Animal protection groups in Nelson Mandela Bay are struggling to keep operations running smoothly as more and more stray animals are sent to them while the only municipal animal pound remains closed.
Nearly a month since the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) resorted to no longer taking in strays picked up by the city’s animal control unit, animal welfare groups said they were feeling the impact of the impasse on their coffers.
Resources such as food are running low, while fuel and operational costs are running high and space remains a major challenge for at least two groups.
One organisation has been putting down an average of 25 dogs a day for the past three months.
The crisis comes after the Bay’s only animal pound was closed in September after the municipality failed to pay the SPCA for its services since July.
On Thursday afternoon, SPCA district chair Deirdre Swift said the municipality had yet to respond to her.
Municipal officials revealed on Wednesday that the nonpayment was due to the absence of a valid contract and service level agreement between the SPCA and the municipality.
Anti-Animal Cruelty League (AACL) president Glen Truscott said they were putting down more animals daily.
“We are now doing the work for the municipality as people are bringing strays to us and that affects us. This has become expensive,” he said.
One of the highest costs was that of the drugs used to put down animals, and fuel costs.
“This has put an unnecessary workload on us – we have to do the work that we do and then we have to handle the extra load.”
Truscott said since July they had put down on average 25 dogs a day.
“Normally we would put down seven dogs.
“This wears down on us. Our funds are healthy but we have to look after them. We are dealing with public money.”
The AACL is a nonprofit organisation.
Truscott said the crisis had mostly taken a toll on the young vet at the facility.
“Our vet is a young lady – putting an animal down is traumatic. The trauma that our staff go through is tremendous. Yes, these dogs are strays, but this has an impact on us.”
He said the high rate of putting down dogs meant that they had to travel to Uitenhage at least three times a week.
“Our fuel bill is high because we need to dispose of the bodies.
“We are now taking over a municipal function that we haven’t got the funds to do.”
He said most of the animals were brought in by residents who either no longer wanted them or had picked them up.
“We don’t have the space to keep the animals, we only have about four kennels.
“When strays are sent to the SPCA they are kept for at least six weeks. They feed them until someone calls in looking for their dogs.
“We just don’t have the facilities,” Truscott said.
Animal Welfare Society (AWS) shelter manager Hannes Stander said they had housed 126 dogs on Wednesday, with more still coming in, when they would normally have 100.
“This is a burden on us. The more animals that come in, the heavier this becomes, the more food we need,” Stander said.
“If they [SPCA] are not picking up strays we are doing that work. The government should responsibility. We are a nonprofit organisation that relies on public funding.
“With everything going up we are getting less and less public funding. This affects everybody,” Stander said.
Stander said the impasse had a ripple effect on both animals and residents.
“People in poorer areas are the most affected by this.
“[They] mostly can’t take care of their dogs, now they don’t have anywhere else to go,” Stander said.
Save-a-Pet Port Elizabeth manager Leigh Down said while they were not inundated with strays, they were confused about where to refer residents.
The municipality says that it is treating the matter as a priority.
Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said this week: “The reason for the nonpayment is that there is no valid service contract between the municipality and the SPCA as the historical contract expired at the end of June 2018.”
He said for regular payments to take place a contract needed to be in place.
“There must be a valid contract between the person receiving payment and the municipality in line with the financial legal framework.”
Mniki could not, however, say when the matter would be resolved.