EDITOR – I write in response to the letter by Carin Jonker, headed “Re-thinking support for animal NPO”.
I understand that Nici van der Merwe must have been devastated at the loss of her beloved pets, however we must understand what the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) staff have to work with and see on a daily basis.
If you read the letter from Amanzimtoti SPCA, Ms Clarke clearly states they do not turn any animal away, so in your letter you state, why take the animals if you didn’t have space? What would you propose they do with all the animals ‘donated’ to them when they do not have any space?
Ms Clarke also gives us the number of animals donated on a daily basis, neglected, old or just in the way of holiday season. You are a concerned animal lover, however you are thinking of withdrawing your R120 a month kennel sponsorship. Is this not being hypocritical, as the animals will suffer at the loss of this contribution – not the staff at the SPCA. I wonder how many times you have been to the SPCA to see what wonderful work has been done there in the last 18 months, to which no words of encouragement or gratitude have been given to the staff.
What needs to be understood is that the SPCA simply cannot save all animals. Their efforts in the community are never noted. There are the sterilisation clinics that the SPCA and a local vet hold in the rural areas are free of charge, where they sterilise and inoculate lots of animals; the clinics at their premises once a month on a Friday, where people bring their animals to be inoculated at a discounted rate, which includes a rabies inoculation. It is always the case, nobody ever sees the good that an organisation does but one bad bit of press and everyone jumps on the bandwagon.
Take the time to go and visit the SPCA, the staff are more than willing to guide you around and show you what changes their fundraising efforts have yielded. I have been at the SPCA when an owner has ‘donated’ their pets to the SPCA and the staff are very sympathetic to the emotions of the owner, but the forms are still explained properly and clearly.
I am so proud of our local SPCA and commend the work that the staff and volunteers do. Nine of my 11 furry children are rescues and I will continue to support the SPCA in everything they do and achieve in the future.
MICHELLE THOMPSON
