4 tips to help stray animals while on vacation
Anyone who encounters stray dogs or cats while on vacation often wants to help. But what is important? Emigrant Reto Steimer and expat Léa Vendrami provide practical, first-hand tips.
For many travelers, Bali is considered the paradise. Léa Vendrami also fell in love with the Indonesian volcanic island in 2017. The 42-year-old from Zurich, a trauma and nervous system practitioner as well as a yoga teacher, spends several months there every year. Since this year, she has even been living on the island without a fixed return date.
In doing so, she is increasingly discovering a different side behind the postcard scenery.
A problem is escalating
Recently, she has increasingly noticed injured and emaciated animals on the side of the road. In the neighborhood, she observes more and more frequently how cats reproduce uncontrollably. A pregnant female leaves a kitten alone in the blazing sun. Léa takes it to the vet, as she later does with many other animals. She adopts two kittens that were abandoned at a landfill.
She knows: This is just the beginning.
"I realized that Bali has a massive problem with stray animals. Besides my two cats, there are thousands more that are suffering. I wanted to make more of a difference."
Help from an expat
In the process, she meets Reto Steimer. The 34-year-old from Aargau has been living in Bali since 2022. In the same year, he opened an animal shelter for stray animals. 3+ reported on it in the expat show "Adieu Heimat" here. Since then, he has been working around the clock with his wife – a veterinarian – and his own animal welfare organization, Furry Luck Bali. Among other things, he feeds about 70 stray dogs daily and regularly carries out mass castrations. "They are by far the most effective tool," he says.
And a desperately needed one: According to Reto, animal welfare organizations estimate the number of Balinese stray animals at around one million. Even if other sources only speak of about 350,000 stray dogs. Concrete figures for cats are missing. But Reto knows: "There is something to do in Bali 24/7." Every helping hand counts.
4 tips that make a difference
Léa has been one of them for a few months now. She has learned how tourists can help stray animals and had a realization: "It doesn't take much. Even small gestures and a few francs help." Reto agrees with her. The two have the following tips – which you can also take to heart at other holiday destinations.
1. Vaccinations and castrations
The most important thing first: If you observe that many young animals are being born in an area, it is helpful to ask around and find the owners. Many locals have too little money for vet visits or medication. Or they do not know how uncontrolled reproduction affects the animals.
That is why you can ask them if you can pay for a castration. This costs around 30 to 70 francs at a Balinese vet, for example. On mass castration days, 25 francs. Rabies vaccinations cost 6 to 9 francs. It is important that you do not give the money to the locals, but settle the bill directly on site. This ensures that the money reaches the animal. Reto emphasizes:
"You don't have to be afraid to approach locals. If you ask kindly, many are actually very happy for the help."
2. Help from organizations
If you come across an animal that is injured or barely conscious, it makes sense to contact a local animal welfare organization as quickly as possible and inform them of the location. Animal welfare organizations and shelters are also always happy to receive monetary and material donations such as food, leashes, or baskets.
3. Tablets
Many stray animals struggle with hair loss and skin diseases. For example, due to mange or other parasites. Medication is cheap in pet shops: You can get deworming tablets in Bali for 1.50 to 2.50 francs, for example, and tick tablets (Symbarica, Pravecto, or Revolution) for 6 to 20 francs. Reto says:
"If you are unsure about the choice of a preparation or the dosage, ask at a veterinary practice or a local animal welfare organization."
4. Food and water
In supermarkets, a kilo of dry food costs only a few francs in most southern holiday regions. It also spoils less quickly than wet food at high temperatures. Water can be stored just as well. Léa says:
"It is best to keep dry food and water in your hotel room and always take some with you when you are out and about. That way, you have both immediately at hand when you encounter a thin or weakened animal."
You can pour food directly onto a clean spot on the ground, and water into a cut-open PET bottle base or a rinsed-out cup.
But be careful: Keep enough distance from the stray animals. Rabies is widespread in many places. Do not crowd the animals and do not touch them. If you are bitten or scratched, you should seek medical help immediately.
One thing you should keep in mind: Food and medication can alleviate acute suffering. The most effective lever against the suffering of stray animals remains castration.
Looking away is not an option
Back to Bali. For not all tourists is the animal suffering as obvious as it is for Léa and Reto. Léa also believes: "Many people consciously block out the suffering because they want to enjoy their time. That is also human." Out of sight, out of mind – that applies everywhere in the world.
For the two animal lovers, however, it is clear: Looking away is not an option. Not when they encounter animals daily that have been doused with frying oil or beaten half to death. Not when poison attacks are carried out again and again. And certainly not when there are success stories again and again amidst all the suffering.
One is about the puppy Spirit. Reto found him on the side of the road just under two months ago. Only skin and bones, suffering from the distemper virus and severely traumatized, he let out cries that went through marrow and bone. "His blood values were so bad that he actually would have needed a blood transfusion. But his body was too weak for that. We thought he was a hopeless case," Reto remembers. The puppy collapsed several times. But he survived, against all expectations.
Stories like these spur Reto and Léa on again and again to keep going. They show that their commitment can make a difference. And they hope that this spark will also jump over to other animal lovers. Léa says:
"Even if you are only on holiday for a short time: You always have a few minutes and francs to spare. And afterwards, you can enjoy your holiday all the more."
You can find more information on adopting animals from abroad here:
Do you help stray animals while on holiday? If so, how?
I love everything with four legs or roots – especially my rescue cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. I’m happiest following the scent of stories about police dogs and cat groomers – or cultivating thoughtful tales in garden flea markets and Japanese gardens.
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