after the little one day and night and managed to ensure that the chick survived. But we still had to go to the vet. Despite all our efforts and great care, we were unfortunately unable to save the wings. We are aware that the chick will never be able to join a group of chickens and will never be able to peck around in the meadow with its conspecifics, but we know that it will still be a happy cock or hen. Juan has managed to give the little one a second life. And will also help him to enjoy a wonderful life without wings.

Luck in misfortune for little Lala

Finca Noah is surrounded by fields where our neighbours let their sheep graze. To our annoyance, these are often tied together at the legs, the reason being that the sheep cannot jump over the low stone walls. Or they have bells tied around their necks. It doesn't sound like music to the ears, especially not to the animal. Three weeks ago, we made a terrible discovery. A ewe was lying motionless in our neighbour's field, with a small sheep next to it, also lying on the ground. A baby right next door, screaming with hunger, thirst and despair. The little baby had lost its mum and brother, we don't know why. We immediately took the little one in and fed it with milk. It is high summer and very hot, we don't know how long the little sheep would have lasted. We immediately informed the owner of the sheep, who quickly said I'm giving you the sheep, I don't want it back. We've really experienced a lot, you'd think nothing would shock us anymore, but we're still always disappointed by the way people treat their animals. The little one has been given the name Lala. She was about 4 weeks old when we found her. Today the little one runs around the yard of Finca Noah as a matter of course. She spends some time in the enclosure with our big sheep, but shows little interest in her fellow animals. Coco the deer is always at her side and Lala enjoys the attention, protection and security that Coco gives her. Lala loves the fresh grass and green leaves so much that she forgets that she is surrounded by 9 dogs who watch her with fascination. They say that sheep are not the smartest animals. I think little Lala is pretty clever. At least she was lucky in her misfortune.

A tomcat in search of help, love and food

A friend of Farah's who is an animal rights activist has contacted her again after a long time. She was a great help here at Finca Noah many years ago. She asked Farah for help because in her desperation she only knew one person who could help her or the cat. Estefania looks after a few cats on the street, providing them with water, food and a little attention. A red, long-haired, very hungry cat appears out of nowhere. A little cautious at first, he must have been through a lot in his search for food. He looked very battered and ill. She couldn't and wouldn't leave him to his fate. We took him in the same evening we received the call for help. The next day, he allowed me to comb out all his tangles and matted hair. This apparently hurt him so much that he scratched the fur off himself until his skin was bare and partly bloody. His whole coat was also full of lice. Every rescued soul is examined by our vet Toni and treated as necessary. The lice were the least of his problems, as it turned out after the examination. He seems to be a bit older, as our vet realised from his teeth. He had exactly 3 teeth left, two of which were so painfully rotten that they were removed immediately. His blood count looked relatively good, but unfortunately the obligatory test for feline Aids and feline enteritis did not. The test was positive for feline Aids. His right eye is definitely blind, whether an operation is necessary is currently being clarified with a specialist in Palma. His right ear was full of mites and was badly infected. A cat that has to endure so much suffering, apparently looking for help by turning up at a street cat colony, and thus showing himself, simply has to be helped. His will to live is still there, otherwise he would have hidden and surrendered to his fate quietly and secretly. Urs Streuli has given him a name. Personally, I think the name Elmo is more than suitable for him. Urs also adopted Elmo straight away. Elmo is still unaware of his good fortune, but an always full bowl of food makes him happier than a conversation about sponsorship. Keep your fingers crossed that little Elmo will be spared an eye operation. For now, he can recover from the stresses and strains of the past and enjoy a life in safety with lots of love and attention.

Supposed animal rights activist is overwhelmed

Animal Police has been supporting animal welfare organisations with animal food for years. Isabell contacted Farah and asked if Animal Police could help her with cat food. Isabell has a few cats in the neighbourhood that are hungry. At that time we didn't know what "a few" meant for her. We keep telling people that feeding alone is no help for stray cats. Neutering is the be-all and end-all for masterless stray cats. Two or three cute little cats can quickly turn into an uncontrolled cat colony. It wasn't long before Isabell made a desperate call, crying and asking Farah for help. Many conversations followed, but she refused to accept the help and advice she was given. Time and again, we as an organisation and Farah as an animal rights activist offered the help that Isabell so desperately needed for herself and her cats. But she always cancelled at the last minute. Farah could no longer get to her. Until the situation got out of hand and Isabell was simply no longer able to cope with all the cats. Isabell's family asked us to help the animals urgently for the sake of the cats. It took many long conversations to make it clear to the family what kind of help was needed. Isabell will be leaving Mallorca for health reasons. About 30 to 60 cats, of all ages, many not neutered, sick, full of fleas, mites and probably worms, remain behind. The smallest ones all have inflamed eyes, coughs and colds. They live in a filthy messy house with faeces, mould and rubbish everywhere. You can hardly walk, you have to be careful where you step. The stench in the house is almost unbearable, even though the doors are always open, because the cats can do whatever they want there. The cats have been left to their own devices for some time. Once a day, the cats are given food and fresh water so that they can somehow survive. This is the first help Farah has been able to organise. Of course, we can no longer stand by and have offered immediate help. We are talking about 30 to 40 cats, which means that the help has to be well planned. Our vet Toni will support us and work with us on site, in the house of horrors, to rescue the cats from the clutches of a sick messy woman.... I will tell you how we experienced the rescue, how the cats are doing and how we are continuing to help in the next newsletter. So it remains exciting.

Thanks again for reading.

Nadine