Pet outreach programme in Zonkizizwe

On Sunday, 29 May the Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) team set up an outreach clinic for the first time at the Zonkizizwe low-cost housing settlement, south of Kathorus.

From early that morning, members of the community had begun to stand in a queue, patiently waiting their turn, some with their pets wrapped up in blankets, some pets carried in wheelbarrows and others on leashes.

The clinic was held in collaboration with Cause 4 Paws, who provided food, blankets, collars and leads for the community’s pets and provided veterinary help, assisted by Dr Donald Sibanda and his team of students from the Animal Health Technicians at UNISA.

“We were again surprised at the number of cats living in the community as an integral part of some local households. This time we had come well prepared with sufficient vaccines for most of the animals. While some pets were a little skinny, they were however well-loved, with interesting names such as Scorpion, Brown, Socks, Julius Malema, and a few more with the name Danger. We even saw a lovely fat rabbit that had been brought by its proud owners for a check-up,” said AACL’s Cindy Price .

In all, 169 animals that were brought in for check-ups on the day, a total of which 161, including cats. were vaccinated, while 155 of these received treatment for suspected rabies and many more de-wormed. Other forms of treatment were administered for various topical infections and wounds that required cleansing.

AACL plans to return to Zonkizizwe 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.