Permanent Residents
Several animals have found a permanent home at the TAC headquarters as they are due to their age or history not “adoptable”. Here we introduce you to the permanent residents sharing our headquarters, all of whom would be grateful for a sponsorship towards their costs. Please contact us if you’d like to sponsor a resident and we’ll be delighted to have you on board.
Pablo has been living in the rescue station for 7 years. He probably spent the first 4 years of his life as a hunting dog and then as a street dog on the beach. Dirty, with ears covered in ticks, full of mistrust of people, he fell in love with Pamela’s dog, Corazon, and began to accompany them on their daily walks. After months of persuasion, he decided to take the risk and jump into the car for the lucky ride. Even then it took a long time before he could get used to “family life” with people. But after Corazon’s death he fell into depression. Only a puppy named Snowy gave him back his zest for life. Pablo likes to play, even on his own and he loves walks, especially with Kenya and Canelo. Extensive stomach scratching is also at the top of his wish list, although he is never imposing. Often he just looks longingly at people until they turn to him. His gratitude and love make him a very special permanent resident of the rescue station.
Rusty was born around march 2021 and is the only survivor in his family. Blind in one eye, he initially used his experience as a fighting cock to secure the boss’s position against the other roosters in the Headquarters. Now he is enjoying his status and his fabulous life with his girlfriend Blanca and her chicks in a special secured area. Some of the more than 24 different calls that Rusty can make (like any other rooster) are used to warn them of approaching predators. And of course to draw attention to particularly tasty vegetables, grains and salads. Don’t let the supplies run low!
Michelangelo & Donatella are red-eared slider turtles. As a happy couple, they lived as pets for 20 years. But then their two-legged couple decided to give them up. Since these exotic pond turtles cannot peacefully coexist with the resident turtle species in the region, there is no option to release them into the nearby rivers and ponds. In the TAC headquarters they have enough space and several small pools. Both spend a lot of time together sunbathing and pool diving. In addition to the turtle food, they are particularly happy about fresh food and some fruit.
She is the undisputed ruler of the TAC headquaters, mother of Ninja and Hans-Peter: Empress Gatita. Even though she is the smallest of the outdoor cats, no one doubts her authority! Gatita loves people, is very cuddly, but also very independent. She occasionally disappears for a few days, presumably to control the borders of her queendom and to make plans for the future. With 13 years of age, even Super-Gatita is not immune to the signs of the times and has the first grey whiskers to show!
Konfucius was kept as a pet in Gibraltar. After complaints from the neighbours, the owner spoke to a veterinarian about euthanasia. Fortunately for Confucius, he found a new home in the TAC headquarters. Sadly his wings had been clipped so that he cannot sleep in trees. He was an outsider from the start and was cast out by the other roosters. He often fluctuates between cuddly and aggressive, which doesn’t make his situation any easier. His two-legged friends are working on his integration and, in the meantime, are making sure that he receives tasty fresh feed as well as grains.
Mikey was found on the street in San Roque and unfortunately never adopted. But he has been enjoying his outdoor life in the headquaters for 4 years and is an integral part of the team. Not only does he eat everything (yes, even fruit, vegetables and salad), he “tests” the newcomers too. Regardless of whether it is a dog or a cat, Mikey is the first to take a good look at them all and thus helps to decide where they should stay. He makes his rounds to check on some and play with others as part of his daily routine.
Christina is an exotic turtle that was caught in a river in the region. She couldn’t stay there because she attacked native turtles. She was named after her savior. The turtle Christina is estimated to be 20 years old and very social with the other turtles in the headquarters and with people. She is very food-oriented and eats even from the hand. Her absolute favorite place is a small, tumbled down tree trunk, the perfect place for sunbathing.
Karl Jung and Schopenhauer are about a year old roosters and both sons of Eve. Since there are various roosters and their corresponding rivalries, the two have teamed up. They share control of the south side of the TAC headquarters and drive out intruders in a double tag team manner. They share a harem and the “rooster duties”. This includes to keep the bickering among the hens within limits, to warn of birds of prey and other enemies with different tones and of course to produce the next generations.
Lucifer is a young wild cat who has chosen the TAC headquaters as his home. Even to be trapped and castrated did not shake his resolution. The black Lucifer is unmistakable due to the white tip of his tail. He is a loner, master of social distancing and seems very content to observe the goings-on from a distance. Regular food and water, lots of sunny and shady places to sleep, hustle and bustle and peace and quiet – what more could the cat heart want?
Canelo‘s first life began in 2007 as a hunting dog. 12 years ago he was hanged from a tree in the forest by hunters, but luckily he was found and rescued by tourists. In his 2nd life he spent 8 years in an animal shelter in Algeciras. Untouchable, invisible, scared, silent, with no hope of adoption. Pamela visited him there 3 times a week for a year until Canelo trusted her enough to move to TAC headquarters. In the 4 years of his third life he has found his voice again, wants to be petted, wags his tail and gets along well with other dogs and people. Unfortunately he has completely rotten teeth, many of which had to be removed. As a result, his tongue always slips out on one side, his unmistakable feature. He also has Leishmania, but that does not stop him from enjoying his retirement and winning hearts.
Ignatz is around 1½ years old and a rather fat hedgehog who was raised by a woman. Unfortunately, she got fed up with him because he was constantly waddling after her. So Ignatz ended up at TAC headquarters. Now he lives in the western outdoor area and is provided with species-appropriate feed. He is one of currently 9 hedgehogs, unfortunately you can only see them now and then because they are mostly active at night-time. But they have their own corner at TAC: Spike City!
Kenya was used to herd sheep by her owner at the time and often chained in a roundabout in Algeciras. After a few near-misses, he gave her to the Los Barrios animal shelter. There she suffered from severe depression and gave up completely. Her only chance were the TAC headquarters, where she was finally able to receive medication for her heartworms and, with a lot of care and love, found her will to live again over the last 2 years. She is now approx. 9 years old, enjoys being petted and walks and despite her size tries again and again (unsuccessfully) to be a lap dog. She is great as a “therapist” for dogs who are very scared and need to be prepared for adoption, by teaching them to relax and to trust people.
Pitufito is a late-hatcher. He waited three days longer than his siblings. Unfortunately, his mother Blanca rejected him because he couldn’t keep up with his siblings. So he was first fed by hand by Pamela and then gradually introduced to “being a rooster”. Pitufito now lives happily outside among cats, rabbits and chickens. He is already sleeping in the trees, but is not yet fully integrated into the chicken community. Rusty in particular picks on him a lot. Pitufito, on the other hand, thinks humans are great and always follows them, cackling quietly.
Pavarotti reached the rescue station in November 2020, along with his buddy Carreras. They were bred for the hunt and then given to the animal shelter. Both are not adaptable because they are wild rabbits, but with no experience of survival in the wild. Pavarotti is very dominant and doesn’t get along well with other rabbits, especially the females. Carreras is his best friend and always close by. However, he is very camera-shy and not as curious as Pavarotti, who sometimes looks at people with interest from a distance. Both live freely on the grounds of the headquarters.
As a little kitten, Hieronymus cried loudly on the premises of a transport company near the rescue station, so that neighbours drew attention to him. This 4 week old bundle full of anger towards humanity, abandoned by its mother, first spent some time in isolation, hissing and scratching, until everyone involved decided in favour of love and friendship. Hieronymus is now 5 years old and a very satisfied outdoor cat. Despite his size, he is very cuddly and in need of love. He “kneeds” a lot and likes to paw people, which is met with very little enthusiasm due to his weight and sharp claws. He first assesses new people from a distance, but after he has picked up the first pats, the person is accepted and is then always greeted loudly.
Louisa was born in early 2022 on the neighboring property of the TAC headquarters. There she was attacked by the other chickens and alerted Pamela to her emergency with cries for help. The neighbor knew that the little chick had no chance of surviving there and therefore gave her away.
Louisa isn’t just shy around people. While there are no conflicts with other chickens, she does move back and forth between the groups in the south and west quarters. Overall she prefers to live alone and is now having chicks of her own for the first time. Lousia is a great “single mom” and her four little ones are developing well. Similar shy and independent as their mom, it is difficult to capture pictures of them.
