COVID-19 has cost many people their lives and livelihoods. And while this direct impact of the relentless pandemic is undoubtedly tragic, it has had equally dreadful secondary repercussions for the country’s animal rescue organisations.

ALSO READ: Animal rescue NPO closes doors due to funding

Not only have many of them also suffered financial losses they have also been bashed with a sudden and massive surge of abandoned and homeless pets.

“With people losing their jobs and homes, and passing away animals are also suffering big time,” explained Tracy Hartley of the Feral Cat Rescue Trust.

“We have been extremely busy this kitten season. It is the worst I’ve seen in my 20 years of rescue. We get requests every day from people expecting us to home their unwanted pets and unwanted kittens, and the dumping is worse than ever,” added the uMhlanga resident.

One of these unfortunate animals is an adult cat (approximately one year old) that has been seen hanging around the Umhlanga resort.

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As the feline is extremely friendly, loving and in good condition Harley is convinced she is not a feral. With no tag and no microchip Hartley turned to social media in the hopes of tracking down the cat’s owner.

“I thought maybe her owner was on holiday and the sitter didn’t know where to look, but two weeks later, no one has claimed her,” she said.

“She is so beautiful, and we are truly hoping that we can reunite her with her owner,” said Hartley. Contact Tracy Hartley on 082 786 7269.    

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.  

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