Coco’s has become a household name among those living in Playa del Carmen. Years of dedication to the four-legged residents of our little beach city has made this animal care group one of the most well-renowned organizations in town. They have helped many thousands of Playa del Carmen animals live happier and healthier lives, and now it’s the community’s turn to give back to Coco’s. This animal organization is growing fast, and they are in desperate need of a larger facility.

 

 

Coco’s Animal Welfare was founded by Laura Raikes. Originally from Wales, this animal-lover came to Playa del Carmen on vacation and fell in love with Mexico. (This story is sure to sound familiar to many of you expats who made the move to Playa del Carmen!) She was an animal rescuer ever since her childhood farming in Wales, then continued her passion here after her cat Coco was run over by a car. Ever since, she has dedicated her time to alleviating the stray cat and dog problem in Playa. Click here to read her full story.

Today, Coco’s Animal Welfare has nine staff members: two full-time veterinarians, a medical director, a vet tech, two cleaners, a chauffeur / animal behavior expert, an assistant manager and founder Laura Raikes. However, many of the organization’s campaigns wouldn’t be possible without the help of their many volunteers; they have five to ten volunteers helping at the clinic each week, and many more helping at Coco’s events. If you’ve been in Playa del Carmen long, you’ve probably heard about some of their many programs: cat cafés at local resorts, community outreach, dog and cat rescues, and large-scale spay and neuter clinics for the community.

 

 

Currently most of Coco’s everyday funds come from grants, fundraising events, sponsors and donors, and they were recently gifted a sizeable piece of land in the Pedregal area from an anonymous supporter so they can construct their bigger and better facility; the land is now in Coco Animal Welfare’s name. Laura Raikes says, “The new clinic has been designed to go beyond today’s demands with a view to the future, allowing us to help and provide ongoing support to more animals and animal organizations while educating more families and children about animal welfare. With our new clinic services we will help over 8000 animals each year.”

The new clinic will include:

·         Prep, surgery and recovery areas

·         A lab and kitten quarantine room

·         2 isolation rooms

·         Overnight hospital facilities for dogs and cats

·         A large multipurpose room for training and educational courses

·         A large garden for adoption events

Coco’s Animal Welfare needs a total of $255,000 US dollars to fully build and equip their new clinic. So far, their fundraising efforts have been very successful, with the following generous donations:

$100,000 USD from IFAW

$80,000 USD from Dogs Trust

$16,000 USD from LocoGringo’s fundraising campaign

$11,000 USD from private donors

 

Coco’s still needs another $48,000 USD to complete the clinic.

 

 

 

How can you donate or contribute to the Coco’s Animal Welfare?

1. Coco’s website has a donation page already set up, complete with a video and plenty of information on how your money will be put to good use. Click here to visit the website and donate online.

2. You can also donate via PayPal to:

info@cocoscatrescue.org 
Scotiabank account: 237001433167
SWIFT: MBCOMXMM
IBAN: 044694237001433167

3. For Playa del Carmen locals, it’s very easy to donate! You can deposit at any local OXXO store to Coco’s Scotiabank account: 5579209077101670

 

 

If you love animals and Playa del Carmen, Coco’s Animal Welfare is a wonderful organization that lets you support both. You can click here to follow them on Facebook. Thank you, Coco’s!