We provide medical care, neutering and a safe place to heal. For the cats and dogs on Zanzibar who would otherwise have no one.
This story doesn’t begin just anywhere.
It begins on an island in the Indian Ocean.
6°09′57″ S, 39°12′09″ E
The situation on Zanzibar
Every day, countless stray cats and dogs struggle to survive on Zanzibar. Many of them are sick, injured or starving. And every year there are more, because without neutering the animals multiply uncontrollably.
Behind the dream beaches
Almost one in three people on Zanzibar lives below the poverty line. On the neighbouring island of Pemba it is more than one in two.
When there is barely enough for one’s own family, there is nothing left for sick and injured animals. Many simply cannot afford veterinary treatment.
Source: World Bank, Zanzibar Poverty Assessment (2015 data): 30.4% of people below the poverty line, 55% on Pemba.
150,000to200,000
stray dogs live on the island, and every year there are more
500,000to1,000,000
stray cats live on the island, most of them without any care
1to5
accidents involving dogs or cats happen every day in busy traffic areas
20to40
animals die every day from road accidents, illness or abuse
The biggest problem: there are hardly any shelters and hardly any veterinary care for these animals. The few facilities that exist are nowhere near enough. And in a place where many people lack even the basics, the animals are completely on their own.
With your donation we can change that.
02Our mission
Untreated wounds, hunger and neglect are part of everyday life for many animals on Zanzibar. Almost one in three people on the island lives below the poverty line, so there is little left for animals. There is no medical care and no safe place where they can recover. We want to change that. Together with Zanzibar Animal Care we help directly on site: with treatment, neutering and education. And we work on solutions that will still hold in many years to come.
03How it all began
01 The wish
Makame, a vet on Zanzibar and founder of Zanzibar Animal Care, had one big wish: a place where sick, injured and abandoned animals are no longer left to fend for themselves.
02 The reality
But many people on Zanzibar have only limited financial means. Building a clinic with a shelter was almost impossible for a single helper on site, however great the need.
03 Moyo
In September 2024 Sina, now chair of Rescue Paws of Zanzibar, discovered an injured, frightened cat at her hotel. It couldn't be caught. Sina shared its story online and, while looking for help, met Makame. A year later two travellers rescued the cat and named it Moyo, Swahili for “heart”. Today Moyo lives at the shelter. It all began with Moyo.
04 The community
Back in Germany, Sina decided to help. Not alone, but together with her community. Many people donated, shared and helped. That is how Rescue Paws of Zanzibar came about, and how a real place came to be.
Sina
Chair, Rescue Paws of Zanzibar e. V.
Germany
Makame
Founder and head, Zanzibar Animal Care (Zacare)
Zanzibar
In cooperation withZanzibar Animal Carezanzibaranimalcare.com ↗
The people behind it
Two organisations, one shared task. Rescue Paws of Zanzibar e. V. gathers support in Germany. The team of Zanzibar Animal Care cares for the animals on site every day.
Rescue Paws of Zanzibar e. V.
Germany
The non-profit association organises donations, sponsorships and campaigns and keeps the community connected.
Zanzibar Animal Care (Zacare)
Zanzibar
The team on site is there for the animals every day: in the clinic, at the shelter and in emergencies.
04The clinic
In Kidoti, in the north of Zanzibar, a shelter with an integrated veterinary clinic has been built by Zanzibar Animal Care with the support of Rescue Paws and the community. The photos show the journey from an empty plot to today, exactly as it was documented.
13 Oct 2024
The land is surveyed, the materials are delivered and the first stones are laid.
15 Oct 2024
The first rows of stone are laid. An idea becomes a foundation.
17 Oct 2024
Row by row, the walls are rising.
Construction
The roof structure is up and the interiors are taking shape.
30 Mar 2026
The enclosures are installed so the animals get a safe home.
16 Apr 2026
The first cats have moved in and finally have a protected place.
20 Sep 2026
This is the site in September 2026. A lot already stands, the second staff house is still under construction. Now it is above all about caring for the animals every day.
What we have already achieved
Step by step, the community and the team of Zanzibar Animal Care have created real buildings in Kidoti. Most of it already stands, the second staff house is still under construction:
All of this has already been built together.
01 Office & clinic
02 Dog house
03 Cat and quarantine house, next to it the finished staff house
04 The second staff house, still under construction
Project in March 2026
Without neutering, stray cats and dogs multiply uncontrollably. With every litter the number of animals who have to live on the street without care grows. Neutering tackles the root cause.
From 9 to 12 March 2026, dogs and cats were neutered free of charge in cooperation with Tajdo and Zanzibar Animal Care. At the same time the animals received basic medical treatment. The goal: to help stray animals and local pet owners alike.
Campaigns like this only happen thanks to your donations.
05Our animals
Every rescue has a story. Moyo, where it all began, and three of the shelter's very first cats: the photos show how they were found and how they are doing today.
Not every animal is looking for a new home. Older cats in particular, and cats that have been with us for a long time, feel at home at the shelter. Rehoming them somewhere else would not do them any good. We take care of them, and they stay with us. That is sustainable animal welfare too.
Some cats we also return to the street. That is never easy. We can't save them all, but we do our very best.
More animals will be introduced soon.
Together with the team on site we will introduce the other animals at the shelter, one by one.
A safe home
Lying in the garden, sleeping in the sun, stretching out on the cool tiles, waiting at the door for the morning. For many of these cats this was unthinkable before.
Donations don't just build buildings. They create a place where animals can live safely.
What running the shelter costs
A shelter does not run on buildings alone. Every month there are running costs. Rescue Paws and Zanzibar Animal Care live on donations.
around
€3,000
every month
That is roughly what we currently need to keep the shelter running and the animals cared for. The amount changes with the number of animals.
That works out at around €100 every single day.
Found an animal that needs help?
Please contact us. If you bring an animal to us, we would be very grateful if you could also contribute to the costs, as far as you are able. Our shelter is funded entirely by donations, and every additional animal means further costs: for the veterinary examination, medicines, treatment, food, housing, vaccinations and neutering where needed, and long-term care.
Get in touch
Your support helps with:
06Volunteer on Zanzibar
You can combine your stay on Zanzibar with meaningful work for animals. Go on holiday, explore the island, stay at a hotel and help out at the shelter in the mornings or whenever it suits: feeding, cleaning, playing, going for walks. Since Maren, our very first volunteer, others have done exactly that.
01 Cleaning in the morning
02 Helping with care
03 Out with the dogs
04 Maren and Makame
Flight sponsors
Flying home from Zanzibar? Perhaps you can help as a flight sponsor and give a cat the chance to reach its new home. That is how Chrissy accompanied Paka to his family in Germany.
07Support our work
Every contribution helps, big or small. The clinic, cat house and dog house already stand, built together, and a second staff house is under construction. For this place to be there for the animals every day, it still needs people who help: for food, veterinary care, medicines, electricity, the team on site and the emergencies that come every week.
Partners and supporters
New rescues, new animals and everything happening at the shelter appear on Instagram first. Follow us and you will always be close to it all.
Follow @rescuepawsofzanzibar09FAQ
In Kidoti, in the north of Zanzibar. That is where the shelter with its integrated veterinary clinic stands today, where sick and injured animals receive care.
No. Zanzibar Animal Care (Zacare) is a local organisation founded and led by Makame. Rescue Paws of Zanzibar is a registered association in Germany and supports Zacare: first in building the shelter with its veterinary clinic, today with the ongoing care of the animals.
For the animals’ medical care and for the further development of the shelter with its veterinary clinic in Kidoti. Every donation helps treat sick and injured animals and give them a safe place.
In September 2024 Sina discovered an injured, frightened cat at her hotel on Zanzibar and, while looking for help, met Makame. The cat couldn't be caught back then, so Sina shared its story online. About a year later two travellers rescued it and named it Moyo, Swahili for “heart”. Today Moyo lives at the shelter.
In the news section of this website and on Instagram at @rescuepawsofzanzibar, where we regularly show what is happening at the shelter.
Together for a better future
Every rescued animal is a new beginning. Help us give the cats and dogs of Zanzibar a safe future.
