Puerto Morelos Breaks Ground on First Animal Welfare Center

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz broke ground Wednesday on the municipality’s first Animal Welfare Center, a project she said reflects a commitment to building a more responsible, humane and animal-friendly community.

“Today we are not just starting construction on a piece of physical infrastructure; we are building a responsible and humane response to a reality that worries us and occupies us: the existence of dogs and cats in situations of abandonment, abuse or vulnerability,” the mayor said.

The facility will be built in two phases. The first, which begins this year, involves an investment of 6 million pesos and will be built on municipal land. The second phase is scheduled for 2027 and will complete the center.

The center will provide veterinary care, temporary shelter, sterilization, vaccination and recovery services, while also promoting responsible adoption and preventive actions against zoonotic diseases, Muñoz said.

“Because when we talk about animal welfare, we also talk about public health, prevention and social responsibility. In 2027, we will be delivering this great work as another ‘Palabra Cumplida’ (kept promise), on the way to the end of the administration. Today we place a first stone, very symbolic but also significant,” she added.

Public Works Secretary Mario Salinas Castro said the first phase includes 277 square meters of specialized, modern infrastructure. The single-story building will feature preventive medicine examination rooms, an operating room, a post-operative recovery area, spaces for sterilization and vaccination campaigns, reception, administrative offices, services and an outdoor recreation area for training, exercise and preparation for adoption.

“Today we begin a work of empathy and justice that transforms our municipality. With the placement of this first foundation stone, we set in motion the new Animal Welfare Center of Puerto Morelos. We are not only placing a first stone; today we lay the foundations of a new culture in Puerto Morelos, a culture where protecting, caring for and respecting also means a healthier, safer and more humane community,” Salinas Castro said.

Construction will begin with site layout, land leveling, excavation and foundation preparation. The structure will have a mixed foundation of masonry and isolated footings, along with structural elements to ensure safety, quality and functionality, he added. Subsequent work will include walls and slabs, hydraulic and sanitary networks, finishes, flooring and doors until all areas of the center are operational.

Officials attending the ceremony included Romina Solorio Espinoza, president of the Children’s Council; Keitany Franco Rodríguez, child council member; Gerardo Rosas García, Secretary of Environment, Animal Welfare and Sustainable Mobility; Víctor Aragón, director of the Municipal Planning Institute (IMPLAN); and Leonel Salazar Trejo, Secretary of Public Services.