Typhoon Sinlaku has devastated Saipan and Tinian. The islands are unrecognizable. Homes are damaged, power is out, food and water is inaccessible, transportation is difficult or impossible. Our entire community is trying to recover.. including pets.

Saipan Humane Society is not an animal shelter, but an animal clinic on an island with no veterinarian. We rely on virtual and visiting volunteer vets to provide medical care to over 6,000 pets annually, with a small team of 4.5 people. We are so lucky that our clinic interior was minimally damaged during the typhoon.. and as our staff get back on their feet, we are preparing to meet the needs of community animals.

Given the circumstances, we will be focusing efforts on free care, food distribution, and helping with other immediate needs. However, we still have staff who depend on their paycheck and need to rebuild their lives - and we need to be able to support them. Without them, SHS is nothing.

This fundraiser is specifically to support the following goals:

*Provide wages to SHS staff during typhoon-related closures and the immediate recovery period as our clinic reopens

*Keep care accessible to our community during this critical time

Normally, our clinic relies on generating some revenue by charging small fees to support staffing. However, right now our community is focused on rebuilding their homes and lives—and we don’t want cost to be a barrier to care.

Your support allows us to:

-keep our team employed

-reopen as quickly as possible

-continue providing care when it is needed most

As we reopen and begin serving the community, we will be posting updates here and on our social media pages. Please follow along.

By helping SHS, you are helping our island animals.

Thank you for helping!

About Me: Hi, I'm Lauren Cabrera (Saipan Humane board president)! Originally from New Hampshire, I have found my home in the Marianas. I founded a dog rescue on Guam called Boonie Flight Project in 2021, which has flown +700 boonie dogs from Guam & Saipan to homes across the mainland. After moving to Saipan in 2022, I realized.. there was no veterinarian, but LOTS of animals in need. I teamed up with my best friend Ruby, and we founded Saipan Humane Society. Our little clinic rapidly grew to what it is today - a well-established clinic that sees over 6,000 pets annually at extremely low or free cost.

Now I'm at veterinary school in Washington. I go home on May 9th and am so excited to be with my family and help out our little team. But for now, all I can do is make sure that they are able to meet their own basic needs so they can help pets meet their basic needs. If there's anything I've learned in animal welfare, it is this: put on your own oxygen mask first!

Thank you <3