Prioritising the well-being of animals

HAVING worked with animals for years, the Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) continues to advise pet owners to take care of their pets, which includes sterilising. Situated in the vicinity of Hammarsdale, the AACL works to rescue animals and keep them while they look for someone to adopt them. At their farm, they also take care of other animals such as peacocks and pigs.

Furthermore, the organisation specialises in animal welfare work with self-help initiatives that fuel their main objective, which is to save animals.
The farm currently houses over 20 cats and dogs that are up for adoption. Speaking to the Highway Mail, David Rogers of the organisation said their services are limited to only a few places in Durban. “We rescue all kinds of animals but can only keep domestic animals. Our services are also extended to a cat and dog hotel, which allows pet owners to leave their pets in our care for any reason. The farm is also open to the public for shopping at our charity shop and tea garden, which is family-friendly for picnics and family day outings,” he said.

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Rogers said that although they are a non-profit organisation, they have staff members who are on the facility for 24 hours at a time on a rotational basis. “We have a house full of animals that need care – some are on medication and need close monitoring. We also have grounds workers who go out to attend to cases. Depending on the incident, some animals are brought to us, and some come in severe conditions and need extra care. We assess them so we can help them in the way they need. If we get an animal that we are not equipped to help, we forward them to relevant organisations,” he said.

The facility is packed with dogs and cats that are in their kennels in pairs and groups of three. “We try our best to give the animals plenty of space for them to move around, like how it would be if they were in their homes. With the dogs, we strictly keep them in the kennels so we can avoid them forming a pack as it is in their nature to do so. We also do not want them to be alone for social purposes, so we keep them in pairs or threes,” he said.

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The organisation emphasised the importance of sterilisations and vaccinations as they have noted the rise in rabies. Benjamin Albess, who has been working as a field inspector at the organisation for 50 years, said this is the result of the abandonment of pets. “If pet owners do not take care of their pets, we see the rise of rabies and stray animals. The stray animals come about as a result of not sterilising – cats and dogs reproduce as soon as they are a few weeks old. The more there are left without being sterilised, the more they reproduce,” he said.

In cases of animal cruelty, Albess said their main goal is to educate. “Before we take steps against animal cruelty, we educate the owners on how to take care of their pets and make them understand why this is important. If that fails, then we would be forced to take steps, but the most important part of it is to educate,” he said.
AACL is open to the public – to those who either want to adopt, spend time with the animals, shop or enjoy a good time at their tea garden. More information can be found on their social media pages.

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