A tough time to be giving shelter
The RSPCA in Tasmania has copped a lot of flak in recent times and many people I know have lost faith in the organisation. Recently the RSPCA closed its Mornington shelter and it is looking to close the Launceston shelter as it moves back to its original function of the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty cases.
I really hope we see more prosecutions with harsher penalties and the development of a register for serial and serious offenders as is the case in the US.
The link between abuse of animals, particularly in childhood, and violence perpetrated against humans is established and the FBI now monitors the register.
But what about the animals that were previously surrendered to the RSPCA? Where do they go now? There is an amazing group of people in our community who donate goods, money and time to a small number of animal rescues that run on the smell of an oily rag.
None of the shelters receives state government funding. The only exception is the promise of a grant of $30,000 to Brightside for veterinary costs for rehoming greyhounds. The racing industry’s Greyhound Adoption Program received $100,000.
Yet these are the groups that take in animals no longer wanted, that people can no longer afford to own or that have been surrendered in order to secure housing.
They also take in the animals of the elderly moving to aged care facilities or those who have died. They care for the companion animals of those too sick to care for them.
Some cat rescues will trap ferals and strays. This group should have government funding, as these cats, where possible and in particular the kittens, are desexed and rehomed in a very real attempt to lower the feral cat population. Within the urban environment, government could also look at TNR — Trap, Neuter and Release programs for ferals/strays.
Pregnant cats appear to get dumped with unfortunate regularity. This indicates a failure to educate Tasmanians on the need for desexing. Vouchers for desexing are available via the National Desexing Network website. How widely is this known?
A trawl through Gumtree shows that people are still giving away animals which, to some people, reduces the value of the animals and, rather than gaining a warm bed, these giveaways are at risk of harm at the hands of abusers. Something for the RSPCA to focus on.
People are still trying to sell or give away unwanted kittens and puppies that are obviously under eight weeks of age. This puts the animal’s life at risk. An awareness program stating the law around the sale of animals is essential.
So how can we support the shelters now filling the gap left by the RSPCA? Obviously individuals and companies can help by donating money, goods and time. It would be great if the government could also provide financial assistance.
Even one-off grants for the new facilities that some shelters are trying to fund and build in order to house the expected extra animals would be welcomed. Councils can help by providing a special nocost kennel licence for people willing to foster a dog from known shelters. Government and councils could help by providing readily accessible information on desexing and microchipping specials and by cracking down on the sale of animals that haven’t been microchipped and kittens that haven’t been desexed.
Finally, changing people’s attitudes to companion animals by recognising them as sentient beings is key. The treatment of companion animals as disposable property and fashion accessories needs to change.
Our treatment of animals is a reflection on our society. To quote Milan Kundera, “Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.”
If you want to contribute, these shelters are all registered charities: Just Cats justcats.org.au, North East Animal Sanctuary northeastanimalsanctuarytas mania.com, Dogs’ Home of Tasmania dhot.com.au, Rescue Cats Safe Haven rescuecatssafehaven.com.au, Brightside Farm Sanctuary brightside.org.au, Small Paws Animal Rescue Facebook, Big Ears Animal Sanctuary Inc. bigearsanimalsanctuary.com
A trawl through Gumtree shows people are still giving away animals which, to some people, reduces the value of the animals ... and these giveaways are at risk of harm at the hands of abusers