As millions of pilgrims prepare to converge on the Basilica of Guadalupe this week, Mexico City officials have launched Operation Pilgrim Dog 2025 to rescue and care for the dozens of stray animals they expect to find around Tepeyac Hill.
Last year, nearly 12 million pilgrims visited the shrine on and around Dec. 12 — the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (aka the Virgin Mary), one of the biggest dates on Mexico’s Catholic calendar.
Rescuers found 68 abandoned dogs near the Basilica in 2024, according to the news outlet N+, while Mexico City’s Animal Care Agency (AGATAN) reported rescuing 150 animals throughout the capital around last year’s festivities, including 15 in critical condition.
Most of the dogs were already strays that had attached themselves to pilgrims on the road, then ended up in the Basilica area, got separated and started forming packs, according to N+.
However, some of the dogs were also owned by families that left them behind because of transportation limits or neglect, officials noted.
Ana Villagrán, head of AGATAN, said her office has coordinated with all 16 boroughs to provide shelter and food for those dogs this year.
“I already have a network in place with all the animal welfare officials in every district,” Villagrán told the newspaper El Sol de México.
Operation Pilgrim Dog 2025 invites citizens and organizations to volunteer, donate supplies and offer temporary homes.
About 50 volunteers have already signed up to assist this week at the Basilica with veterinary care, feeding and adoptions.
“We are witnessing an act of faith and human migration involving millions of people, and with them come dogs seeking food, a family and help,” Villagrán said in the digital news outlet Animal Político.
The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe this year marks the 494th anniversary of the purported apparition of the Virgin on Tepeyac Hill, located near the Basilica site. Juan Diego, an Indigenous convert to Catholicism, is said to have seen the Virgin Mary appear as Guadalupe on four occasions in December 1531.
An estimated 11 to 13 million pilgrims are expected to visit the Basilica this year, following more than 11 million last year, according to estimates from the National Chamber of Commerce (CanacoANACO).
The chamber is estimating that the pilgrims will generate 1.724 billion pesos (US $94.8 million) in economic activity, a 5.9% increase over last year.
With reports from Animal Político and El Sol de México
