shelter spotlight
TEARS: from a bucket to a lifeline
TEARS has transformed animal welfare in Cape Town’ s most vulnerable communities – turning heartbreak into hope and compassion into lasting, life-saving change.
In the late 1990s, Marilyn Hoole, Joan Bown and Emma Geary-Cooke were working in Masiphumelele, offering general healthcare to animals.
“ Venturing into Masiphumelele in 1998 and seeing the terrible suffering of the animals was unimaginably shocking,” recalls Marilyn Hoole, Director and Co- Founder of TEARS.“ Many were skeletal, just like their owners, who had relocated from the Eastern Cape and were living in shacks in abject poverty.”
A dream born from heartbreak
“ The main cause of the distress was poverty and ignorance. Something had to be done, and we made it our mission to dedicate our lives to making a difference. But before that vision could take shape, Emma was tragically killed in a car accident. Marilyn and Joan resolved to honour her dream. So, in 1999, The Emma Animal Rescue Society( TEARS) was born.
“ To enable us to help the residents and animals there, we needed funding for sterilisations, primary healthcare and food,” Marilyn says.“ We also needed an office and premises where we could house the many unwanted dogs and cats.” Logistics presented another problem.“ We were working in
Masiphumelele, but our our vets were in Bergvliet( 25km away), our office was in Muizenberg, and the kennels we were able to rent were in Ottery, also about 25km from Masiphumelele.”
The team quickly realised that sterilisation had to be their primary focus to prevent overwhelming
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