The Future of Companion Animal Welfare

The uncertainty that pervades the Domestic Animal Welfare sector in South Africa, and the inability for the current resource base to cope with the existing challenges, imply a necessity for a change in course.

1. The Status Quo

The Companion Animal scenario is faced with a number of challenges:

1. The Control Syndrome: There are organisations and individuals who seek to control others by influencing legislation by virtue of the ‘authority’ granted them by an ignorant Government and gullible public, and this often results in legislation that simply cannot work or is unconstitutional. They also seek to control other organisations and do their level best to discredit any shelter or organisation that has a different approach. In addition, they use the media to present to the public a distorted view of the activities of these organisations while presenting a flattering perspective of their own.

2. The Legal Issue: The Animals Protection Act is unconstitutional in that it grants ‘Societies’ rights that are prejudicial to the rights of individuals and organisations, who have no recourse in the law – the ‘Society’ is granted absolute rights without appeal. It is also too vague and lenient in respect of prerequisites of animal companion care. Similarly, there is other legislation, most notably the regional Dog and Cat by-laws, that is prejudicial and exacerbates rather than solves the current problems.

The URGENT need for Domestic Animal Welfare INTEGRATION and REGULATION

If you have been watching the news and if you receive animal welfare newsletters, you will be aware that the crisis facing domestic animals in South Africa is deepening.

There are some people who believe that all we need is more people in welfare and more money to assist them. I am not one of them. I think the sheer size of the problem takes it beyond a mere capacity increase. We must think more carefully about the nature of the problem and its root causes before we assume that throwing money and people at it will provide sustainable solutions.

The fact is, shelters are more full than they have ever been. The volume of emails with unwanted animals looking for homes has increased to staggering proportions and welfare workers are struggling to find foster homes.

There has been an increase in operational integration and this has yielded some benefit; but the downside is that there are more organisations using the same mediums to promote their animals and initiatives and the public are inundated with appeals, from foster homes to funding. If saturation point has not been reached, it is not far off, which means that the growth of this sector is unlikely given that the growth of any sector in an economy is dependent upon resourcing.

It also means that operational integration has limited benefit.

HIDDEN REALITIES

You may have seen this headline recently on an NSPCA press release:

HIDDEN REALITY OF “NO-KILL” SHELTER EXPOSED

Many of you will recognise the headline that referred to the situation at Irwins Animal Rescue Centre. It’s more than a little ironic given that this was an NSPCA press release, since they are far away from being transparent themselves, having yet to publish euthanasia statistics or financial expenditures for public consumption. In addition, their use of the term ‘no-kill’ is a misleading ‘spin’ and groups, intentionally, ‘no-kill’ and ‘pro-life’ organisations under the same umbrella. ‘Pro-life’ organisations certainly consider euthanasia as an option, but not in the case of a healthy animal.

The events at Irwins have cause many to rethink their perspective on the issue. Is it justifiable to allow an animal