CITY SUPPORT DURING A TIME OF CRISIS
As a welfare hospital , sterilisation is an import part of our work . It not only prevents the cruelty that results from the birth of unwanted puppies and kittens , but it also reduces the burden on the SPCA by humanely controlling the pet populations , prevents animals from straying and being knocked over by cars , prevents male on male aggression when competing for a mate and it reduces and eliminates several animal health problems that require expensive treatments . With this in mind , we remain strong advocates for sterilisation and sterilised 6 974 animals during the past year . But this isn ’ t enough because while each sterilisation done makes a valuable contribution to the quality of life for each individual animal , sterilisation is most effective when it is done on a large , area-specific scale within one breeding cycle and with a predetermined goal in mind .
Despite the challenges of the pandemic , The City of Cape Town once again made R726 165.00 available for the sterilisation of 1 500 animals within the underprivileged community of Tafelsig . As project managers , the Cape of Good Hope SPCA worked with partner members of the Cape Animal Welfare Forum to ensure that the objectives of the project i . e . to sterilise 70 % of the intact pet population within one breeding cycle , could be realised . By early November 2020 , 1 197 pets from the Tafelsig area had already been sterilised . The project is on track to end with 1500 sterilisations by January 2020 .
The City also made R500 000.00 available to CAWF for the purchase of cat and dog food and we couldn ’ t be more thankful for animal-loving leadership ! Lionel ’ s Choice Dog Food joined forces with The City to bring some much-needed relief to our SPCA and other animal welfare organisations in need ! This very generous gift , which could not have come at a better time , went a long way towards helping us care for our animals - both onsite and in the communities we serve .
SPCA veterinarians sterilising animals from the Tafelsig community
In partnership with Lionel ’ s Choice , the City donated food to the SPCA and other shelters in need
Field Officer Junior Komani checks on animal health prior to admission for sterilisation
FOOTPRINTS 2020 39