Animal welfare officials are stepping up efforts to receive and deliver donations of food for animals affected by Tropical Storm Nate which ravaged many rural areas of Costa Rica last week.

Some 85,000 heads livestock and poultry birds are vulnerable and in need of food, as are some 15,000 pets such as cats and dogs.

Horses, pigs, cattle and poultry, along with pets, are at the heart of a campaign led by the Costa Rican Animal Health Secretariat (SENASA) and 14 animal welfare organizations to aid the animals in Nate-affected regions of Costa Rica.

Bales of hay, feed concentrate and molasses powder are needed for livestock, as is dry dog and cat food.

Donations are urgently needed, said officials over the weekend.

The headquarters of SENASA in Lagunilla de Heredia is a main donation drop-off point for those in the Central Valley. It is located 1.5 kilometers west of Jardines de Recuerdo and 300 north of the Benjamín Núñez University Campus; hours are 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (M-F).

SENASA has regional offices in the country’s 81 counties which open from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p. m. (M-F).

Local Red Cross committees are also receiving donations for animals and will deliver them to SENASA.

These groups are aiding in collecting food for these thousands of hungry animals: Costa Rican Animal Defense Association, National Association for the Protection of Animals (ANPA), Association of Animals of Assisi, Fogaus Foundation, Humane Society International-Latin America (HSI-LA), Animal Welfare Promoter ), Valientes por Siempre, Cartago for animal welfare, Costa Rican Association for Animal Welfare (Acoproba), Association for the Animal Rescue of Puntarenas (Aprap), Asociación Adóptame (Liberia), Saving Lives (Lemon), Humanitarian Association for Protection Animal (AHPPA) and the Costa Rican Animal Rescue Association (Acara).

These sites are also receiving donations of food and items for animals:

ANPA 

Sabanilla de Montes de Oca, 300 ms west of the Christ statue, across from Seminario San Augustín, house with green gate. Tel: 4000-2672.

Fundación Fogaus 

-San José. 5 kms northwest of San Pedro de Coronado, Achocó street. Tel: 2292-7121.

Humane Society Internacional-Latinoamérica (HSI-LA)

-Barrio Escalante, from the Santa Teresita church, 100 ms east and 100 ms north, house #951. Tel: 2233-0303.

Aprap

-Casa Canadiense de Puntarenas: 500 ms east of the Monseñor Sanabria Hospital.

Adóptame Liberia

-Comercio La Bañera de Zeus: 10 ms north of Pizza Andina. Tel. 2665-8169.

-Bahia’s Boutique, south Liberia. From the southwest corner of the central park, 25 ms south. Tel. 2665-0328.

-Fairground of the Cámara de Ganaderos de Guanacaste (Guanacaste Cattle Rangers Chamber). From the main entrance to Liberia (stoplight intersection), 1 km west.

Asociación Salvando Vidas de Limón

-Limón center, Santa Eduviges neighborhood, 75 ms Southwest of the Terramar Bar. Tel. 8705-9535.