Thanks for the article about animal welfare, “Dierewelsyn in Weskus gedompel in ‘n krisis”, (Weslander, 12 June).
One only understands the scope of the problem when one works on the ground. Awareness and education are key, together with law enforcement. The increase in cruelty to animals is staggering, due to various reasons. Unfortunately, animals are last on the list when it comes to empathy and care. It is a problem affecting everyone, and it’s the responsibility of the community and the municipality to guide and teach. Speaking out against cruelty is of utmost importance if we are to make a difference. Our municipalities should speak up and address the issue at the core. Overlooking and turning the head the other way will only make matters worse.
For the sake of mental health, disease control, child social growth, wildlife and environmental protection, we all need to take hands, and make a difference. The centres, organisations and institutions working with animals have their hands full due to the increase in cases and lack of support. It’s truly devastating to see the utter disregard for care for our animals.
No animal deserves to live like this. It’s easy to say that the SPCA must sort this, but with a lack of funding, hands, vehicles and space, it’s extremely difficult.
A plan, a solution needs to be tabled by all stakeholders and the time is now. We simply cannot sit back and hope that the problem will disappear or that someone else will fix it.
We personally have approached certain stakeholders over the past year to try and find solutions, but unfortunately, the urgency falls short.
How can we, as a close-knit community, allow this? Saying sorry and shame, and then just driving along, is part of the problem. Support the people and organisations working with animals, domestic and wildlife. Imagine what would happen if all these centres had to close due to a lack of support. What would happen then?
There are people fighting tooth and nail to help turn things around, but only through the help of departments, muni-
cipalities, law enforcement and people in authority can we make an impact. This issue will only get worse (as we have seen it increase daily over the past two years) if our government doesn’t stand up and speak out. What does one have to do more to get their attention? That’s why I am personally grateful for a public article like this. Spot on.
The Owl Orphanage
Velddrif
