In the green heart of Misiones, an ambitious project seeks to address an increasingly visible environmental urgency: the abandonment of domestic animals that affect wildlife. In the town of Salto Encantado, the organization OHANA is building a high-complexity veterinary hospital with a clear objective: to heal, protect, and prevent.
The center will provide care not only to dogs and cats but also to native species, many of which are endangered by urban development and the pressure of feral animals. Canine overpopulation not only causes animal suffering, but also serious imbalances in local ecosystems.
When dogs enter the forest in search of food, they chase or hunt native species, transmit diseases, or displace natural predators. Although they are not to blame for this situation, their impact reflects the lack of castrations and systematic abandonment.
Therefore, the hospital will not only be a medical care center but also a space for community action, training, and long-term conservation.
Misiones will have a hospital dedicated to caring for jungle animals. Photo: Misiones Online.
An Integrated Response to Animal Abandonment
The hospital will have an operating room, laboratory, imaging room, inpatient area, and specific areas for neonatology and care of wildlife. It will also have a training room and a residence for professionals who will attend to shifts and emergencies.
Its construction is part of a larger effort within the OHANA Reserve, a space dedicated to caring for animals injured in accidents, run over, or abandoned. A wildlife quarantine center is already operational.
In addition to medical care, mass sterilizations and awareness campaigns will be carried out to prevent new cases of abandonment. The center will also be a meeting point for rescuers and technicians dedicated to preserving the natural environment.
The need for this type of infrastructure responds to an extended reality: the lack of sustained public policies on animal welfare. With few state resources and much community effort, the project advances with donations and the support of the Dante Piesco Foundation.
Wildlife in Misiones.
Specialized Care: Key to Conservation
Providing specialized medical care to wildlife not only improves the survival of injured animals, but also allows for a better understanding of their diseases, behavior, and ecological needs.
Centers like the OHANA hospital help reintegrate into nature individuals crucial to the balance of ecosystems, such as medium-sized mammals, birds of prey, or reptiles. Many times, without this care, these animals would die or would not be able to return to their habitat.
Furthermore, these spaces become hubs for research, environmental education, and interinstitutional collaboration. They promote a more responsible relationship with the environment and allow for the construction of conservation strategies based on science and social sensitivity.
Projects like this demonstrate that environmental health is directly connected to the care of all living beings. Helping an abandoned dog or an injured fox hit by a car is not just a matter of compassion: it is a concrete act of environmental defense and biodiversity preservation.
link