THE ANIMAL Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) team set up their outreach clinic for the first time at Zonkeziswe, in the far south of Johannesburg, on Sunday, May 29.
From early in the morning, members of the community began to stand in a queue, patiently awaiting their turn. Some of the people had their pets wrapped in blankets while others had their animals in wheelbarrows.
The clinic was held in collaboration with Cause 4 Paws, who provided food, blankets, collars and leads for the community. On the veterinary side. Cindy Price from AACL said they were assisted by Dr Sibanda and his team of students, Animal Health Technicians from UNISA.
“We were again surprised at the number of cats living in the community, who were obviously an integral part of the household. This time we had come well prepared and had sufficient vaccines for all. While some pets were a little skinny, they were well-loved, with interesting names such as Scorpion, Brown Socks and lots of dogs with the name Danger. We even saw a lovely fat rabbit, who had come for his check-up,” she said
In all, 169 animals were seen on the day, with dog vaccinations totalling at 161; cat vaccinations at 32 and 155 rabies vaccines being dispensed. All animals were de-wormed and treatments were administered for various infections and wounds were cleaned.
“Thanks to sponsors Merial for their donation of Certifect Top Spot and Frontline spray, which was used for ticks and fleas on the animals. And to Cause 4 Paws for the vaccines and de-worming medicines. Our thanks to everyone who assisted us at the Zonkeziswe clinic, including Dr Storm Scheepers, who provided veterinary assistance and Miss Jessica Janse van Rensburg, our AACL ambassador, who assisted with the community and bolstered the team’s spirit,” noted Cindy.
AACL will be returning to Zonkeziswe every two weeks to provide primary healthcare, alternating this with the Thokoza outreach. Other areas that will continue to be serviced by the mobile clinic are Jackson’s Drift and Bellavista.
If you would like more information or wish to donate money or items to these outreach projects, or would like to get involved, please contact either Rulof Jackson or Cindy Price on 011 435 0672 or email: genmanager@aacl-jhbnb.co.za
