UWC students’ goodwill to animals

Own Correspondent

A GROUP of students from UWC are doing their bit for animal welfare as part of their BCom Honours course project.

The group comprises Abdul Alim Laattoe as project manager, Adrian Bezuidenhout, Marc Hendricks, Lorenzo Leaner and Julian Naidoo.

They have set out to lend a helping hand to the Swartland SPCA as well as PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) Cape Flats.

The aim of the initiative is to, among other things, increase monthly donor subscriptions, upgrade kennel blocks and boarding facilities, and facilitate responsible pet-care education drives at schools in and around these areas.

In doing so, the students are also sharpening their project management skills.

The current power crisis is also weighing heavily on the PDSA. The organisation is in desperate need of a generator, literally to keep the animals alive. The SPCA boasts 94 branches across the country.

Swartland SPCA chairperson Colette Mang said the region has been faced with a recent problem of overbreeding. She said dogs are simply breeding too much because they are not being sterilised.

The overbreeding of dogs is said to lead to several issues, including animal-to-human diseases and the formation of packs of unwanted and frustrated dogs that attack residents, particularly children.

The branch has since started an education outreach programme in the region and has gone on a major sterilisation drive, which has resulted in about 87 percent of dogs being sterilised in the Darling area alone during 2013 and 2014.

The Swartland SPCA services the Swartland and Berg River regions, as well as Malmesbury and Moorreesburg.

The UWC students are on a mission to raise enough funds for both the PDSA and the SPCA to operate efficiently, while at the same time reach as many people as possible to raise awareness. And they only have a month to do it.

All funds raised will go towards the upgrades as well as the hospitalisation of pets, especially the intensive-care units. In the ICU, the animals often need to stay on drips and require constant monitoring by staff.

Laattoe said: “Our reasoning behind the project is to create awareness on the service provided to our animals and, in doing so, to further create a financial offering to assist with much-needed operational resources.

“Our project aims to assist in the raising of funds to purchase a generator for the Bridgetown PDSA or find a sponsor.

“This would allow the PDSA to attend to medical procedures and keep the ICU running during planned or unplanned power outages and load shedding.”

Laattoe said the project further aimed to assist the Swartland SPCA in the construction of additional kennels and the completion of a much-needed play area for the canines, and possibly getting a rescue vehicle to help them bring animals to safety.

They need all the public help they can get, though.

The spokesperson for the project, Naidoo, said: “I know that the people of Cape Town can make this happen.

“Every little bit helps. These poor animals will only get a chance at a better life if the public came forward to help us with this project.”

The project closes at the end of next month.

The Purrs and Puppies project has also set up an SMS line to make it easier to donate R20 to any of the organisations. Just SMS “PPP” to 40500 (standard terms and conditions apply).

Donations to the Swartland SPCA can be made at:

lNedbank, Malmesbury

lBranch code: 15460500

lCheque account number: 1546055037

lReference: PPP (Purrs and Puppies Project)

Donations for PDSA:

lFirst National Bank

lAdderley Street, Cape Town

lAccount number: 50264390185

lBranch code: 201409

lReference: (PPP) Purrs and Puppies Project

Members of the public can also visit www.purrsand puppies.co.za; e-mail purrs [email protected];