Aboard a cargo tricycle, Edgardo Zúñiga travels through Mexico rescuing dogs that have been abandoned and are on the street, while trying to raise awareness against animal abuse.
His journey began on July 17, 2013, and he has now toured half the country in search of dogs who have no owner and roam the country’s streets and roads.
The voyage has brought him to the Mexican state of Chiapas, on the southeastern border with Guatemala, escorted by the 14 dogs that have become his traveling companions.
Dressed in clothes that the same people give him as he goes, he advances day and night with a mission: to give these animals a better life, which are frequently assaulted or ignored by humans.
For Edgardo, 48, hailing from the state of Nayarit (western Mexico), his journey is both a sacrifice and a message to society.
“Dogs from all across Mexico join me, dogs that no one adopts, dogs that are lingering (on the street),” he tells Efe.
These dogs are now part of the “dog rescue squad” because they “educate others (to have) nobility, to trust people.”
Since beginning his journey, the animal animals activist has rescued over 400 dogs in states like Nayarit, Sinaloa, Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Campeche, Tabasco, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo.
The “dog guy” packs food, drink, shoes, and clothes on his tricycle, which captures the attention of passers-by, to be able to survive bad weather, including rain and sun.
Similarly, it brings various remedies to aid its noble partners.
At the moment, it is making its state through the Soconusco area of Chiapas, in the municipalities of Huixtla and Tapachula, where it will pick up additional dogs to adopt and care for in order to give their quality of life.
Following that, your journey will take you to the Chiapas coast, to the town of Puerto Madero, where you will stop for a few days and also give the canines hours of sleep.
Edgardo describes his journey as “a quest to take people’s consciousness.”
“All I ask is that people recognize what these devoted animals can achieve for human beings,” he says.
On his journey, he hopes to save the dogs, but he also works as a middleman, negotiating the release of some of his rescued comrades.
Dogs “are full of love and protection; that is why we must also take care of them,” the activist says.
The Samaritan claims that getting to the south of the country, where he has been cordially greeted, has been difficult.
After crossing along the Chiapas coast, it will travel through numerous provinces in the southern states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.
“It’s a project in which I’m travelling over Mexico entirely assisting dogs,” he explained.
Animal cruelty is illegal in at least 15 Mexican states, including the state of Mexico, Guanajuato, Jalisco, and Michoacán.
To prevent situations of abuse from occurring, Edgardo advocates instilling in the population a culture of respect for animals and raising awareness.