Rafael Memorial Fund

The Rafael Memorial Fund was established to honor Rafael’s remarkable rescue journey and to support the ongoing care of rescued equines living at the CAPE Animal Sanctuary. His story touched many hearts and has effected many lives beyond the CAPE pastures. Read more about Rafael below:

Rafael spent years enduring unimaginable suffering on the streets of Mexico. Forced to pull a crumbling cart day after day, Rafael was beaten, starved, and fed nothing more than scraps like tortillas and chips. The toll on his body was devastating: his ribs jutted out, his feet were bruised and damaged from pounding concrete, and deep scars etched his spine where chains had cut into his skin.

When a kind-hearted witness intervened during one of Rafael’s beatings, a rescue effort began. Thanks to your compassion and support, CAPE raised the funds needed to bring Rafael safely to our CAPE Animal Sanctuary. Monitored every step of the way by a dedicated veterinarian, Rafael arrived on September 27, 2015, greeted by loving hands, fresh food, and soft earth under his feet.

In the months that followed, Rafael began to heal. With proper veterinary care, a carefully managed diet, and custom soft-ride booties to ease his damaged hooves, he gained weight, his coat began to shine, and his spirit returned. He found a best friend in Billy, a CAPE rescued burro, and the two would run and play together in the pasture, moments that made our hearts soar.

Tragically, years of malnutrition had led to irreversible kidney disease, and despite every effort, Rafael’s health declined. On July 24, 2016, Rafael passed away peacefully, surrounded by the people who had come to love him dearly. He spent ten precious months at the CAPE Animal Sanctuary. Ten months filled with love, dignity, and freedom.