Two animal welfare organizations recently teamed up to deliver veterinary and other supplies to Puerto Rico, then returned to the mainland, flying 110 animals to their new homes in New Jersey.
Over the weekend of April 25, 2025, the non-profit The Sato Project collaborated with Wings of Rescue to drop off 1,500 pounds of supplies in Puerto Rico and fly 110 rescued animals back to the mainland U.S. for adoption.
Based in Puerto Rico, The Sato Project has been rescuing abused and abandoned dogs for 14 years, placing more than 8,000 dogs into adoptive homes on the island and throughout the Northeast.
Despite only being roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, Puerto Rico is home to an estimated 650,000 stray dogs — known locally as “satos.” In response to the overwhelming population surge seen on the island, in November 2023, The Sato Project launched its spay/neuter and vaccination program, Operation Sato. Since its inception, the program has treated more than 4,200 dogs.
Wings of Rescue, also a non-profit, is a pet transport operation that has already flown 36 missions this year, all full of rescue pets.
Aboard the aircraft acting as flight crew was David Chokachi, star of the television series Baywatch, who regularly volunteers with Wings of Rescue.
“I had no idea this situation existed and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. This specific mission was probably one of the most heartbreaking and rewarding experiences of my life. 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.”
Thanks to a fundraising campaign matched by The RTA Store, The Sato Project was able to raise enough money to cover two flights over the course of two days.
The first leg of the flight delivered 1,500 pounds of supplies into San Juan on April 25, which included crates, an autoclave machine for sterilizing instruments used in the Operation Sato spay/neuter clinics, vaccines and preventative medications donated by Greater Good Charities to halt the transmission of communicable disease, toys donated by BARK, dog beds donated by Kuranda, and cleaning products donated by Alpha Teach Pet.
Later, despite sudden pouring rain at midnight as The Sato Project began preparations for the return flight, all 110 dogs and cats were safely loaded on board and flown through the night to land at Morristown Municipal Airport (KMMU) the morning of April 26, where dozens of fosters, adopters, and rescue partners were present to receive their animals, officials reported.
Several of the dogs on board were “No Dog Left Behind” cases: The Sato Project routinely offers spots on their flights to already-owned dogs that have been displaced from their families due to restrictive and expensive commercial airline protocols for animal traveling between Puerto Rico and the mainland U.S. The mood in the airport hangar was emotional, as families were made whole, both with the arrival of new furry household members, and the reunification of long yearned-for displaced pets.
Beckles stresses that though these flights are impressive and heartwarming, they are not the sole focus of The Sato Project. Part of her motivation to prioritize spay/neuter/vaccination alongside adoptions comes from recent reports that mounting frustration with the overpopulation crisis has led to the poisoning of strays by locals in Puerto Rico.
“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. But there are two solutions to this crisis: Mass euthanasia or mass spay/neuter/vaccines. We chose years ago the side of history that we were going to be on. The right side. The humane side.”
For more information: TheSatoProject.org, WingsOfRescue.org
