City supports World Spay Day
22 February 2022
The City’s Safety and Security Directorate supports World Spay Day and the many initiatives by animal organisations to increase awareness around the need to spay and save the lives of animals. World Spay Day is marked on 22 February 2022. The City’s Law Enforcement Department assists with these initiatives.
The recently promulgated Animal Keeping By-law regulates the number of pets that any one person may keep, and the conditions under which those pets must be kept.
The by-law empowers the Animal Control Unit (ACU), a specialised unit within the Law Enforcement Department, to act on nuisance complaints, non-adherence to animal keeping as well as dog attacks and act together with animal welfare organisations in cases of animal cruelty.
Apart from enforcing the relevant by-laws, the ACU also gives guidance and support to registered Cape Animal Welfare Forum(CAWF) organisations. On Sunday, 13 February 2022, the City’s Animal Control Unit supported and participated in the highly popular Paws-a-while animal adoption fair held in Observatory. The fair hosted 57 stalls, which included more than 20 animal organisations.
The Animal Keeping By-law also provides for mandatory sterilisation for dogs and cats that are over six months old. Owners may apply to be exempted from this provision, which will be considered on a case by case basis.
In addition to the above, the ACU also formulated a Dog fighting Task Team with the Special Investigating Unit and SPCA, which enable these agencies to assist animals and owners in an integrated and supportive approach.
An important role player and partner in the animal welfare sector is CAWF - an umbrella body of 44 like-minded registered animal welfare organisations in the Western Cape.
According to CAWF, these hard working NGOs perform a wide range of animal welfare and rightist activities, including advocacy campaigns, the provision of veterinary hospital and mobile clinic facilities, ongoing sterilisation and adoption campaigns, as well as the rescue of thousands of injured, sick and suffering animals annually.
‘We are proud to be associated with the Cape Animal Welfare Forum and will keep on building and supporting the relationship and assist animal organisations. Owning a dog could be a wonderful experience but it also comes with a great sense of responsibility. Every dog should have a happy home and every owner should make sure that their pet is well looked after. Adopting a pet means helping animals to find a caring home, but the potential pet owner should ensure that they will be able to look after their pet,’ said Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.
The City’s Sterilisation Campaign, which began in 2013 and is operated by CAWF members, has sterilised more than 13 000 animals in the areas of Khayelitsha, Du Noon, Wallacedene, Atlantis, Wesbank and Tafelsig. This has prevented the birth of many thousands of unwanted pets.
‘Unwanted animals suffer tragic lives, and often end up being put down. We cannot emphasise the importance of sterilisation in being a responsible pet guardian and that is why World Spay Day is important as it helps draw public attention to why there is a need for sterilisation. In animal welfare, every day is spay day,’ said Karen de Klerk, Chairperson of CAWF.
Since August last year up until the end of last month, the City’s ACU has impounded 94 animals and issued 170 notices for contravention of the Animal Keeping By-Law. Officers also assisted with 93 stray animals and 130 animals were handed over by their owners to the SPCA.
For more information on assistance and sterilisation visit CAWF at www.cawf.co.za
Photo credit: People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, Athlone.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
