Stray animals on Curacao: A Look at Pippi’s Opvang

by Pamela Núñez on May 22, 2025

Curaçao is a beautiful island with a rich culture, beautiful beaches and friendly people. But those who spend a little longer on the island will also notice another painful aspect: the large number of stray animals. Dogs, cats and other animals are often abandoned, unsterilized or simply left to fend for themselves. Fortunately, there are dedicated people and organizations dedicated to giving these animals a second chance. One such place is Pippi’s Opvang.

What is Pippi’s Opvang?

Run by Tamara, Pippi’s Opvang is a small-scale, loving shelter for rescued animals on Curaçao. What began as an animal lover’s personal commitment to a few helpless puppies has grown into a warm and safe home for 120 different animals. The shelter relies entirely on donations and volunteers and runs on dedication and love for animals.

Important goal

Pippi’s Opvang is all about compassion and responsibility. Tamara believes that every animal has the right to a safe, healthy and loving life. That is why she is committed to rescuing animals from the streets every day and giving them loving care, medical attention and a permanent home. Every day Tamara is busy from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. feeding all the animals, keeping all the enclosures clean and rescuing new animals.

What Makes Pippi’s Opvang Special?

• Small-scale and home-like setting: Instead of a large-scale shelter, Pippi’s Opvang is located on a residential farm, allowing the animals to recover in a warm and less stressful environment.
• Lifelong home for unplaceable animals: Not every animal is suitable for adoption. Pippi’s Opvang offers these animals a permanent, loving home where they may remain for the rest of their lives.
• Personal attention: Each animal receives the attention and care it needs to recover physically and mentally.
• Donation Programs: There are many ways to donate to Pippi’s Opvang. For example, you can make a donation, but you can also become an animal’s keeper on a walk-off.

How Can You Help?

Whether you live on the island, are on vacation or are on the other side of the world you can make a difference:

• Donate food, medication or money
• Become a remote owner
• Sponsor while shopping online
• Order items that Pipi’s Shelter really needs

Cura Doet

During Cura Doet 2025 Moret Real Estate seized the opportunity to help Pippi’s Opvang for a morning. In the process, we as a team repainted 2 doghouses so that they could be put to use. We also got a look behind the scenes where the animals were. We have a lot of admiration for Tamara and her volunteers how they help all the animals!

Visit Pippi’s Opvang on social media or the website to see how you can contribute. Because together we make sure that Curaçao is not only beautiful for people, but also for animals.