Seven prominent and compassionate members of the San Pedro community including licensed veterinarian Dr. Bronwen Eastwood founded The Saga Foundation Limited on June 16, 1999. Each of the famed seven gave their time and financial support to begin to design the road map that would establish Saga Humane Society.
The original organizational plan and mission was formulated to address the current dog and cat population on an island whose population was 8,000 and tourism saw 100,000 visitors per year. The mission statement called for the creation of an education program, a free standing shelter to house and care for stray dogs, and a comprehensive spay neuter program.
Today, more that 300,000 visitors come to Ambergris Caye each year and our full time population exceeds the 30,000 mark, however the core mission of Saga Humane Society remains steadfast to humanely care for all animals of Ambergris Caye, to introduce kindness and Humane Education to all and to properly house and care for the unwanted animals on Ambergris Caye. In 2014, over 1,800 animals were cared for by the staff and volunteers of Saga Humane Society, many free of charge.
With the framework built, the passion, hard work and generous donations from many local friends and supporters, Saga Humane Society grew and began operation on Sea Star Street and remains there today. The Saga Foundation Limited, called Saga Humane Society, was established in 1999 to operate as a non-profit humane society on the island of Ambergris Caye in Belize, Central America, and is also registered as a Belize NGO . This means that Saga Humane Society does not receive funding from any government agency or national organization. Saga Humane Society is funded by private donations, private grants and volunteer fundraising efforts.
In the 11 years of Saga's available statistics, its impact on the animal population of this island has produced the following results:
2,000 animals have been adopted into forever homes
5,600 animals have been treated free of charge
3,475 animals have been vaccinated
6,368 animals have been treated for worms and other parasites
4,468 animals have been spayed or neutered
21,911 Animals have been touched by Saga Humane Society in eleven years.