According to the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics (INEGI), until 2021, in Yucatán, there were 2 million 74 thousand 423 pets, including dogs, cats, and other species. According to the last Population and Housing census (2020), 2 million 320 thousand 898 people lived in the state. That is, there is practically one pet per person in the entity, not counting stray dogs.
According to the Institute, in 2020, the state had 658,085 inhabited private homes. That means that there was an average of 3.1 animals for each home. This data places Yucatán 16th nationally in pet ownership.
For Dr. Eduardo Ávalos Borges, coordinator of the Scientific Committee of the College of Small Species Veterinarians of Yucatán, this situation reflects that Yucatecan society is more sensitive to the well-being of the beings that inhabit nature. Although, it also implies a responsibility: not having more than two pets per family.
The latter may also indicate a lack of family, and people replace it with a pet: “The signs of the current times reflect that new generations find it more difficult to relate to people.”
In many cases, young people avoid having children for ideological or economic reasons and try to replace this emotional issue with animals. Many aspects can lead to this type of behavior.
Ávalos Borges explained that how people see their animals today has changed massively compared to what happened 20 or 30 years ago when he began his professional practice.
“Before the animals were in the yard. If they got sick, they were left to heal on their own. If they went to the vet and saw that the cost was above their budget, they let them die and got another one, he said.
Today, society has changed. There is a better perception of what life is like in different species. They value and appreciate it much more, which encourages greater attention. That, he demonstrated, explains the phenomenon of the increase in the number of pets in Yucatán.
However, Dr. Ávalos warned some people to accumulate more animals than recommended.
“When you have a pack of dogs,” for example, problems arise because you have to feed them all. Taking them to the vet becomes much more expensive, so people ask for discounts. No pocket can hold it.
When services become cheaper, the expert lamented, the quality of the products decreases. A similar situation happened recently with parvovirus vaccines, a disease claiming canine lives in the entity.
Overcrowding makes infections easier to transmit, and parasites like fleas and ticks have more options. It is a health risk for animals and humans.
We must consider the psychological conditions of some people since there are also animal collectors. The authorities must consider this factor since the law states that having many animals is considered abuse.
By the Regulation for the Protection of Fauna of the Municipality of Mérida, in its article 24, the possession of domestic animals is conditional on the existence of optimal hygienic circumstances that do not represent a danger to public health.
Also, the Regulation emphasizes the physical capacity of the home, establishing a maximum of six pets per property, be they cats, dogs, or the sum of both. People with more than the permitted number must report it to the Municipal Animal Control Center.
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