Welcome to Territorio de Zaguates, so called also "Land of the Strays": the largest shelter for free dogs in the world. Lya Battle herself introduces Kodami into the reign hidden behind a large blue gate on the heights of San Josè, Costa Rica, where we can meet 2000 dogs. "Donna Lya" is the founder, together with her husband Alvaro Saumet, of a sanctuary that extends towards borders that, for those who have not been there, it is really impossible even to imagine. But the same also applies to those like me who have been lucky enough to be part of the Zaguates family for some days and have never seen the end of those hills and boundless meadows where dogs live freely on 132 acres of land, woods and rivers.
This time what we propose on MeetKodami – the series in which the protagonists are the people who, through their experience, enclose the essence of our Manifesto – is not just an interview. The video dedicated to Costa Rican strays is, we hope, a unique experience to offer you to be able to get to know Lya and her zaguates directly through original images shot at the sanctuary. A story that tells how a mission, if you put love and rationality together, can lead to a successful case like the Territorio de Zaguates.
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What is the meaning of the name "Territorio de Zaguates"?
The origin of the word "zaguates" in Costa Rica is indigenous. We call zaguates any dog doesn't have a breed. Over time it has become the term with which strays are called, but in a destructive way, referring to mutts and intended as sick dogs to be kept at a distance, especially for mange. I felt it was very unfair to try to diminish a dog because it didn't have a breed when they're actually the strongest, most well-prepared through evolution dogs to survive. I think that no living being should live on the streets and no living being is just a number among many others. And so when I had to come up with a name for the farm, I thought that this place would simply be their territory, the Territorio de Zaguates. Dogs don't care about how they are called, on the contrary, in my opinion, they are proud of their history and where they come from. What we hope is that people will change their vision of what strays are changing the common thought. And I think that with this name the Territorio has already contributed to change the opinion of many about them.
What is Territorio de Zaguates?
It's my version of the "least of evils", a place that should not exist: in a perfect word with a perfect society we wouldn't need to have shelters. We wouldn't need to have places where dogs who didn't have families have to stay safe from people and from the streets, but we're not there yet. So if they don't have a home, at least let them have something "second best" to a home. So the Territorio de Zaguates is actually a farm. It's a shelter, a sanctuary where dogs can be dogs, simply. They're not in cages, they get to hang out freely and enjoy the mountains and sniffing everything they want and digging all the holes they want and jumping in the river as many times if they want. We picked them up, we cure them and we let them be dogs. And if they're lucky enough to find a family, which I believe is their ideal, that would be great. But if not, I guess we're the second best option ever.
How did it start?
It was never meant to be a huge shelter. I just didn't want to become immune to a need I saw: the need to give street dogs a place where they could live safe and free waiting for possible adoptions. I could not stand and watch life stories that ended in mistreatment, abuse and disease. People don't always see magic in a dog and that's a real shame: many any still pay attention to the aesthetics and purity of the breeds, I instead see in the zaguates as a unique species that has always lived with us human beings. So I started by recovering dogs in need and bringing them to the house where I lived but in a short time there were already too many: over a hundred. What were the options at that point? A refuge or back on the street. But no one deserves to live on the street, and putting them in a regular kennel meant condemning them behind cages for life in most cases. So I thought that there must be something better to do and the farm became our Territorio de Zaguates.
It's a huge place on the heights of Carizal, closer to San Josè. When I was there I could not see the borders… How many dogs are with you now and how do you find the financial support?
It's true: it is a very large place but there are boundaries that can be recognized, if you put yourself under observation: the wonderful ones established by the dogs between them: there are almost 2000 of them currently and everyone knows every corner of the Territory and how to divide it in tune with the others. We do everything possible to be self-sufficient but obviously with these numbers it is not easy. Most of our funding comes from donations and we have never had support from the local government. I have a teaching job and all those who collaborate with the Territory have an external source of income. But most of our economic sustenance comes from people around the world who support us, which we are immensely grateful for every single day: without their help, we could not exist. Do we cover every single need with donations? Of course not, but it is enough to help us continue and … now I am convinced that miracles are happening around us made by people who give us a hand.
You are still closed to the public to comply because of structural works commissioned by the Costa Rican government. At what point are you and when do you plan to reopen?
It's been more than two years since they order us to shut down. The government doesn't like our way of working because they want a shelter to be made of cages. We, of course, have never conformed to these outdated standards and never will. Local authorities do not support us and also find ways to make life more difficult for us. They asked us to carry out major infrastructure work. They know that economically are very high expenses and they thought probably to let our guard down and give up in this way. But we, once again, one day at a time have rolled up our sleeves and we are almost there. We're very close. We have respected all the deliveries and requests they have made to us and even the pandemic has not helped by slowing down the times. I think we will be ready to welcome back the people who follow us from all over the world for the middle of this year and the dogs will run again through the mountains with our human friends.
After spending those days with the Territorio with you, on my return to Italy, many dog trainers and dog lovers asked me: «How do they manage all those dogs? Who knows how many fights you have seen ». Instead … how are things, Lya?
Well, I'm going to give you my non-educated opinion because I am certainly not a dog trainer: I am an untrainer. When I look at them I reflect and see that they have no reason to fight each other. First of all it must be said that they are neutered and sterilized and this certainly helps to lower that need to be "the boss of something". But what I notice is that when a new dog arrives it is the rest of the pack that shows him how to behave, it is as if they were saying: "Now we will guide you to make you understand how we do things here". Let's be clear: it's not that they don't fight. I mean, if one dog tries to steal another dog's resource, it will probably spark an argument and even a good fight. But this is how they solve their problems and as you have seen, precisely to remove the curiosity of those who read us, we intervene when needed but you can simply interrupt them even just screaming at them.
So is human intervention relative? Are the dogs themselves ruling each other?
So it seems to me: you educate a few dogs and when you introduce another dog, it has to work with the energy that's around it. And if it doesn't, he or she is a minority and the rest will teach how to behave. It's not to say that we don't have dogs that just never learned and became a problem coexisting with the others. I can count them proudly with fingers and name them. And,for them we just had to do different things: we keep them out separately, they go on a walk with smaller packs. But no, no dog is truly incorrigible: I don't think so.
Do you think dogs are naturally sociable and empathetic?
I think we certainly don't teach them to be sociable. Anything that causes a dog to be aggressive or to pose a problem is not part of his nature but come from negative interaction with someone or something that has happened to him at certain times in his life. I am referring to strays, of course, to the many I have met and known deeply. The moment we take them to the Territory and make them remember what it means to be just a dog, it is as if they "reprogram their chip". They reset their mentality and start from what they really were. And we had tons of dogs that entered the sanctuary because they were really aggressive and in no time they became a perfect part of the pack. So it is not us humans who transform them into "perfect dogs" and I'm the first that cannot take credit for it, but we must at least testify that we can contribute to giving them the opportunity to live a life worth living: it happens and it is worth it.
You are talking about thousands of dogs that you have met, cared for and you have a clear memory of each of them. Is this the meaning of entering into a relationship not only with "dogs" but with every single individual?
Maybe not every dog responds extremely differently to every stimulus, but you have to be aware that in reality every dog has its own personality and you have to know it and understand it enough, accept it for what it is if you want a relationship. Once you understand this there is really no reason not to want a dog anymore just because it's not what you expected. In reality, dogs are always far better than any preconception or initial claim you have towards them and what matters is relating to them and getting involved in the relationship. I think since the dawn of time we have all been connected to the same energy. We all belong to the same origin of trees, of water, we are part of this Planet on which we walk. And unfortunately, when we started developing, we became disconnected. We need projects like Kodami that unite us and remind us that the only thing that separates a human from an animal is everything on the skin, because we are one soul and we must respect each other. In short, as human beings, perhaps it is time to realize that we are not the most interesting animals walking on this Earth.
- Italian version:
