Tenerife Council to Cut Adepac Shelter Funding, Breaching 30-Year Deal

Adepac Canarias, an animal shelter, was founded in 1989. Since 2002, it has been located in the Ravelo neighborhood of El Sauzal, caring for an average of 300 animals. In 2009, Adepac handed over its facilities to the Cabildo de Tenerife (the island council) because it was too expensive to maintain. Both parties signed an agreement: in return for the land, the shelter would receive a subsidy. This subsidy is currently €250,000.

However, the shelter's annual costs are around €400,000. This high expense isn't just due to the number of animals, but because the dogs they take in are often "the ones nobody wants" – they are old, sick, large, or have behavioral problems.

Adepac is struggling with too many animals that can't find homes, but their space and budget haven't increased. Medication costs are also rising. "Because we're in a very cold and humid place, the animals need food supplements for their bones or circulation, which adds significantly to our costs," explains Yahaira Tovar, the shelter's president.

Adepac survives thanks to membership fees (which have been much lower this year due to the current economic climate), donations, activities, fundraising initiatives, and sales events they organize.

A major new problem looms for the shelter: they've learned the Cabildo will stop their aid next year. This "breaches the agreement signed in 2009, which was valid for 30 years," creating huge uncertainty for the animals, staff, volunteers, and the shelter itself.

Valentín González, the Animal Welfare Councilor for the island council, explained that they plan to offer subsidies through a competitive bidding process, as Adepac is just one of many shelters on the island. "It's fair for everyone to seek funding, but you can't suddenly tell us that next year's funding will be cut, with only a few months' notice," Tovar insists. She also points out that Adepac has a signed agreement valid until 2039, which would be a breach of contract.

"We are tired of the instability, delays, and lack of understanding from the authorities," Tovar states. "It feels like Russian roulette when we've made commitments we have to keep."

When asked about the situation, the council department explained that their intention is to ensure fairness in granting subsidies by awarding them through competitive bidding. They are currently updating their guidelines and will include improvements and suggestions agreed upon with all associations and groups.

Losing this funding makes it very hard to cover the €200,000 needed for staff salaries and social security. On top of that, there are costs for veterinary services, medication, and special foods, which hit €150,000 in 2024. Other expenses include water, electricity, cleaning products, emergency care, vaccines, and civil liability insurance. On top of everything, bank charges average €25,000 annually "because the funds are insufficient. This is madness," says the president.

Tovar emphasizes that all the shelter's accounts are audited, so she can prove every expense. The lack of resources recently forced them to lay off three workers, leaving only nine staff members for all the work. The workload increases during unusual situations, like recent heavy rains, or in emergencies.

For years, the shelter has faced significant problems with no solutions found due to a lack of support from authorities. A key issue is the need for facility improvements. A project to improve the facilities, including building a clinic to save on vet services and vaccines, was approved in 2022 with a budget. But that year passed, then the next. The political party in charge of the island council changed, and the funding was given to another project "by direct appointment, even though we spent ten years negotiating for it," Tovar laments.

Every day, they face many inconveniences. They have no internet or telephone – no landline or mobile service because the signal doesn't reach. There's no office or reception area to welcome visitors, some areas are completely unpainted, and they suffer from extreme cold because the propane boilers are broken. They don't have an automatic door, meaning staff have to "jump" over half a meter of water to get in when it rains. They also lack an intercom, so people arriving at night "harass" staff to drop off dogs.

Finally, Yahaira Tovar stresses that Adepac relies on almost 80 volunteers "who have dedicated years and time without expecting anything in return." She believes it's unfair "that the uncertainty of a subsidy should diminish the work they've done for almost 40 years."