An SPCA inspector doing a walkabout in an informal settlement in Bellville.
Image: Supplied/SPCA
A few seconds of footage showing dogs living in difficult conditions was enough to raise the alarm and send the SPCA inspectors into a Bellville informal settlement.
What they found was simply not a case of animals needing help, but families living in difficult circumstances where access to veterinary care, vaccinations and sterilisation can be hard to come by.
The SPCA helped care for 40 pets living in a Bellville informal settlement after a video showing animals living in difficult conditions surfaced.
Despite the tough living conditions of the residents, the animal welfare agency went into the community after complaints reached them off the back of a video posted on the YouTube channel Cape Town Audits
According to the SPCA, they entered the community and provided primary preventative care to 40 animals, while identifying others requiring veterinary treatment and further intervention.
Twelve puppies were treated and dewormed. Twenty-eight adult dogs received care including deworming, rabies vaccinations and tick and flea treatment.
A woman holds her kitten in a Bellville informal settlement during a Cape of Good Hope SPCA outreach visit.
Image: SPCA
A pregnant female was identified for further assessment. Three animals were brought in for sterilisation and two were surrendered into SPCA care.
Inspector Lee Prins said: “Where an animal lives cannot determine whether help reaches them.
“Our teams routinely work in difficult environments because that is where animals need us. Once this footage brought these animals to our attention and we were able to establish their location, we went to them.
“Poverty does not mean that people do not care about their animals. It can mean that veterinary treatment, sterilisation and preventative healthcare are much harder to access.”
The SPCA appealed to the public to report any health or safety concern involving animals.
Inspector Lee added: “An animal may appear on screen for only a few seconds, but those few seconds can be enough to alert us to a welfare concern. In this case, people noticed. They spoke up. That concern helped us reach 40 animals with preventative care and identify others who needed considerably more.”
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said every complaint received is investigated by our Inspectorate. Reports of cruelty are investigated within 24 hours, while emergencies are attended to immediately. The identity of complainants is treated with the strictest confidence.
Report animal cruelty to the SPCA’s 24-Hour Cruelty Line on 021 700 4158, send WhatsApp to 021 700 4140 or email to https://capespca.co.za/report-cruelty/
Related Topics:
