NSPCA at the brunt of crippling economy
Despite the NSPCA’s best efforts, the rising fuel costs and dire economic situation in South Africa are hindering their critical work, so they are extending a plea for support to the public.
In these challenging times, the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) finds it more and more of a challenge to keep their inspectors on the road because of the high fuel price.
The SPCAs, which rely on public support, had to close down because they did not have the funds to continue operating.
The SPCA movement had more than 120 SPCAs operating many years ago. Today, according to inspector Keshvi Nair of the NSPCA, there are only 77 SPCAs still in operation with the NSPCA office in Alberton.
“These areas are attended to by the NSPCA, which is also struggling with funding. It forces the movement to direct our funds to the most important expenses first, which means we often go without certain things because we don’t have the funds,” she explained.
Over the past 68 years, the NSPCA has played a critical role in improving the welfare of animals across the country.
Nair said the NSPCA has travelled to the remotest areas in the country to provide vital assistance to animals in need and investigate animal cruelty.
“In addition to this, the NSPCA has also provided training, support, education and guidance to people and communities where animals are kept. What many people don’t know is that the NSPCA is an NPO and we don’t receive any form of funding from the government to do our work,” she said.
The NSPCA relies solely on public donations to ensure its work to protect animals and uplift their welfare can continue.
A drop in funding
She said the last few years have been very challenging for the NSPCA.
“As a result of Covid-19, many people lost their jobs or saw a drop in their income. Businesses were forced to close or saw a drop in their income. When the public is affected negatively, so, too, is the NSPCA in many ways. As a result of losing income, many people had to withhold their donations to the NSPCA and this impacted the NSPCA negatively,” Nair said.
Despite the drop in funding, Nair reiterated that the NSPCA remained operational during the pandemic because they are an essential service.
“While many people were safe in their homes, our inspectors were travelling across the country to facilities where animals had been left behind and responding to animal cruelty which certainly did not stop during the pandemic. Not only did we struggle with bringing in funds, we still had to continue working and try to reach an even wider area to reach animals in need, given the situation at hand,” she explained.
Three years after the pandemic, she said not much has changed.
“Many people are still trying to get back on their feet, and South Africans are certainly facing the brunt of our crippling economy and so is the NSPCA. When times are tough in the economy, the NSPCA finds it even harder to raise funds necessary to continue our work,” Nair said.
Caring for animals in need
According to Nair, the fact that the NSPCA was an essential service during the pandemic was a clear indication of how important it is for them to remain operational.
In many areas, she said the NSPCA is the only service provider.
“In these challenging times, however, we are finding it increasingly difficult to keep our inspectors on the road due to the prohibitively high price of fuel. In 2022, our national inspectors travelled 958 833km to undertake rescues, animal cruelty investigations and disaster relief,” Nair said.
Their efforts have improved the lives of animals and communities around the country and they are committed to continuing their mission.
“To continue to reach animals in need and positively impact the national state of animal welfare across South Africa, we desperately need the support of the public. Every day our dedicated staff work hard to prevent animal cruelty and suffering, but, realistically, without adequate funding, our efforts will be limited and we will not be able to operate at the level needed,” she said.
Animals need the support of people who care and the NSPCA needs the support of the public to reach these animals to prevent suffering.
To make any donation to the NSPCA, contact Inspector Keshvi Nair on 082 828 0337.
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