Only tears for No More Tears this past festive season

No More Tears Animal Rescue had several animals in need of assistance during the festive season.

Clarisse Kruger, a volunteer at the animal shelter explained, “It was a rough time for many animal organisations this festive season. In our community and surrounding communities, there were numerous cases of animals going missing, including animals going into other people’s yards to take shelter from fireworks and then being bitten by dogs, animals escaping yards and running around in the streets, animals that got stuck in fences due to their distress and animals that have unfortunately just been dropped off on the side of a road and left abandoned.”

She noted they had numerous cases of both animals that ran away in distress and animals that were dumped. Luckily members of the public helped out by communicating on social media as well as driving around in the streets looking for lost animals and offering temporary medical assistance. Some residents even offered their homes to keep animals safe until their owners could be found.

The animals that were networked on the WhatsApp group they are a part of were luckily all found, the issue of dumped animals, however, remains.

Some of the animals needed medical attention, especially those that went into yards to escape the fireworks and were bitten by other dogs.

Clarisse mentioned their first step when finding the animals is to get them safely to foster care or in a shelter to keep them safe before networking starts to find the owners. She added since many people are on holiday and have people looking after their animals, it takes a bit longer to track the owners down. If the owners don’t claim these animals they will then be available for adoption.

“This has a very big impact on us and other animal organisations in the area. There are numerous cases and our goal is to try to help everyone. These past two weeks it has been one case after another of animals needing help. Many of these were due to fireworks and people unloading and abandoning their animals. The expenses are very high, but we believe that every animal deserves a second chance and should be helped. We are however dependent on donations from the community,” said Clarisse.

She added the number of animals in need grows every year. For 2025 they hope to create more awareness regarding fireworks to keep the animals of Randfontein safe and prevent injuries and loss.

“For 2025 we are asking the community to get involved in our organisation, whether with sponsorships, donations, or just to be a volunteer and come and spend time with our animals. The kennels are also overcrowded and if there are people who can serve as a foster home or people who would like to adopt an animal, feel free to contact us. We would appreciate it,” she stated.

No More Tears Animal Rescue can be contacted on 084 433 7748.