Cuba's Humane HIstory

Cuba’s Humane History

Jeannette Ryder was an American doctor’s wife who moved to Cuba and founded El Bando de Piedad de la Isla de Cuba (The Cuban Group for Compassion) in 1905. Originally she worked for alleviating the problems of humans and animals, but eventually she focused on the protection of animals, notably militating against bullfights and rescuing strays from the streets. El Bando de Piedad worked tirelessly for animal welfare until Jeannette’s death in 1931. She is remembered today in Cuba as the mother of Cuba’s humane movement. A Cuban airmail stamp was issued in her honor in 1957.

Today, Ryder’s gravesite is a must-see point of interest in Havana’s huge Colón Cemetery, where it is known as La Tumba de la Lealdad (the tomb of loyalty). The grave is covered with a beautiful sculpture of Jeannette lying peacefully, while curled at her feet, lies Rinti, her faithful dog, who, at her passing, found her grave and lied there refusing food and water until he also died. Fernando Boarda did the sculpture in 1944, thus immortalizing Ryder’s lifetime of work for the animals.

Aniplant (Asociación Cubana para la Protección de Animales y Plantas) is the modern day successor to El Bando de Piedad , having organized in 1986 under the then new Cuban law #54. Aniplant is the only organization doing animal protection work permitted in Cuba. Originators of Aniplant included Alicia Alonso, world famous ballerina, and María Alvarez Ríos, nationally famous singer and author. (María is Nora García’s adoptive mother.)

Nora García began her work in Aniplant as Secretary of the organization, after having pursued her interest in animals since childhood. In 1992 she was named President of Aniplant, and there began a notable expansion of the organization’s work. Today, Aniplant, under Nora’s leadership, spays or neuters more than 2000 animals per year, disseminates humane education through two weekly radio shows and a television show., aids dog and cat refuges, and promotes adoption of dogs and cats. Nora is known throughout Havana, and she is constantly stopped on the street to answer questions about people’s pets.

Aniplant is embarking on an expansion program, and in the last few months has absorbed an informal local group in Varadero, Cuba’s beach playground to the east of Havana. Look for other such mergers as time goes on.

When I started researching the humane movement in Cuba, I was struck by the parallels between Jeannette Ryder and Nora García and between El Bando and Aniplant. Both leaders—indeed both organizations—were driven by a need to help the animals who suffered through ignorance, neglect, or fate. Today’s Aniplant is the modern image of El Bando de la Piedad, and Nora is surely the reincarnation of Jeannette Ryder.

The animals of Cuba owe much to these two remarkable women whose work inspires us.

Les Inglis