Philips Animal Garden in Aruba
Donation protected
Welcome all Animal Lovers.
My name is Mark; I have lived in Aruba for over 15 years. I currently help operate the refreshment center at Philips Animal Garden and manage the Facebook and trip advisor postings for Philips Animal Garden. During my time here in Aruba I have been involved with many of the animal rescue organizations in one fashion or another, from raising money for a cat hotel to helping catch the invasive boas to rescuing street dogs to fostering more than 13 cats at one time. Of all the groups I have interacted with Philips Animal Garden is doing the work that no one else can or will do.
Philip Merryweather, founder of Philips Animal Garden has been helping care for animals almost his entire life. From saving abandoned puppy litters and finding them all forever homes and caring for sick birds like egrets & pelicans until they are well enough to be released back into the wild doing all this starting in his pre-teens.
Over the years many of the animals he rescued could not be sent back to the wild or released as by doing this would mean they would not survive. So he started building a small garden on his family’s property to house and care for these different animals, all funded out of his own pocket from his salary as a restaurant server and eventually manager.
A couple of his past rescues, like the baby calf he found dehydrated and trapped in cactus 10 years ago while hiking on the far side of the island, he brought the calf home and bottle feed until it was strong and able to take solid food, today that calf is over 1000 pounds of happy healthy steer.
Another which is still talked about here on the island is how he trapped an ocelot that had escaped from someone’s home that was keeping it as a pet, while others were hunting the animal to kill it, Philip used the urine of another ocelot he had already saved from an abusive owner and was able to trap it, saving it from being killed by others as a danger to the population.
About 6 years ago, a zoo that was on the island collapsed and most of the large animals were sold off to other zoos in South America and the Caribbean, however many large older mammals where left and abandoned to fend for themselves. Philip stepped in and saw to it that all of these animals where fed and watered and cared for and moved them to his garden once he was able to complete the building of safe resident areas for them, all this out of his own pocket!!!!
Five years ago he opened his garden, Philips Animal Garden to the public, as he could no longer fund his passion for animals out of his own pocket, excepting donations at the entrance to help pay for the care of his rescued residents. As word spread of Philip and his garden and his passion for all animals regardless of species, more calls came in asking for help, Philip being Philip never said no to an animal in need. We to this day receive calls daily to help with an abandon baby goat or to rescue someone from a boa that has wondered into their yard or receiving a litter of puppies that was found tossed away like so much trash.
Two and half years ago, he had to start a small tour company Around Aruba Tours to help offset the growing costs to maintain the garden and the rescued residents, all profits from his tour company go back into Philips Animal Garden.
Just the water bill runs more than $100 per day to keep the residents hydrated and the garden clean.
Some of the more recent rescues, Korra a Howler monkey that was found in a 3’ x 3’ cage in someone’s home where he had been kept for more than 5 years or Sam the Jaguarondi that was someone’s “pet” until they could no longer care for it or Coco the crocodile that was found on a disabled boat off the coast of Aruba bound with duct tape heading to god only knows where from somewhere in South America.
The above photos are Korra & Sam.
One of the litters of puppy’s (6) that we rescued this past Oct. included one little guy, who I named Trey. When the litter came to us they were about 2 weeks old. Trey’s front left paw had been crushed somehow to the point that it was rotting and had to be removed if he was to have any chance to survive. Today at around 11 weeks old Trey is running and enjoying his forever home, his life would have ended back in Oct. if not for the extreme efforts Philip and our team put forward to take care of him.
This is Trey the day him and his litter mates were rescued.
Philip works tirelessly from well before sun rise to late into the night 7 days a week working to make better lives for all animals that needs his help.
The above just scratches the surface of all the great things that Philips Animal Garden has been able to do for all animal species that needs our help. I will be more than happy to provide more detail if you need.
With this campaign we are hoping to raise funds for three specific things:
To raise funds to purchase materials to build forever homes for Sam the Jaguarondi, who is currently in a temporary cage we normally use for rescued cats and kittens that we put up for adoption and for Korra, the Howler monkey who is now in a much bigger area then he lived in for more than 5 years, however this area is far too small for him to live in as a forever home. His current area is approx. 10 feet by 30 feet and 8 feet high.
The cost of materials only for these two areas is $45,000 for us to buy and have shipped to the island.
The third project we are hoping to raise funds for is one that we have already started, to rescue all the homeless street dogs on the island and have them cleaned up and treated for any illness they may have, then neuter them and return them to the streets.
A conservative estimate of the number of homeless dogs on the island is over 3000. With an average life span of less than 6 years, however during that 6 years they can reproduce many more potential homeless puppies, sadly most of these dogs can never find a forever home. Our program is aimed at stopping the cycle of homeless dogs breeding more homeless dogs, a long term solution and one that cannot be done in a week or month or year. This is a program that we will be doing daily if we are able to raise enough funds until we have it under control.
Our cost per dog averages $90.00.
We are hoping to raise $30,000 to give us the opportunity to not have to sit and wait until we have a few extra dollars in the bank, which is what we do now. If we have say $300 available we will go and find 3 or 4 homeless dogs.
With donations specifically designated for this rescue mission we can go out and really have an impact by finding a dozen or more dogs a week.
Our funding needs are urgent, the sooner we are able to rasie the money needed the sooner we can provide the forever homes for Korra & Sam and start making a positive impact on helping all the homeless dogs on the island.
Philip and all of us who share his passion for all animals would be forever grateful to be able to make these three projects come to pass, knowing that we were able to provide safe, healthy lives for all the animals we will be able help have much better lives than they do now.
I know this was long, but I felt the store needed to be told.
We thank you for taking the time to read our story and thank you in advance for donating, if you are not able to donate, we understand and ask that you please share our story and our need with as many people as you can.
Philips Animal Garden Fackbook
My name is Mark; I have lived in Aruba for over 15 years. I currently help operate the refreshment center at Philips Animal Garden and manage the Facebook and trip advisor postings for Philips Animal Garden. During my time here in Aruba I have been involved with many of the animal rescue organizations in one fashion or another, from raising money for a cat hotel to helping catch the invasive boas to rescuing street dogs to fostering more than 13 cats at one time. Of all the groups I have interacted with Philips Animal Garden is doing the work that no one else can or will do.
Philip Merryweather, founder of Philips Animal Garden has been helping care for animals almost his entire life. From saving abandoned puppy litters and finding them all forever homes and caring for sick birds like egrets & pelicans until they are well enough to be released back into the wild doing all this starting in his pre-teens.
Over the years many of the animals he rescued could not be sent back to the wild or released as by doing this would mean they would not survive. So he started building a small garden on his family’s property to house and care for these different animals, all funded out of his own pocket from his salary as a restaurant server and eventually manager.
A couple of his past rescues, like the baby calf he found dehydrated and trapped in cactus 10 years ago while hiking on the far side of the island, he brought the calf home and bottle feed until it was strong and able to take solid food, today that calf is over 1000 pounds of happy healthy steer.
Another which is still talked about here on the island is how he trapped an ocelot that had escaped from someone’s home that was keeping it as a pet, while others were hunting the animal to kill it, Philip used the urine of another ocelot he had already saved from an abusive owner and was able to trap it, saving it from being killed by others as a danger to the population.
About 6 years ago, a zoo that was on the island collapsed and most of the large animals were sold off to other zoos in South America and the Caribbean, however many large older mammals where left and abandoned to fend for themselves. Philip stepped in and saw to it that all of these animals where fed and watered and cared for and moved them to his garden once he was able to complete the building of safe resident areas for them, all this out of his own pocket!!!!
Five years ago he opened his garden, Philips Animal Garden to the public, as he could no longer fund his passion for animals out of his own pocket, excepting donations at the entrance to help pay for the care of his rescued residents. As word spread of Philip and his garden and his passion for all animals regardless of species, more calls came in asking for help, Philip being Philip never said no to an animal in need. We to this day receive calls daily to help with an abandon baby goat or to rescue someone from a boa that has wondered into their yard or receiving a litter of puppies that was found tossed away like so much trash.
Two and half years ago, he had to start a small tour company Around Aruba Tours to help offset the growing costs to maintain the garden and the rescued residents, all profits from his tour company go back into Philips Animal Garden.
Just the water bill runs more than $100 per day to keep the residents hydrated and the garden clean.
Some of the more recent rescues, Korra a Howler monkey that was found in a 3’ x 3’ cage in someone’s home where he had been kept for more than 5 years or Sam the Jaguarondi that was someone’s “pet” until they could no longer care for it or Coco the crocodile that was found on a disabled boat off the coast of Aruba bound with duct tape heading to god only knows where from somewhere in South America.
The above photos are Korra & Sam.
One of the litters of puppy’s (6) that we rescued this past Oct. included one little guy, who I named Trey. When the litter came to us they were about 2 weeks old. Trey’s front left paw had been crushed somehow to the point that it was rotting and had to be removed if he was to have any chance to survive. Today at around 11 weeks old Trey is running and enjoying his forever home, his life would have ended back in Oct. if not for the extreme efforts Philip and our team put forward to take care of him.
This is Trey the day him and his litter mates were rescued.Philip works tirelessly from well before sun rise to late into the night 7 days a week working to make better lives for all animals that needs his help.
The above just scratches the surface of all the great things that Philips Animal Garden has been able to do for all animal species that needs our help. I will be more than happy to provide more detail if you need.
With this campaign we are hoping to raise funds for three specific things:
To raise funds to purchase materials to build forever homes for Sam the Jaguarondi, who is currently in a temporary cage we normally use for rescued cats and kittens that we put up for adoption and for Korra, the Howler monkey who is now in a much bigger area then he lived in for more than 5 years, however this area is far too small for him to live in as a forever home. His current area is approx. 10 feet by 30 feet and 8 feet high.
The cost of materials only for these two areas is $45,000 for us to buy and have shipped to the island.
The third project we are hoping to raise funds for is one that we have already started, to rescue all the homeless street dogs on the island and have them cleaned up and treated for any illness they may have, then neuter them and return them to the streets.
A conservative estimate of the number of homeless dogs on the island is over 3000. With an average life span of less than 6 years, however during that 6 years they can reproduce many more potential homeless puppies, sadly most of these dogs can never find a forever home. Our program is aimed at stopping the cycle of homeless dogs breeding more homeless dogs, a long term solution and one that cannot be done in a week or month or year. This is a program that we will be doing daily if we are able to raise enough funds until we have it under control.
Our cost per dog averages $90.00.
We are hoping to raise $30,000 to give us the opportunity to not have to sit and wait until we have a few extra dollars in the bank, which is what we do now. If we have say $300 available we will go and find 3 or 4 homeless dogs.
With donations specifically designated for this rescue mission we can go out and really have an impact by finding a dozen or more dogs a week.
Our funding needs are urgent, the sooner we are able to rasie the money needed the sooner we can provide the forever homes for Korra & Sam and start making a positive impact on helping all the homeless dogs on the island.
Philip and all of us who share his passion for all animals would be forever grateful to be able to make these three projects come to pass, knowing that we were able to provide safe, healthy lives for all the animals we will be able help have much better lives than they do now.
I know this was long, but I felt the store needed to be told.
We thank you for taking the time to read our story and thank you in advance for donating, if you are not able to donate, we understand and ask that you please share our story and our need with as many people as you can.
Philips Animal Garden Fackbook
Organizer
Mark Purcell
Organizer
Sallisaw, OK
