Animal welfare in Tenerife has been under pressure for a while.
So this is actually big news.
The Cabildo de Tenerife has proposed building a new Animal Protection Centre called “Tierra Azul” on the Presas Ocampo estate, land it already owns between Tacoronte and La Laguna.
And we’re not talking about something small.
The planned centre would have capacity for 600 dogs and 400 cats. That’s substantial. Add to that veterinary care, adoption campaigns, educational programmes, volunteer activities and clinical treatment facilities, and it starts to look like a serious investment rather than a token gesture.
The idea is to create what they’re calling a “centro vivo” in the north east of the island. Not just kennels and cages, but an active centre dealing with:
• Clinical treatments
• Feline colony control using the CER method
• Volunteer programmes
• Social and educational initiatives
It would operate along similar lines to Tierra Blanca in Fasnia, with adapted enclosures and the necessary resources to guarantee proper animal welfare standards.
Tacoronte’s local government has welcomed the proposal, particularly as the land sits between Tacoronte and La Laguna. The view is that this could improve coordination and bring more structure and professionalism to animal welfare policies in the area.
And let’s be honest, Tenerife needs more capacity.
The councillor for Animal Welfare, Leni Ávila, has been fairly direct about it. The island is facing a complex situation. The Animal Welfare Law requires proper compliance, which means more places, more resources and more trained professionals, especially in urgent cases.
This isn’t just about building somewhere to house abandoned animals.
It’s about acknowledging that the current system is stretched and trying to fix it properly.
If it’s delivered as described, Tierra Azul could make a real difference in the north of the island. The key word, as always, is “if”.
Plans are one thing, obviously execution is another.
But on paper, it’s a great step in the right direction.