New lives for four-legged friends as Rio 2016 rescues stray animals from Olympic venues
Games organisers and city government are working together to find homes for cats, dogs and other animals found in Olympic zones
In good hands: Atena and Zeca were rescued from Deodoro Olympic Park and soon found new owners (Gabriel Nascimento)
Stray animals in Rio de Janeiro are finding loving new homes in the run-up to the Olympic Games, thanks to a pet adoption campaign launched by the Rio 2016 Organising Committee and city authorities.
The project, #AbraceUmAmigo (‘hug a friend’), is rescuing animals found in any Olympic venues across the city. The municipal government’s animal protection department takes them to a special shelter where they are given a bath, inspected by vets, vaccinated, neutered and properly cared for until they are ready for adoption and a new life.
As well as helping to rescue the animals from Olympic venues, the Rio 2016 organisers will be using social media to share the stories of Rio’s Olympic animals and find them the caring and affectionate new owners they deserve.
So far two stray dogs, Zeca and Atena, have found new homes. Two more dogs rescued from near the Maracanã Stadium are currently in quarantine and will be given up for adoption soon.
“It was love at first sight,” says Barbara Moronna, the new owner of Zeca. The sociable young mixed-breed was found wandering around the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro Olympic Park, as was Atena.
Young mixed-breed Zeca is the picture of happiness with Barbara Moronna (Photo: Gabriel Nascimento)
After weeks of loving care, the dogs are almost unrecognisable from the two stray animals who were living wild in west Rio. Atena’s black coat gleams in the Rio sunshine and there’s an irrepressible spring in Zeca’s step. Barbara’s friend Caroline Mantovani took Atena home, so the duo won’t be completely separated in their new lives.
“I love animals. For me, dogs shouldn’t be treated like a piece of merchandise. There are so many animals available for adoption. Adopting a pet is a real act of love”
Barbara Moronna, new owner of Zeca
Atena is starting a new life in the home of Caroline Mantovani (Photo: Gabriel Nascimento)
Zeca and Atena are the first so-called ‘Olympic animals’ to benefit from the campaign, which will continue until October, after the end of the Paralympic Games. Although the first Olympic animals to be adopted are dogs, organisers say that many types of animals found in an Olympic venue will be rescued and looked after – from cats and dogs to ponies and horses.
Last year, the city’s animal protection department rescued almost 900 abandoned or stray animals.
