SCA turns 3

Saipan Cares for Animals was borne out of the chaos and havoc of Typhoon Soudelor in 2015. Founded on Aug. 5, 2016, with no power, no water, and so many animals to care for, the fact that the non-profit group is celebrating its third anniversary this year speaks a lot of the support it has gotten over the years.

From spaying and neutering services, to basic veterinary assistance and sheltering stray cats and dogs, Saipan Cares for Animals has come to fill a need in the community, including providing temporary homes for lost pets or helping get the word out when a pert goes missing.

To bolster their outreach efforts, they now have a website, www.saipancaresforanimals.com, an Instagram account, @SaipanCaresforAnimals, and a Facebook page—all managed by volunteers and under the guidance of SCA president Beth Pliscou.

Pliscou herself started as a volunteer at the Saipan Mayor’s animal shelter in Lower Base. However, when Typhoon Soudelor destroyed that shelter, she and a group of members in the community took the initiative to begin SCA. Now the group has a visiting veterinarian once every month, and they help out with spaying/neutering CNMI animals.

“Today, we are expanding both our services and our facilities, bringing volunteer [veterinarians] to the island to do spay/neuter clinics, and continuing to work to educate the public on animal care and welfare,” SCA’s Facebook page says.

Pliscou said her home and the SCA shelter were destroyed by Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018 and it was with the help of APEC that the new facility was rebuilt. She said that the construction of the new facility cost around $50,000 and she thanked Rusty from APEC for providing the idea of creating the facility and providing cash donations to keep the clinic and facility running.

The new facility houses over 100 animals and has new kennels for cats and dogs.

The clinic is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm to 3pm. The clinic is located in Kolberville, near the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport. If in doubt about the location, use Google Maps to find SCA.

Pliscou thanked the visiting vets, Hertz Rent-A-Car for donating car rentals for visiting veterinarians, APEC for rebuilding the SCA animal shelter, Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, Mango Resort, the Pacific Islands Club and Kanoa Resort for providing hotel stays for the visiting veterinarians, Shell Marianas, Tropical Laundry, and all the Saipan businesses that helped SCA with their generous donations.

Saipan Cares for Animals thanks all donors and the families that have adopted animals from their shelter. Pliscou said the group is open to anyone who would like to volunteer and help out with the animals.

SCA is also hosting free cat adoptions for the month of August, with no limits on the number of cats that can be adopted. The cats are neutered/spayed and are given free vaccinations for the first year.

For more information, contact Saipan Cares for Animals at (670) 285-5448, or check their social media accounts on Facebook (@SaipanCares) or Instagram (@SaipanCaresforAnimals).