The center of their operations is located in a 30-hectare rented property in the town of Alejandro Korn, Province of Buenos Aires, where they have two hospitalization boxes, veterinary facilities, common boxes and pens; and they also rent another property of more than 100 hectares in the town of Baradero, Province of Buenos Aires, where the horses roam free.
Caring for more than 220 horses is not an easy task and ACMA's work would not be possible without the invaluable contribution of adopters, veterinarians, students and volunteers who, donating their time, allow them to work 24/7, 365 days a year. .
There are no schedules for reports and rescue requests, ACMA responds to the call for help of horses and animals in distress and abuse, working in collaboration with the authorities in a relationship based on experience, professionalism and years of service.
In addition, the organization plays a fundamental role for society in teaching the importance of responsible ownership and treatment of animals: ACMA organizes open days where the public can visit the Alejandro Korn property to participate in different activities, interact with animals and enjoy a day with their families; Camps and more technical activities dedicated to veterinary students and related careers are also organized.
Horses can come to ACMA in different ways and for different reasons:
That it be delivered as: judicial and/or definitive depository, by a municipal, provincial or federal judicial body through the same judicial entities or through the public security forces.
That it is delivered by its owner and/or holder of the same, due to particular reasons for which they cannot continue attending them.
It is always an obligation that every horse that is received has supporting documentation on its origin. In the vast majority of cases, the costs of transportation and medical care are fully covered by the NGO.
Every horse that has just entered, and according to the veterinary protocol, must, yes or yes, be isolated from the rest of its peers, due to the rigorous veterinary examinations that must be carried out, among them and the most important, that of Infectious Anemia Equine (IEA).
Upon arrival, If the horse is in serious condition, it goes directly to a hospitalization box that is specially prepared, since it has a rubber floor, a double bed of shavings, padded walls, an electric winch to be able to lift the horse if necessary, air conditioning, a fan, security cameras so that it can be monitored from a PC or cell phone.
If the horse is not in serious condition, it is kept in quarantine in an isolated box until it is certain whether or not it is a carrier of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), this disease is highly contagious among horses and has no cure. Unfortunately, by order of SENASA, if the tests are positive, the horse must be euthanized.
Based on the general state of health, a rehabilitation and treatment plan is drawn up where the horse will always be in company of all the love and affection of volunteers and workers who will give their best so that the horse can return to be healthy and fit. As the horse improves, it is allowed to go to a stable and finally, if its situation allows it, roam free in the corral or on the premises.
Although the treatments sometimes require a lot of time and hours of dedication, when seeing the improvement of each patient, they are moved from one environment to another. He goes through different pens to interact with other horses and thus, depend less each day on interaction with volunteers, and then return to his normal life wandering in a herd with his peers, establishing his own emotional ties.
There is also the possibility of adopting the horses that are discharged, that is, those that can carry out their normal life. For this purpose, there is a protocol, quite strict, in which the adopter must meet certain requirements and submit to various obligations, some examples of which are:
Have a suitable property so that the horse can lead a normal life. Possess the necessary amenities for your stay. And other points that are detailed to each possible adopter.
Never subject him to work. Have veterinary care and health book up to date. Submit to periodic control by the NGO's Volunteers and/or Veterinarians, who corroborate the state of the adoptee, where in case of non-compliance, said adoption contract can be interrupted and the adoptee returns to the NGO.
During the pandemic, ACMA did not stop doing its work, but unfortunately it was prevented from carrying out many of the social activities that allow them to finance their mission.
While the community around ACMA pitched in with what they could, a lot of work still needs to be done at their facility that is -to this date- either pending or planned.
During the pandemic there were some dramatic moments where the community had to buy food for the horses (not a minor issue given that currently more than 500,000 pesos per month are required in this unique item)
Although this group of people around ACMA collaborated with what they could, there is still a lot of work to be done in their facilities that to date are planned, pending or delayed due to what happened.
Security is also a concern, given that with the advance of urbanization to the adjoining land, it is more and more frequent that trespassers attempt to capture a horse to put it to work, returning them to mistreatment and helplessness.
That is why in recent months they have invested in implementing surveillance cameras and after years of negotiations with the local government it was possible to illuminate the access to the property, but much more is needed and this would be a steep expense to the organization at this time.
Also recently, the Baradero property was put up for sale, so ACMA needs to find a piece of land to be able to move and maintain the 120 horses that are going to soon need a new home.
When we embarked on the path of organizing our Convention, we could not be oblivious to one of the deepest commitments of this fandom: that of giving back to the Society.
We wanted the NGO that accompanies our event to be one that intimately links human beings with animals, creating a space that opens minds in relation to responsible ownership, learning from dramatic situations and thus providing hope for a better future. may be possible.
The Asociación Contra Maltrato Animal (ACMA) is then a perfect organization to accompany us during the 2022 edition of Argentina FurFiesta. The energy and passion with which they carry out their mission inspires us and we believe that with your help we can do a lot for this Organization.
Throughout this edition, we are going to help them by raising money to be able to buy a new pressure washer, finish the lighting around the Alejandro Korn property and -if we make it- consolidate the foundations to help ACMA access a home of their own, owning a property where they are not at the mercy of landlords.