Rivonia woman to climb Mount Toubkal for Sandton SPCA

Rivonia based Vicky Tu is set to climb Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest mountain, in order to raise money for the Sandton SPCA.

The 37-year-old will be climbing the mountain for the first time between March 30 and April 1, eyeing to finish the 4 167m Moroccan peak, and joined by Kusudi La, a non-profit organisation that organises adventures for a purpose.

When Tu first considered this idea, she was looking for something to motivate her to exercise more often, but it has evolved into a journey of giving back. “My friend showed me the briefing pack for the Mount Toubkal climb and I decided that I would make that my goal to motivate me to exercise. I choose Mount Toubkal as there was already a climb planned for it. It also gives me the chance to visit another country. I love travelling.”

Read more: Couple to take on the Midmar Mile in support of Sandton SPCA

Inspired by Kusudi La’s previous Mount Kilimanjaro climb, which raised funds for Sandton SPCA, Tu said she decided her climb could also help support the animal welfare’s work. “Supporting the Sandton SPCA was an easy choice, because I volunteer there regularly and I love pets. It just seemed right to raise funds for the place that I regularly go to and where I can see the difference that the funds make. Also, it seems right to give back to a place that makes me feel like I make a difference.”

Her relationship with Sandton SPCA began in 2019, when Tu suffered from depression and her friend encouraged her to adopt a dog. She visited Sandton SPCA where she met Simba. “I saw Simba and fell in love with him immediately. He was loving, attention seeking, and calm, just what I needed. It took a couple of days to go through the adoption, but before I knew it, my new best friend was at home with me.”

In 2022, she went back to adopt another dog, Nala, because she felt bad for Simba having to stay home alone while she was away for work. Unfortunately, in December 2022, Nala was diagnosed with blood cancer, and was put to sleep in February 2023. “Two months later, I adopted Kiara. She has been the naughtiest out of the three, but, in the end, she is also ready to share her love.”

Also read: People power drives Sandton SPCA’s animal-saving work

Through her fundraising campaign, Tu said she hopes to help people understand the wide range of work SPCA’s do, beyond adoptions. “Most people seem to think that SPCAs, in general, are a place to adopt animals or surrender your animals, but they do many other things as well. They do home inspections to make sure animals are being looked after properly and aren’t being mistreated, they run community outreach programmes, where they educate the public about caring for animals, and run sterilisation drives, to help decrease the number of unwanted animals. They even go on raids with the polic,e when there are large amounts of mistreated animals. I think these are bits of work that people don’t really see.”

She added that the funds raised from the Mount Toubkal climb will go specifically towards the Sandton SPCA’s inspectorate division, which is currently struggling with broken down vehicles. “The inspectorate cars are in a bad state, and this is affecting their ability to respond to animals in distress. If we can help fix that, they can focus on helping the community without worrying about breakdowns.”

Tu has set her fundraising target at R42 000, with the goal of raising R10 for every metre of Mount Toubkal’s height.

To support her fundraising campaign for the Sandton SPCA, click on the link: Backabuddy.co.za.

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