Casitas Azules (Little Blue Houses) – SDG 3, SDG 8, SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 15

In Playa del Carmen and the Mayan communities nearby, many people allow their dogs to roam outdoors at night which has attracted jaguars closer into the local community with dangerous consequences for both dogs and jaguars. While the presence of jaguars near human settlements is not inherently dangerous, the presence of dogs near jaguars is, particularly because some common dog diseases such as canine distemper are highly contagious and mortal for jaguars and other wildlife. Dogs are an easy prey for jaguars, this accessible food source within the community has created incentive for the jaguars to enter human settlements, which creates the conflict. Sightings or jaguar attacks on dogs have led to calls for killing jaguars, endangering an already threatened species. Additionally, people are losing beloved family pets. <br />
Disease transmission and calls for killing jaguars represent a major threat for the species, the reason why jaguar-dog interactions was identified within the four major threats for the species in the most recent International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of Jaguars, organized by the Mexican Alliance for the Conservation of Jaguars in June 2018 at Cancun, Mexico. <br />
Traditional jaguar conservation approaches dictate that dogs should not be sharing any habitat and thus should be eliminated. However, regardless of where people live – in the outskirts of a city or in the middle of the jungle - they will always have companion animals. So instead of approaching jaguar conservation in the traditional way, IFAW is promoting jaguar conservation through the responsible care of companion animals. <br />
The Casitas Azules program is distributing dog houses and predator-free chicken coops to households in targeted neighborhoods and Mayan communities. Participating households receive support in the form of sterilization, vaccination, and better overall care for their dogs and other community animals as well as hurricane preparedness planning. Through community engagement, members of the community embrace and own this program, and commit to better care for their animals and avoid activities that can affect jaguars, such as prey poaching. They become “Animal Welfare Ambassadors” in their community, assisting their neighbors in improving the care of their animals. <br />
Over the first year, IFAW distributed 103 dog houses and 12 predator-free chicken coops to disadvantaged households and improved local attitudes and coexistence with important local wildlife by helping the communities provide better care for their dogs. <br />
When dogs are better cared for, safely sheltered at night and have been sterilized, they are less likely to roam at night. This makes them less likely to be targets for jaguars and therefore discourages jaguars from entering human communities and engendering conflict. The program also considers humane jaguar deterrents such as blinking solar lights to make a virtual light fence where attacks have occurred. The result is that jaguars, dogs, and people are all safer. This innovative approach bridges conservation and humane community development in this region. By improving the care that dogs receive in these disadvantaged communities, we are decreasing the negative impacts community animals and locals have on endangered wildlife.