Bay municipality to launch animal care movement

Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has kicked off a campaign aimed at boosting animal welfare in the metro, and is calling on qualified veterinary professionals to join the movement.

Billed as a first of its kind for the Bay, the project – known as the Mayoral Animal Care Movement (MACM) – will focus on the well-being of both domestic and wild animals.

The launch event is expected to take place in Motherwell on June 10 when the municipality, in partnership with the Animal Welfare Society, hopes to sterilise at least 200 dogs.

This project will focus on dogs from across the city whose owners wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford the procedure. 

A further 480 dogs would be sterilised over a number of weeks, the municipality said in a statement.

“These projects aim to ensure the safety of residents, in instances where mismanaged animals pose a risk, while also improving the welfare of all animals metro-wide,” executive mayor Athol Trollip said.   

“Another project that has already commenced, is the redesign of weirs and construction of fish ladders along the lower Baakens River. This allows the migration of fish up and down the river, which is necessary to prevent the complete extinction of several threatened species of fish endemic to the area.

“We are also in the process of procuring reflective ear tags for urban cattle that often go astray. This will make stray cattle visible to motorists, preventing accidents,” Trollip added.

A total of 14 volunteers – all of whom need to be qualified veterinary nurses or similar who wish to be part of the ambitious launch event – are encouraged to e-mail chief of staff Kristoff Adelbert at kadelbert@mandelametro.gov.za for more information.