No matter how hard we try, we can’t rescue our way out of a pet overpopulation crisis! But We Can Step In! And we are!
Last year, we faced the admission of
23 621
unwanted and stray animals.
And with recent census results from Langa revealing that 89.6% of animals in the areas counted are unsterilised, the situation is about to get much worse.
Photo: A young man brought all three his beloved pets for sterilisation!
60% of stray animals seen in the area were in need of immediate care and the majority were visibly unsterilised too. The sad reality is that homeless and unwanted animals will face starvation, disease, neglect, and often, intentional cruelty. We know this all too well, which is why we never turn any animal away. Our doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to every animal in need.
But, 23,621 stray and unwanted animals a year means an average of 65 animal admissions every single day. It’s an ongoing, never-ending stream of animals. The volume alone means that to ensure that no animal is left to face the starvation, disease, neglect, or cruelty that homelessness brings, compassionate euthanasia is often our only choice—a choice that breaks the heart of every animal lover at the SPCA. It’s an unbearable emotional burden, made even heavier by the relentless cycle of indiscriminate breeding.
Xhosa
English
But we’re fighting back!
This is a call to arms and the only weapon we have in our arsenal is sterilisation. The fight began today when we transformed the Langa Civic Hall into a field hospital, where we’ll be sterilising 100 animals in just two days. This will immediately prevent the birth of an estimated 950 animals in the next 12 months.
Without sterilisation, those 950 animals could each reproduce at a similar rate, leading to a potential population growth of 8,550 animals in two years. If we don’t act, this number could escalate to 46,050 in three years and an astonishing 230,250 in four years.
