Peruvian businesswoman and television personality Alejandra Baigorria has denied any connection to a pet shelter in Chaclacayo, on the outskirts of Lima, after neighbors accused the facility of abandoning rescued dogs and cats.
The complaint surfaced on the program Magaly TV, la firme, hosted by Magaly Medina, which broadcast a report showing the conditions inside the shelter along with testimonies from residents who raised concerns about the animals kept there.
After the report aired, Baigorria's name became linked to the case, prompting her to respond publicly and distance herself from the property.
Two different shelters, she says
Baigorria clarified that the shelter shown in the program is not the one she has supported. She said her own shelter is located in San Martin de Porres, near the Naranjal traffic circle, and is already finished, meeting the conditions needed to house animals.
She said it should be investigated why people were using her name when she had nothing to do with the Chaclacayo property, referring to those who appeared linked to the complaint. Her comment was meant to draw a line between the project she backed and the establishment shown on Magaly Medina's program.
The case also reached Sergio Baigorria, the businesswoman's father, who serves as a mayor and was named during the complaint.
Baigorria, widely known in Peru by the nickname "Gringa de Gamarra," a reference to Gamarra, one of Lima's largest garment and commercial districts, is a businesswoman and television personality who has also spoken publicly in the past about her finances with her husband, Said Palao.
"Am I a politician?"
Baigorria questioned why she was being held responsible for a situation she said was not hers. She asked whether she was a politician and whether she had an obligation to help every shelter in Lima, answering that she did not, in response to the calls for explanations that followed the report.
"They have not contacted me"
One of Baigorria's central arguments was that there are two different shelters and that the one she supports is not in Chaclacayo.
She said none of the people responsible for the Chaclacayo shelter had contacted her directly to ask for support before the report aired. She explained that had she received a formal request, she would have considered helping.
She said that if they had written to her and sent a document, a request, telling her they needed help, she would gladly have provided it. She added that she never received any document or prior communication about the needs of the Chaclacayo establishment.
She stressed that nothing had been sent to her, nothing had been requested of her, and no one had contacted her.
