Cape Town - With one and a half centuries of caring for and defending animals, one paw at a time, South Africa's oldest animal welfare organisation, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA will be celebrating its 150th anniversary this year in the spirit of reflection and spearing for an end to animal cruelty.
Over the past 150 years, the animal welfare organisation has worked to prevent animal cruelty through education, law enforcement, veterinary services, a farmyard unit, and wildlife facilities.
Having provided life-saving treatments to over a million farm, domestic, and wild animals, dedicated employees, volunteers, sponsors, and community members were seen lending their lives to prevent animal cruelty in Western Cape communities.
The CoGH SPCA CEO, Mqabuko Moyo Ndukwana, said that the theme for this year is reflection.
“The theme is about reflecting on our lessons learned, milestones reached, celebrating our successes and ensuring that we continue to grow in leaps in our vision to end animal cruelty and engender compassion for all animals.”
“It may appear slow, but to us working at the coalface, the changes to legislation governing animal ownership, like the recently gazetted Animal Keeping Bylaws, are significant. These are micro-steps in the right direction and are a cause for celebration.”
“We are most grateful for the enabling support that we receive from our donors, without which we would be unable to do our work. Their ongoing support has not only helped us to work towards our mission but has also allowed us to expand into an area exceeding 3200km2, stretching from the peninsula all the way into the Stellenbosch Winelands," said Ndukwana.
Amy Grainger, who has been one of the longest-standing SPCA donors since 1960, recalled how enthusiastic she was about the organisation when she made her first visit to the facility at the age of 12.
“After taking my Alsatian to the SPCA after fighting with other dogs in the neighbourhood, my heart broke at the sight of dogs being caged at the centre.
“With each doing a dance and giving a smile so that I may take it home. It was then that I became a volunteer.
“Scrubbing was, of course, my first job, but I did not mind it at all. I loved having something to do over the weekends and being useful. When the mail came asking for donations, accompanied by pictures of starving dogs, I took it upon myself to get a little black book and go door to door in the neighbourhood, asking for a donation.”
“I was only about 12 at the time, and when I asked to join, I got the training needed to help train dogs so that they could be adopted. I so loved this. When volunteers were needed to help with fundraising, standing with a tin for several hours outside, I was there,” said Grainger.
With having an area of service of more than 3,200 square kilometres, including the Cape Town Metropole, Stellenbosch municipal area stretching to the Cape Wine lands, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA staff members are seeing to it that our canine friends are given adequate care 24/7.
Natasha Johannes, who has been with the organisation for 29 years and is now the special events coordinator, said that she has grown with the organisation both on a professional and personal level.
“After all these years, the credo of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA continually fuelled my passion, and it warms my heart to think of the many animals we have rescued and have given a chance of a better life.
“Honestly, there have been sad days when we have lost the battle to save the life of an animal, but the desire to continue to make a difference and the love for animals remains.
“There have been so many changes over the years since I have been employed at the organisation, just to name a few, and to think that the organisation came from humble beginnings to being one of the largest animal welfare organisations in South Africa, it's one for the books."
“I am grateful to have been part of an organisation that is forward-thinking, passionate and dedicated to preventing animal cruelty and promoting the welfare of all animals,” said Johannes.
During the pandemic, the CoGH SPCA was said to have seen an average of 45 000 cases per year, of which more than 60% were moderate to severe cases. The Animal Welfare organisation recorded a more than 22% increase in the number of cases over the period between November 2020 and January 2021.
Operating in the informal settlements around Cape Town, the mobile units provided primary veterinary care, including dipping, de-worming, administering vaccinations and sterilizing animals in need of sterilisation.
Dr Stephanie Chatry, one of the CoGH SPCA veterinarians, stated that the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 resulted in routine check-ups, vaccination and de-worming taking a back seat as pet owners struggled to meet personal financial demands.
“The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has seen a significant increase in the number of people accessing services at the primary welfare level of care because they are no longer able to afford private veterinary care. This trend has placed an enormous strain on the welfare system, with waiting times escalating from a two-hour wait to a near six-hour wait during peak times, which is attributed to the sheer volume of patients needing care.”
"We have had recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever and rabies in the Western Cape. These are both classified as controlled and notifiable diseases under the List of Controlled and Notifiable Diseases Act (ACT 35 of 1984), and the strategies and procedures thereof are therefore overseen by the government because they impact directly on public health and our economy. In the case of the rabies outbreak, which is fatal to humans if not treated in time, a mass vaccination campaign was launched within the affected areas to vaccinate 70% of the animal population to eradicate the spread.”
"With the African Swine Flu being highly contagious, infected animals may not be moved from the location of the outbreak. Animals are culled and buried on-site with stringent bio-security protocols in place. These measures have a huge impact on the value chain from farming to meat production and sales."
"We are most grateful to the support of donors. Our work would not be possible without their continued support, as well as our dedicated staff and response team for their rapid action to safeguard our animal population and potential impact on public health," said Chatry.
Weekend Argus