JSPCA and National Lottery Commission do it for animals
Door-to-door home inspections help with sterilisation programmes.
Liana Marx from the Johannesburg Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA) thanked the National Lottery Commission for the funding received last year.
Their goal for the year was to get their outreach department into as many areas as possible. There is a great need for help in communities to sterilise their animals. Unfortunately, the economy has affected every household, with people struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads.
“In many cases, their pets end up having litter after litter because people cannot afford to sterilise their pets. Pups end up being sold on the side of roads like the N12, where we have had many operations to try and stop people from selling them.
“Our team has been busy the past couple of months, doing door-to-door home inspections on properties to ensure the welfare of the animals living there is not compromised. Inspections and successful sterilisation programmes have been running in Finetown, Lenasia South, Rosettenville, Vrededorp, Newlands and Riverlea.
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“To date, we have sterilised 261 animals and vaccinated and dewormed 558. Doing door-to-door inspections is very time-consuming but enables us to see where animals are kept and their living conditions.
“In some cases, we have found severe cruelty and removed the animals. With the Lotto funding, we can help more animals and their owners, and we hope that in the coming months, that number will double.
“Our inspectors are on the road daily, often going through extremely rough terrain to get to animals. For years, we have relied on our NP200 bakkies and our blue Ford Ranger, which, at times, was more at the mechanic than anything else. Through the support of the National Lotto Commission, we can buy three new 4×4 Mahindra pick-up bakkies.
“This came just at the right time because one of our vehicles needed repairs that would have cost an exceptional amount of money, money we simply don’t have. Knowing our guys have reliable vehicles when on the road is a huge relief, and being a 4×4 makes it much easier through extremely rough terrain and heavy weather.
“We thank the National Lotto Commission for the ongoing support towards animal welfare in SA because, together, we can make a huge difference in animal lives,” she said.
