Un sitio web oficial .pr.gov pertenece a una organización oficial del Gobierno de Puerto Rico.
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Who are we?
The State Office for Animal Control, known by its acronym OECA, is a governmental entity attached to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Health, Public Health, and Biosecurity Laboratory of the Puerto Rico Department of Health.
It was created in 2017 by Law No. 36 of May 30, 1984; Law for the Creation of the State Office for Animal Control, as amended. This law presents the work of OECA in three basic areas, which are:
Development of educational programs.
Regulations development.
Granting subsidies when funds are available
Work plan
OECA provides information, guidance and collaborates with municipalities, as well as with any private organization and/or individual who wishes to carry out projects or initiatives aimed at controlling stray animals and promoting responsible pet care.
Tools
Among the tools provided by OECA are strategies for community education, the development of activities to make services such as vaccination and sterilization accessible to citizens in low-income areas.
Facilities
The establishment of basic municipal facilities and shelters to address the situation of stray animals in a sustainable manner.
Statistics
Through a database, OECA provides statistics that show the current situation of pets on our Island.
Message from the Director
Welcome to our web page. Several years ago, in the State Office for Animal Control, OECA, we identified the great need to have data that would give us a better vision of the situation of pets in Puerto Rico. In order to identify this need, we had the help of private non-profit entities that let us know about their concerns in this regard. From there we set out to identify the best way to collect such statistics.
After Hurricane Maria hit our Island, we had the opportunity to submit a proposal to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) under its Rabies Supplemental Funding Program to request funds to design, develop and implement a database platform that would interact with a web page. This platform would allow all animal shelters in Puerto Rico to voluntarily contribute their data to form a general island-wide statistic, making this data available to those who need it. In addition, it would allow us to educate and inform about public health and animal welfare issues. Subsequently, the CDC approved the proposal and this is how we began to work on this project.
Our Mission
"To educate, guide and collaborate with governmental and private entities and citizens in general for the development of projects and initiatives aimed at achieving control of the stray animal population in order to prevent the transmission of diseases, promote animal welfare and safeguard public health in Puerto Rico."