Animal advocate shares her journey
With Women's Month drawing to a close, the City Times speaks to Farrarmere resident and Farm Animal Protection Unit manager
Advocating for abused farm animals, carrying out inspections and attending meetings with industry role players throughout South Africa all form part of Grace de Lange’s work day.
The Farrarmere resident is a dedicated National Council of SPCA manager at their Farm Animal Protection Unit.
She is a skilled animal lover who lives and breathes her job.
The unit deals with taking action at facilities where animals are farmed, bred, housed, handled, transported or slaughtered, such as intensive and small-scale farms, pounds, abattoirs, sale yards, hatcheries, prisons and agricultural facilities.
Grace joined the SPCA in 2005 after she complained about her neighbours’ dogs with the Highveld Ridge SPCA in Secunda.
“After I laid my complaint, I was told that it was a by-law issue and not an SPCA issue.
“I responded by saying that I don’t think as a society they were proactive and one of the staff members challenged me to come and work so that I can get a better understanding of what they deal with.
“I did and have never looked back,” said Grace.
According to her, to succeed in animal welfare, you need to have a passion for animals because they don’t have voices.
One of the challenges Grace has come across in her line of work as a woman is the threats she receives from men who try to bully her.
“I stand my ground respectably and professionally while putting my point across in these situations,” she said.
She explained that before the NSPCA prosecutes they educate because most people don’t know that what they are doing to animals is against the law.
“For example, we explain to farmers that we are not opposed to farming but everything that they do needs to be done in a humane way and in terms of animal protection laws.”
Another challenge she pointed out is the injustice of the prosecution of perpetrators as some courts don’t regard animal cruelty as a serious offence.
The NSPCA’s Farm Animal Protection Unit, which is comprised of five qualified inspectors, responds to complaints from all parts of the country.
“I have seen over the years that people have a different perception when it comes to domestic and farm animals. They believe you need to take care of a dog but not a sheep, for example, which is why education is so important.”
The mother of two said before she was promoted to manager of the unit she used to be on the road a lot of the time, which put a strain on her personal life.
“When my two children were young, I would sometimes miss their rugby matches, concerts and other school commitments because of work,” Grace said.
In 2015, she received the Medal of Heroism Award for her unwavering commitment to her work.
A success never far from the mind is the raid of farms where she and her team put a stop to force-feeding of ducks and geese.
“For me, success is making a difference on the specific farm we go to,” said Grace.
She encouraged the public to support their local SPCA so that they can continue protecting all animals.
“Don’t give up on your dreams. Go out there and make a difference.”
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