Rescue Flight Brings Supplies to Puerto Rico and Returns with 110 Pets Saved from ‘Deplorable’ Conditions

• The Sato Project and Wings of Rescue partnered to transport over 100 adoptable dogs and cats from Puerto Rico to the U.S.
• Puerto Rico has an estimated 650,000 stray dogs, and many canines have been subjected to neglect due to homeless pet overpopulation
• The animals traveled from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Morristown, N.J., on Saturday, April 26

Hundreds of stray dogs and cats left behind in Puerto Rico have gotten a new lease on life!

The Sato Project, which rescues the abused and abandoned dogs of Puerto Rico, teamed up with Wings of Rescue to fly 110 dogs and cats living in “deplorable” and “heartbreaking conditions” from Puerto Rico to New Jersey to be adopted, according to a release from The Sato Project.

The two organizations enacted their plan on Thursday, April 24, by flying “1,500 lbs. of supplies” from Morristown, N.J. to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On the return flight on Saturday, April 26, the team brought the 110 homeless pets rescued from the streets of Puerto Pico to New Jersey to begin their adoption journeys.

The Sato Project noted in a press release that there are an estimated 650,000 stray dogs — known locally as “satos” — that roam Puerto Rico, and that due to the overpopulation pet problem, the homeless animals often face neglect and abuse. The nonprofit said that recent reports have shown a rise in “poisonings and shootings” of stray dogs in Puerto Rico, and “various municipalities have been in talks over contracts for mass euthanasia.”

According to the Sato Project, many injured and dead dogs are found on Puerto Rico’s Playa Lucia, which has earned the area the nickname Dead Dog Beach. The organization frequently visits this site to rescue stray dogs, evaluate them for medical rehabilitation, socialize them, and teach them basic behavioral commands to be ready for adoption.

“I had no idea this situation existed down there, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” recalled Baywatch star and Wings of Rescue volunteer, David Chokachi. “This specific mission was probably one of the most heartbreaking and rewarding experiences of my life.”

All the pets picked for the recent rescue flight were prepped for a flight in a “fully pressurized and temperature-controlled twin-engine turboprop aircraft. In the plane the animals were kept in secure crates with “access to water.” The organization noted that before the flight, all the pet passengers cleared “strict medical and travel protocols and requirements.”

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“When we landed and finally opened the hatch, a giant roar went out through the crowd with clapping and emotion. Seeing the excitement in the families’ eyes, and the kids realizing they were about to get their new dogs, my heart cracked open with love,” Chokachi recalled. 

Photos shared with PEOPLE from the flight show rescuers bringing the crates filled with the animals off the plane, where comforting volunteers met them. Others met their adoptive family on the tarmac and started their new lives as beloved pets right away.

The Sato Project said it has rescued and flown more than 8,000 dogs from Puerto Rico into new homes since 2011. Wings of Rescue has flown 36 missions this year to rescue pets from dire circumstances. 

“We will always be a rescue. And we were honored to partner with Wings of Rescue to place these satos with their new forever families after a long period of rehabilitation in our care,” said Chrissy Beckles, the Founder and President of The Sato Project.

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