There are more than 12 million homeless dogs and cats struggling to survive on the streets of Peru. They dodge traffic, survive on scraps, and often suffer from painful illnesses. Every new litter of kittens and puppies means more animals born into a community without the resources to care for them.But one devoted PETA volunteer, Maru Vigo, and her small but mighty team, Voluntarios de PETA en Lima, are working tirelessly to help limit Peru’s animal overpopulation crisis, one snip at a time.

How One Person Can Make a Huge Impact for Animals

Since 2014, she has personally coordinated every detail of these spay/neuter clinics since they began in 2014. From securing veterinary teams to rallying volunteers and educating guardians, Maru does it all. Their massively successful sterilization clinics have ensured that 2,577 dogs and cats—and their potential offspring—won’t be contributing to the animal overpopulation crisis.

At the most recent clinic, held on Feb 8, 2026, 35 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered. Each patient was carefully operated on, wrapped in a post-surgery belly guard, given time to recover under the watchful eyes of veterinarians, tattooed, and given post-operatory medications, and received a wellness check the next day.

Spaying and neutering make a huge difference: Just one unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years. In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce 370,000 kittens! In just one day, Vigo and her team helped prevent an estimated 2,345,000 animals born into homelessness.

You Can Help Make a Big Difference With a Small Donation

Pop-up clinics like these across Latin America reduce suffering for generations. Every spay or neuter surgery means fewer animals are born into hunger, disease, and neglect. Your gift to PETA’s Global Compassion Fund makes this life-changing work possible.