Last year, many In Defense of Animals supporters participated in Run for Kapon 2024, our inspiring awareness event aimed at reducing animal overpopulation and taking a strong step toward ending the dog meat trade and consumption in the Philippines. We’re so happy to share the results with you, as they’re truly game-changing!

Even in a tourism hub and surfers’ paradise, cruelty can still lurk beneath the surface. Siargao is one such place struggling with animal abuse. Despite a downward trend across the country, dogs are still being eaten there. But thanks to your support, we’re turning the tide with compassion, action, and kapon (neutering).

Sterilizing dogs and cats is a very effective way to reduce suffering and protect them from the dog meat trade. Our Free Kapon spay and neuter clinics have helped dramatically reduce free-roaming populations and end animal cruelty, particularly the dog meat consumption, which often preys on the poorest communities who seek dogs’ flesh as an alternative to the flesh of chickens, pigs, or cows.

Because of your support, we have been able to sterilize 255 dogs and cats!

Our focus has been on the 27 villages that make up the Municipality of General Luna on Siargao Island.

In January 2025, we launched our very first initiative on Barangay Daku, a small and isolated island with only about 200 residents. Despite the challenges, we successfully castrated 62 companions, dewormed and vaccinated many animals against rabies, and even rescued three dogs at the brink of death, bringing them safely to the mainland for treatment.

By September 2025, our mission had grown stronger. On two days, we held a record-breaking free spay (ligate) and neuter (kapon) clinic in Barangay Malinao, home to around 23,000 people. Together, we helped 237 animals.

Our work didn’t stop there. Later in September, our partner SPAR Philippines extended this mission to a small village in Bacolod City in Barangay Cabug, where 56 cats and dogs were sterilized.

Because of the support of In Defense of Animals supporters like you, plus the participation of local leaders, international veterinary nurses, generous volunteers, kindhearted tourists, and animal lovers from all backgrounds, we successfully:

• Spayed & neutered 355 dogs and cats
• Vaccinated against rabies
• Provided grooming, deworming & ear care
• Taught compassionate care & responsible guardianship

We’re proud to say our kapon clinics have brought in families, travelers, business owners, and volunteers from around the world, all united by the belief that animals deserve kindness, not cruelty. 

We are empowering communities under the Philippine Animal Welfare Act (RA 8485) and the Anti-Rabies Act (RA 9482) to meet their obligations as responsible guardians and citizens. Thanks to you, we are not just saving animals, we are building a kinder, healthier future for them and their communities.

Island Challenges Present Opportunity

The Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, but only about 2,000 are inhabited. Many are remote, with little access to veterinary care. Without sterilization, free-roaming dogs and cats multiply quickly, leading to neglect, disease, and even slaughter where dog meat is still consumed.

But these islands offer a powerful opportunity: with ocean borders, each one could become rabies-free and cruelty-free. 

With your support, Daku Island is becoming our pilot project. By holding sterilization clinics every four months, aligned with the breeding cycle, we can reduce the stray population, sustain rabies vaccinations, and create a model island for safe coexistence and humane animal care.

None of this would have been possible without our incredible local partner, SPAR Philippines. This small, all-volunteer team works against the odds to rescue dogs from the meat trade and prevent suffering through sterilization. But SPAR is at a breaking point:

• Their temporary shelter is in a residential area, and complaints are mounting. They urgently need funding to relocate and build a safe haven.
• They are flooded with emergency rescue cases from independent rescuers whom they can’t turn away. SPAR needs steady funding to guarantee costs for rescue, transport, and veterinary care of animals in dire need.
• Crowdfunding isn’t enough. SPAR’s founder has poured her personal savings into saving lives.

On top of this, we must urgently reach 27 more villages in General Luna on Siargao before unsterilized animals repopulate and undo our progress.

What YOU Can Do

This is where you come in. In Defense of Animals is calling on our global community to keep stepping up for this passionate, hard-working group. Every dollar helps provide food, shelter, and veterinary care to animals who have nowhere else to turn. With your generosity, we can:

• Expand sterilization clinics to more villages
• Provide sustainable rabies vaccination programs
• Support SPAR in building a permanent shelter
• Create a lasting, cruelty-free model for islands across the Philippines

Together, we are building a future where dogs and cats are no longer seen as meat, but as beloved companions. You are a key part of this, and we invite you to take part, however you can:

• Donate now to save cat and dog lives.
• Sign our alert to demand change for animals in Philippine shelters
• Join the movement to save dog and cat meat survivors and end the trade worldwide

It’s easy to make a big difference. Here’s what your gift makes possible:

• $17 sterilizes one cat or dog
• $102 spays or neuters 6 dogs or cats
• $500 funds a permanent shelter to protect dogs and cats and spare them from falling into the hands of those who would harm them

Thank you for making this life-saving work possible. Let’s keep going until every animal is safe. Thank you for supporting our partners and making doggy dreams come true with a donation today: www.idausa.org/kapon