The AARF logo shows three animals on a yellow AARF life raft, floating on the sea with gray clouds; sunlight peeks down on them, representing hope.

Interesting Links

web page hit counter



Links

Here are some links that we think are important and useful. Some pertain to vets, animal care, maps, adopting pets, some to Anguilla, some to the world, and some are here just because we think they’re interesting.

Anguilla Vets and Government Departments

Please see our Contact Us page. This includes contacts for observed injured, sick or dead animals, animal cruelty, etc.

St. Martin and Sint Maarten Vets

Map of the island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin with arrows showing vet clinic locations

Vets on St Maarten and

Sint Maarten

We know of two clinics on the Dutch side and one on the French side. If our information gets outdated, you can try SXMPaws. We have detailed maps below and a quick thumbnail to the right showing the approximate locations of the Dutch and French clinics we know about.

Sint Maarten (Dutch Side)

St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic (near Kooyman) [their map] [Our Map]

The St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic (Dr. Garry Swanston attending) is in Cay Hill next to (just uphill from) the monstrous Kooyman hardware store, which we think can be seen from the International Space Station.

Note that Dr. Garry Swanston, Dr. Niquet Goldson and Dr. Brian Murray are our Morlens vets.

The web site has a nice searchable library, including the ability to search for diseases and medications. They also have a Facebook page.

When coming down the hill from Marigot or the Cole Bay area, the clinic will be on the right just before the road above the Kooyman building. The address is:

  • #25 Executive Commercial Building
  • AC Brouwers Road
  • Cay Hill
  • St. Maarten

Phone numbers are (we are glad to see US–style phone numbers versus the European phone number strings):

  • Office: 1–721–542–0111
  • FAX: 1–721–542–2270
  • Emergency: 1–721–587–1838 or
  • Emergency: 1–721–587–2838

Here is their map.

If you are wondering about the phone number format, it appears the Dutch side has made a change to U.S. style 7–digit numbers from the older 599–542–0111 style; now you dial 1–721 and the 7 digit phone number. It should make it easier to dial from Anguilla or North America. Email and let us know if it works or (more importantly) doesn’t work!

Here is our own crude version of a map to the clinic.

They can process a PetSafe application for you for a reasonable fee which covers paperwork and what appears to be an extensive process. PetSafe is run by United Airlines. See our short blurb about the program on our Adoption Basics PetSafe section.

Animal Hospital of St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic (in Cole Bay) [Their Map]] [Our Map]

Animal Hospital of St. Maarten in Cole Bay. The address is:

  • Crowne Plaza
  • Union Road
  • Cole Bay
  • St. Maarten

Phone numbers are:

  • Office1: 1–721 599–544–4111
  • Office2: 1–721 599–544–4112
  • Emergency: 1–721 599–587–3705

Hours of operation are:

  • Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Saturday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Again, we have our own crude map to the clinic.

Saint Martin (French Side)

Clinique veterinaire de Hope Estate (Poulin–Menard) in St. Martin [Our Map]]

This is a very modern, state of the art animal hospital with Dr. Poulin attending. Special medications and even foods are available. It is in Hope Estate and the address is either:

  • 11 Rue Aborigènes
  • Hope Estate / Grand Case

Or:

  • Lot 14 Hope Estate 2
  • Grand Case

Whichever it is, to get to the hospital, head for the Grand Case airport from Marigot (towards Orient Bay).

Passing the far end of the airport, there is a road leading left into the airport. Just past that road on the opposite side, is a road. Turn right and take it.

You will very shortly hit a T in the road. To the right you will see a supermarket. Go left instead and very shortly thereafter, take the first right. That should be Rue Aborigènes.

As the road curves around to the right (after a short distance), the clinic will be on the right.

The phone number is 1 590 590 87 15 05 from Anguilla. Using 011 instead of the leading 1 may work.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9am to 1 p.m. Saturdays (as of early 2012), but call and check first, or use their web site contact mechanism.

They have a Facebook page.

Our map is here.

Partners

AARF is very fortunate to have rescue partners in the USA and Canada, who often take and find forever homes for Anguilla puppies, dogs, cats and kittens. We highlight them on our main and Available for Adoption pages when they are ready to adopt out pets. Go to their personal pages for the most up to date information and photos. Please support them — we love them and their dedication to Anguilla pets and AARF!

Island Puppy Rescue in New Jersey

In the New Jersey area, Island Puppy Rescue often has puppies in foster care.

The Animal Experts in Southern Connecticut

Elena, with The Animal Experts in southern Connecticut, is an AARF rescue partner. She finds forever homes for kittens as well as puppies.

R&R Rescue in Chicago

A Little R & R Animal Sanctuary in Chicago is run by Renee and Rosalie who lived in Anguilla and have a special fondness for Anguillian animals. They have a Facebook page as well as a web site.

Anguillian Pet Owners Facebook Group

Anguillian Pet Owners is a Facebook group made up of people (mostly in the USA and Canada) who adopted an Anguillian pet. The page is at Anguillian Pet Owners. It is a closed group, so you have to request membership. Join if you have an adopted Anguillian or are just interested in seeing photos and stories about tropical pets!

Maps

A map with a huge amount of detail and information every visitor should have is:

  • The Skyviews Anguilla map has a new version each year. It’s the same huge printed map you get from various places on the island and is a must–have street map with an "interesting places" guide. This map lists the Morlens Vet hospital and AARF adoption center (look for the red letter V and small black long dog near Sea Feathers Bay and Sandy Bay). The online map (requires Flash) has zoom buttons in the upper right.
  • Google Maps of course.

Anguilla-Beaches.com has a less detailed (but convenient) map lifted from Google; other maps can be found on Anguilla-Beaches.com. We also talk about Anguilla-Beaches further down on this page.

Or, you can use your favorite search engine to find other maps. Search for “Anguilla maps”.

There are blogs, photos and other great links out there too. Let us know if you find something cool.

Anguilla Forums

The Anguilla Guide Forum web site has been discontinued. To replace it, there is similar content on Facebook called Anguilla Forum. This is a closed group; simply ask to join.

There is another Facebook entity called Anguilla Guide, which you must befriend.

Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association

The AHTA site can be found at www.anguillahta.com. This is a beautiful site. It is loaded with excellent information about upcoming events, news articles, information for visitors, and more (including valuable information for those in the tourism business). Definitely: check it out regularly. We think it’s a site you will want to bookmark as a favorite.

The AHTA has been helping AARF spread the word by publishing AARF article announcements, for which we are grateful. This takes time and effort to do; they stepped up and decided to help out Anguilla’s animals on their own.

The Anguilla Tourist Board has a web site as well.

Anguilla Life

Anguilla Life is a convenient portal to interesting Anguilla web sites. It is on Facebook. Search for Anguilla Life Magazine.

Anguilla News (formerly Bob Green’s Anguilla News)

The now–dormant cauldron of news that Bob Green once ran lives again! It has been resurrected as a blog and now has everything from small news bits to the big stuff. And best yet: it has been fortified with Archives™. That’s correct: all of the site archives from 1995–2005 have been preserved.

Check it out at http://news.ai/. Besides the web pages themselves, there are many news feed subscription options to choose from.

Anguilla-Beaches.com

Anguilla-Beaches.com is a web site with links to hotels, restaurants real estate and travel information. It has, as a bonus, a newsletter. This is no newcomer site; it has been around for some nine years now.

Find it at http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/. There is a blog as well as accounts for Twitter (and Facebook, natch) that intertwine with the site.

Recently the family members that run it have branched out and re–hydrated Bob Green’s Anguilla news.ai site, which has been dormant for a while now.

Anguilla National Trust

The Anguilla National Trust (link goes to their Facebook page) is a very active organization dedicated to preserving Anguilla’s culture, heritage and natural resources. It acts as a custodian to preserve and promote Anguilla’s natural environment and its archaeological, historical and cultural resources. It is very involved in education programs covering Anguillian nature, culture and history, and everyone is welcomed to participate!

The ANT is involved in, among other things, the management of national parks, protected areas, heritage sites and buildings as well as the national museum.

Anguilla Access

Anguilla Access is site that talks about tours and has some good links to maps, tours, lodging, restaurants, events, recipes and more.

Mary’s Boon Hotel in Sint Maarten

Mary’s Boon is a pet-friendly resort on a lovely beach next to Sint Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport. The staff is open and friendly, and there is a restaurant and beach bar on site.

If you are taking a pet on an airplane and need a place to stay before your flight, this is a great place. (This applies even if you need a place to stay and don't have a pet.)

We covered the resort as part of great Happy Tail stories. We talk about Mary’s Boon in the 2009 Q2 newsletter here and here which details the saving of Sandy and Boo, and also in the 2010 Q3 newsletter which covers the always entertaining Milo.

Make sure to mention that you heard about the resort from AARF!

Photo showing a beachfront studio from the beach

Mary’s Boon beachfront studio

Photo showing beach

Mary’s Boon beach

Photo showing beach

Another beach view

Photo of the resort entrance

Resort entrance

Calypso Charters Anguilla

There are various ways to get to the Princess Juliana Airport on Sint Maarten. Some take the Marigot ferry over to the French side and then taxi to the airport, but it takes longer and there are costs for the ferry and taxis.

Calypso

Calypso crew with a

lucky pet!

However, many, many take one of the dedicated ferries that go straight to the airport from the Blowing Point ferry terminal and drop passengers and luggage right at the front door of the airport after a short, less than 25 minute ride. It’s our preferred method, especially if we have a pet (there have been horror stories of French side taxis refusing to take pets or attempting to levy a hefty surcharge on passengers with pets!).

One of our favorites is Calypso Charters Anguilla, and a very good reason is their support of AARF transports of hundreds of puppies, kittens, cats and dogs. They do it cheerfully and give us a great deal of support. Our AARF Anguilla Facebook page has hundreds of photos of people taking AARF animals to the USA and Canada (and other places) to find great new homes. We can't say enough great things about them.

Check out their web and FaceBook sites. We recommend them. And if you haven't read our extensive article on transporting a pet from Anguilla, we cover it all on our Adoption Basics page.

World Animal Protection (formerly WSPA)

World Animal Protection is a global organization that promotes animal welfare. Headquartered in London, it covers regions such as Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. It was previously known as the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).

The organization works to end animal cruelty via campaigns and direct work with governments and people as well as, of course the animals.

As WSPA, a set of core principles — called the “Five Freedoms” — was developed.

The freedoms can be summarized by this concept: animals need to be able to engage in natural behavior.

The five freedoms focus specifically on various forms of traditional animal suffering. Along with the freedoms, solutions are given to show how to achieve the freedoms and avoid the suffering.

Animals should have:

  1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst. Animals should have ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

  2. Freedom from Discomfort. They should be provided with an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

  3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease. This can be accomplished by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment of ailments.

  4. Freedom from Fear and Distress. Animals should experience conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

  5. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior. Providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind help animals realize this freedom.

There is a focus on farm animals as well as domestic pets. That is, the five freedoms are meant to be included in animal husbandry practices as well as to domestic pets. The theory is that people depend on farm animals for their livelihoods; the goal is to have people understand that the ethical treatment of even farm animals benefits people as well as the animals.

(Californians see TV ads with the slogan: “Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California”. While meant to be a humorous ad campaign for the California Milk Advisory Board, unwittingly, the folks at the CMAB may have stumbled onto the right concept.)

Disaster Management also gets a big focus by sending responders (veterinarians and volunteers) to disaster areas to help with the animals. This is vitally important because the afflicted country’s focus is generally on people and infrastructure first. Generally, relief organizations respond to disasters with help for humans first. Animals come later.

If the animals get help — that helps the people. In turn, that will enable them to treat the animals better.

They have responded to areas hit by volcanoes (lava and dust cover the grass), floods, hurricanes and earthquakes. For example, they were very active in the Haiti and Chili earthquakes of early 2010.

Along with Disaster Management, disaster preparedness is also important. Seminars to promote thinking and planning ahead have been conducted. The idea: having a plan and hopefully some stockpiled food, water and medicine is highly recommended.

World Animal Protection also has a resource community called Animal Mosaic with online information.

Anguilla Weather Sites

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl, August 2010

The best weather site we’ve found for hurricane information is run by this blog at Weather Underground (Wunderground).

We believe that Wunderground is a great site. It has links, tracking information, discussions, official advisories and more. We thank Dr. Jeff Masters for years of great postings, and the site is still in very capable hands.

Finally Anguilla-Beaches.com (discussed above) has a weather page as well.

We like Wind Guru as well. A lot. Even though we don’t surf, we really like its ability to predict wind conditions. You can set different locations around Anguilla and other islands. As an example, here is a link tailored to Meads Bay conditions.

Hurricane Preparedness

We have tips, guides and checklists to help animals get through a hurricane. The essential information follows:

AARF Reminds Pet Owners to “Be Prepared” for the Upcoming Hurricane Season

NOAA, the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a great site for all things hurricane at its National Hurricane Center site, and also predicts the storm activity for a given season. For many cases, simply start at the NOAA home page to see what is happening. From there, type in the word hurricane in the search box.

We tried it and found goodies like this (some are only active during the hurricane season):

We list several very useful weather links on this page (they are good all year long, but are particularly useful during the hurricane season), and in season, put a small Weather Underground widget on our main page. (We remove it during the off season.)

No matter what, it’s vital for everyone living in Anguilla to be prepared and we have some useful information covering how to prep and deal with storms.

Before the Storm

While there is still time, it is important to consider what we would do to protect our pets and the other animals in our care. We urge everyone to take the time to create a plan and assemble a Disaster Emergency Kit for your family that includes your pets. By taking these precautions now, you will be one step ahead if a hurricane threatens Anguilla.

AARF advises all pet owners to include the following in their Disaster Emergency Kit for their pet:

  • Supply of dry food for 7 days in an airtight, waterproof container
  • Drinking water for 7 days
  • Bowls for food and water
  • For dogs, include: leash, collar and a sturdy carrier
  • For cats, include: litter, litter box, garbage bags to collect all pets’ waste, a litter scoop and a sturdy carrier
  • Medications and medical records including vaccination records for each pet stored in a waterproof container
  • First aid kit
  • Current photos and descriptions of your pets to help others identify them in case you and your pets become separated and to prove that they are yours
  • Carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand comfortably, turn around and lie down. Your pet may have to stay in the carrier for hours at a time. Be sure to have a secure cage with no loose objects inside it to accommodate smaller pets. These may require blankets or towels for bedding and other special items
  • Pet beds and toys, to reduce stress
  • Other useful items include: newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags, grooming items and household bleach

The single most important thing you can do to protect your pets if possible, is to keep them with you. Animals left to fend for themselves can easily be injured, lost or killed. Animals left alone inside your home can escape through storm–damaged areas, such as broken windows. Animals turned loose to be on their own, are likely to become victims of exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water or accidents. Leaving dogs or other animals tied or chained outside in a disaster is a death sentence.

If you must evacuate to a hurricane shelter where animals are not allowed, your pets should be left inside the house for their protection and others should be advised of their location. Make sure they have lots of water and some food (a boarded up home will get very warm inside).

If your family and pets can wait out a hurricane at home, identify a safe area of your home where you can all stay together. Be sure to close your windows and doors, stay inside, and follow the instructions from the local emergency management office.

Bring your pets indoors as soon as local authorities say there is an imminent problem. Pets have a way of knowing when storms are coming even though you may not be able to hear or see it. They may roam from home just when you do not want to spend time searching for them. Keep pets under your direct control; if you have to evacuate, you will not have to spend time trying to find them. Keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers, and make sure they are wearing identification.

If you have a room you can designate as a "safe room," put your emergency supplies in that room in advance, including your pet’s crate and supplies. Have any medications and a supply of pet food and water inside watertight containers along with your other emergency supplies.

Listen to the radio, and don’t come out until you know it’s safe.

AARF also recommends the following for owners of livestock animals including goats, cows, horses, chickens and pigs:

  • Livestock should not be tied during storms as it prevents them from seeking shelter from high water and blowing debris.
  • Ensure that poultry have access to high areas in which to perch especially if they are in a flood–prone area, as well as food and clean water.
  • Obtain enough large containers to water your animals for at least a week as water supplies are often contaminated during a disaster.
  • Secure or remove anything that could become blowing debris, if you have boats, feed troughs, or other large containers, fill them with water before the hurricane. This prevents them from blowing around and also gives you an additional supply of water.

After the Storm

Planning and preparation will help you survive the disaster, but your home may be a very different place afterward, whether you have taken shelter at home or elsewhere.

Don’t allow your pets to roam loose. Familiar landmarks and smells might be gone, and your pet will probably be disoriented. Pets can easily get lost in such situations.

While you assess the damage, keep dogs on leashes and keep cats in carriers inside the house. If your house is damaged, they could escape and become lost.

Be patient with your pets after a disaster. Try to get them back into their normal routines as soon as possible, and be ready for behavioral problems that may result from the stress of the situation. If behavioral problems persist, or if your pet seems to be having any health problems, talk to your veterinarian.

Hopefully, we will not be faced with any storms and hurricanes this season, but it is best to be prepared to face these stressful situations if they should occur – doing so could save the life of your pet and your livestock.

Hurricane Irma, Maria and Jose Links to Maps and Reports

Links to reports and stories about Hurricanes Irma, Maris and Jose:

Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Jose

Time Zone

Anguilla is UTC/GMT-4 (minus 4 hours) and on Atlantic Standard Time which never changes (springs forward or falls back) like other places.

More information (especially about time zone silliness, along with world time clocks) is on our Contact Us page here.

Pet Database/Answers

There are many sites that supply answers to various questions about pets. The best way is to do a web search for “pet questions and answers”.

Success Stories and Interesting Pets We’ve Met

We have covered many of our success stories in our Newsletters. Every once in a while, we’ll set up a temporary page to highlight a pet who has touched us. Sometimes we put up a page because we want someone to adopt a particular special pet. After the adoption has occurred, we may take the link off our main page. We’ll preserve interesting pages here. For now, we recommend:

  • Many pets have found homes in the USA, Canada and other countries. For just a few of them, see our “US/Canada Adoption Photos”. (Note: It’s always accessible via our main Navigation menu bar.
  • A group of Anguillian pet owners have a Facebook group, with frequent postings. Go to Facebook and search for “Anguillan Pet Owners” or get to it from this link. (Note spelling of Anguillan versus Anguillian.)