There is hope to be found in White River thanks to Lilly’s legacy

As the saying goes, there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, and after the tragedy of a stray White River dog named Lilly, this has proved to be all the more true as a trust has been set up in her honour.

Believed to be somewhere between two and four years old, Lilly was a mixed-breed stray who lived on and roamed the streets of White River. Her story traces back to a community WhatsApp group in White River named Lost&Found Pets White River, which is where residents began reporting sightings of a stray white dog all around town a few months ago.

Soon a trend emerged, and the dog was being spotted anywhere and everywhere. It was then that she was given the name ‘Lilly’, after the white lily of the valley flower. This further endeared her more to the townspeople, and the more she was spotted, the more she crept her way into the hearts of animal lovers all around White River.

According to SPCA White River’s treasurer, Estelle de Villiers, this continued for roughly three or four months, and Lilly became all the more famous. However, concerned residents eventually noticed that she had sustained an injury to one of her back legs, and that she had begun limping.

The decision was made in accordance with the SPCA that they would attempt to catch Lilly and see if she could be helped. “Darting her was simply not an option, so we elected to rather set up feeding stations for her where we’d hope to catch her and treat her,” De Villiers explained. These were set up at the police station and in a residential area near the old gambling board building – two areas Lilly frequented.

Lilly proved elusive, quickly garnering an additional nickname – ‘Ghost’. But she could only limp away for so long. “She was caught at the residential area feeding station,” said De Villiers. The plan worked, and she was taken to vets to be treated and to undergo X-rays. “It was determined that she had a broken leg.” This left the SPCA with an extremely difficult decision to make.

“We consulted various vets, experts, volunteers at the SPCA, everyone in order to make the decision we felt was best for Lilly,” De Villiers said. Ultimately the decision was made that it would be best to end Lilly’s suffering. “Lilly was put to sleep on Wednesday, August 7.”

The decision stemmed from a lack of resources available to care for Lilly after her operation, as many residents offered to chip in with bits and pieces, but no one could take on the entirety of the task, which is ultimately what was needed.

In the wake of the tragedy, one White River resident sprung into action in a bid to form something positive from Lilly’s tragedy. “I felt it would be such a shame that her bright, short life would simply be forgotten,” said Karen Eksteen, who founded the Lilly Trust.

The driving factor behind the trust was to try and foot the costs of Lilly’s brief treatment and X-rays, and to also care for future strays in need. “We disregard these animals far too easily and just leave them on the streets to fend for themselves, and that’s simply not fair,” Eksteen explained.

The trust uses the SPCA White River’s banking details, ensuring that all funds raised go towards the organisation and covering Lilly’s past costs, as well as whatever may arise in the future.