A Mexican politician has launched a “reto peek” campaign to combine animal welfare and the human desire to lose weight.
The challenge gets its name from the Yucatec-Mayan word peek, or dog.
Sen. Ramírez Marín launched the challenge by promising that he would donate one kilogram of dog or cat food for every documented kilogram of weight lost by each participant in the challenge.
So far over 700 people have taken the senator up on his offer.
The Evolución Animal shelter was one of the first to receive donations from the senator’s peek challenge. To date, 70 bags containing 25 kilograms of animal food each have been delivered. According to staff, the food will help keep the stomachs of 350 dogs and cats full for a couple of weeks.
“It is very gratifying to see places like these so dedicated to animal welfare. These types of actions stand in stark contrast to the inaction we see from government officials. This shelter does not get a cent from the government, they have managed to build all of this completely through the work of volunteers,” said Marín during a tour of Evolución.
Last month, the PRI politician announced his intention to run for mayor in Mérida’s upcoming June election.
