​The City of Cape Town has extended its agreement with the Cape of Good Hope SPCA to provide support services to the Law Enforcement Department. The first three-year service level agreement was worth R4,5 million and this time the City is increasing the allocation to R9 million for the same period.

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The SPCA provides veterinary and general animal welfare services to the City that are required in terms of the Animal By-law but do not reside within the Law Enforcement Department, which is mandated to enforce the by-law.

The agreement effectively means that the SPCA supports Law Enforcement with the impoundment of stray animals or animals involved in attacks and homes them for the prescribed impoundment periods.

The City’s Animal Control Unit deals with hundreds of complaints every month, including domestic animal nuisances, roaming cattle, and other livestock and dog attacks. In the first five months of this year, the Unit impounded 140 animals, responded to 90 animal attacks and served 124 compliance notices in terms of the Animal By-law.

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‘Partnering with an animal welfare organisation like the SPCA is of utmost importance to the City and there is immense value in outsourcing animal welfare matters to those with the requisite experience instead of trying to recreate that capacity within the City. This focus on partnerships is in line with our Organisational Development and Transformation Plan and most importantly it helps us protect more animals that are left destitute and build safer communities by addressing threats where they exist.

‘I think the fact that we doubled our funding is a clear intent of our commitment to the cause of animals, but society in general. With this new agreement, the City of Cape Town provides more funding for animal welfare than any other municipality in the country,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.

During the last financial year the SPCA provided much-needed services to 9 279 stray animals, 132 seized animals and 208 impounded animals. The funding provided for these animals by the City of Cape Town contributed significantly towards their welfare by enabling the organisation to maintain the highest standards of animal husbandry and care, while providing a safe and comfortable haven for these animals.

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‘The benefits derived from the signing of this service level agreement will allow us to focus on our core business, the prevention of cruelty to animals, instead of being preoccupied with raising sorely needed operating funds to take care of the city’s many thousands of stray, impounded and seized animals admitted into our care following the curtailment of services offered by the Atlantis Pound.

‘The City has consistently demonstrated its sincere commitment to the welfare and well-being of animals by enabling not only the SPCA, but the Cape Animal Welfare Forum to deliver a world-class service that would otherwise be out of reach for many indigent animal owners – including subsistence livestock keepers and working horse owners – by co-funding projects and promulgating and enforcing legislation to help ensure the rights of animals. Long may this partnership endure,’ said Cape of Good Hope SPCA CEO, Allan Perrins.

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