We are a non governmental, not-for-profit organisation, based in Austria, dedicated to supporting animal welfare and health in communities, through the development of sustainable street animal management programmes in areas where our work is needed the most.
Free-roaming cats and dogs face risks like disease, malnutrition, and harassment, while also causing public health and environmental issues. Limited resources and public pressure often drive authorities to adopt inhumane control measures. Efforts to restrict roaming, such as chaining or confinement, further harm animal welfare. Sustainable and humane solutions are urgently needed.
We envision communities where animals and human beings can live healthy and in harmony with each other and with the environment.
To provide veterinary care to street animals, raise awareness and support communities to responsibly care for their animals.
There is a small team behind CoVets work. No full-time workers.
Our small team of dedicated and passionate veterinary professionals, educators and animal lovers with diverse backgrounds and perspectives is united in our commitment to each community.
Herwig Zach is a veterinarian and co-founder of CoVets (initially named Bons Amigos, founded in July 2000). After studying veterinary medicine in Vienna, he met Henriette Wirtl, with whom he organized the first animal welfare campaign in Cabo Verde—a transformative experience for him.
He later co-founded the Bons Amigos association in Cabo Verde (2005) and served in various leadership roles, including treasurer in Austria and later chairman after Wirtl’s passing in 2009. He played a crucial role in rebranding the Austrian association to CoVets and supporting the independence of Bons Amigos in Cabo Verde.
Elisabeth (Liz) Zimmermann was a young landscape architect when participating in the very first campaign in Cabo Verde as a volunteer. She was fascinated by the work as well as by the life in Cabo Verde and was one of the co-founders of the association in Austria. She returned to participate in several campaigns and helped Henriette with various organisational tasks during campaigns and in Vienna. Since then she has stayed connected with the association and currently holds the role of secretary in the board. She is also active member of the association Delta Cultura Delta, who runs an education centre in Tarrafal, Cabo Verde and aims to eradicate poverty through education.
The veterinarian Barbara Reisch participated in the first campaign in Cabo Verde. She was impressed by the help for the suffering creature, was one of the co-founders of the association in Austria and decided immediately to return for a next campaign. She says about herself: „My childhood in the mountains of Tyrol gave me a very strong connection to nature and a great love for the animal world. Studying veterinary medicine took me to the east of Austria, where I have been running my own veterinary practice in rural Lower Austria for over 20 years with great joy. I will never forget my participation in the first two missions to Cape Verde.” Today she serves as treasurer of the association.
Lara graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lisbon in 2012.
Since 2016, she has worked in the field of animal health and welfare, in cat and dog population management and disease surveillance projects, with an increasing interest in Public Health and a One Health approach. Since 2019, she has dedicated her proficiency to Bons Amigos and CoVets in Cabo Verde.
Lara currently lives in Portugal and works as a freelance for CoVets. Together with the local partners, she is responsible for the remote co-ordination of campaigns and oversees the implementation of activities on the ground. She also provides communication and fundraising support, amongst other necessary tasks.
What she loves the most about this work is how the impact goes beyond improving animal health and welfare.
The community outreach projects result in a proximity to people and the continued interventions build up trusting relationships not only to the people in the communities but also to their animals.
Verónica graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Évora, Portugal.
In 2015, she had the opportunity to collaborate with the association on Santiago Island in Cabo Verde. For three and a half years, she worked in a community setting, promoting the health and welfare of animals, especially abandoned and/or mistreated ones. She participated in various deworming, neutering, and disease treatment campaigns, always striving to raise community awareness about the importance of animal care. This experience not only strengthened her skills as a vet but also taught her about empathy, resilience and the value of teamwork.
In 2019, she moved to Nacala, Mozambique, where she stayed for two and a half years. There, she worked with the Italian Association LVIA on the development of a book on goat management and provided support to several villages, raising awareness about animal care.
She currently lives on São Miguel Island, in Azores, where she is developing her project and works veterinary practices. The collaboration with CoVets allows her to continue her commitment to animal health and welfare.
Cristina has a degree in Early Years Education, a postgraduation in Family Mediation and a Veterinary Assistant Certificate. Her dream has always been to expand her work to focus on connecting children and animals. She believes that allowing children to grow up around companion animals will positively influence both their education, growth and well-being.
In 2023, she had the opportunity to join the CoVets team on a mission in Cabo Verde, where she participated in awareness-raising activities with the population and educational classes in schools. Additionally she provided support in preparing animals for surgical procedures and/or with treatment and post-surgery care. The experience, personal growth and cultural exchange left their mark on Cristina, who has since returned to Cabo Verde on other missions. Cristina currently lives on São Miguel Island, in the Azores, where she works at a veterinary practice. The collaboration with Covets allows her to combine animal welfare and educational and awarness-raising activities with children, which she finds most fulfilling.
Alice graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Lisbon in 2022. She is currently the President of VSF-Portugal (2023-2025) and is doing a Veterinary Public Health Residency at the Ohio State University, in the USA
Collaboration with CoVets provided Alice with significant personal and professional growth. Since 2019, she has participated in multiple population management campaigns in Cabo Verde, first as a volunteer and intern and later as a collaborator. During the campaigns she participated in a number of roles, from surgical work to raising awareness of animal welfare issues and conducting surveys. Along the way, she met extraordinary people that taught her a lot of valuable skills, including problem solving, teamwork and cultural sensitivity.
According to Alice, the work CoVets does has undoubtedly made a meaningful impact on her life, just as it has positively affected Cabo Verdean communities and their animal populations.
Sarah currently practices as a small animal vet in Austria, focussing general animal medicine and osteopathy in her professional life.
During her final year of studies, in 2019, she joined the team in Cabo Verde for an internship.
She stepped into the world of animal welfare providing medical care for stray animals and since then Sarah has worked with campaigns on different islands of Cabo Verde, helping with organisational tasks from Austria and trying to support the CoVets wherever she could.
“I am convinced that every living being is entitled to a good life and this work is my small contribution to this belief”
2023 and 2024 had been years of transformation for CoVets (previously Bons Amigos from Austria). We began the process of finding a name, creating a new logo and establishing our own identity, so as to better reflect our new strategy, which is to take animal health into the communities we work with. We are now CoVets – Community Veterinarians.
Covets continues to work in Cabo Verde, and in 2023 we inaugurated a project in Azores, Portugal. According to our new strategy, CoVets can work in any geographic region where our support is needed, provided there is collaboration with the relevant local authorities and a commitment to continuous, sustainable and long-term interventions.
Today, we feel that there is greater knowledge, better guidelines and more tools to improve animal welfare and health. The challenge, however, remains immense. In 2025, the association will celebrate 25 years of activity, with much pride in what we have achieved.
She returned to her homeland, Austria, troubled by the general neglect of street animals and the lack of professional veterinary care.
Together with a team of veterinarians and volunteers led by Dr. Herwig Zach, Henriette came back to Cabo Verde for the first castration campaign ever organised in the country.
The group present in the first castration campaign in Cape Verde founded the association Bons Amigos (“Good Friends”) in Austria. This same group returned to the island numerous times thereafter.
The Austrian team, together with a local group they trained in animal care, registered the Associação Bons Amigos in Cabo Verde. From 2005 to 2022 the international organisation worked closely with the organisation from Cabo Verde, organising and implementing all the activities together.
In the first few years, a facility in Ponta D’água (a district in Praia city) was used to offer more permanent first aid care for animals.
Sadly Henriette passed away, and Herwig who was already involved since the first day, got more involved and became the President of Bons Amigos in Austria, enabling the project to continue.
A veterinary centre was inaugurated in Achada Grande Trás (a district in Praia city), built with national and international support.
The association in Cabo Verde grew and given the desire to diversify its areas of intervention and the need to respond to new challenges, it was decided that Bons Amigos Cabo Verde and Bons Amigos Austria would start working independently from the beginning of 2023.
We may have a new face, but the essence of our work remains unchanged. Henriette and the first team’s commitment to improving animal health and welfare in the most needed areas continues to inspire CoVets’ work today.
