WITH help from generous donors and various fund-raising efforts, St Francis Animal Rescue was able to end the year on a strong note by embarking on several outreach programmes to help local animals in the area, throughout the month of December.
Susan Fox, founder and chairperson of St Francis Animal Rescue, said the NPO was established in 2016, by a small group of animal lovers, who felt the need to dedicate their time to helping dogs and cats in need in the Sea Vista area.
“Five years later, with many lessons learned, our volunteers can reliably claim to have significantly improved the lives of domestic animals in this community, but we still have a long way to go,” said Fox.
She said every Thursday afternoon volunteers from the organisation gather for a community outreach on a large field on Taragonna Road, which bisects the industrial area and Sea Vista.
By the time the volunteers arrive at their weekly outreach, large numbers of Sea Vista residents, adults and children, stand waiting with their puppies, adult dogs, kittens and adult cats.
“At the weekly outreach, volunteers provide health checks and distribute medication and free food to more than 200 dogs and cats,” said Fox.
As previously reported in the Kouga Express, in addition to the organisation’s weekly outreach programme, in 2019, they also established a campaign to unchain dogs in Sea Vista, by educating residents about the dangers of chaining animals and then offered to provide fencing around the property to ensure that the dogs could be unchained.
While most people enjoyed their December holidays last year, the organisation continued to take care of the dogs and cats in the area and with help from generous donors and fund-raising efforts, they were able to afford their monthly expenses which amounted to R77 300, more than R20 000 more than their average monthly expenses.
Fox said their expenses were extremely high in December for several reasons.
“We sterilised 21 animals, costing R12 104. We also dealt with a record number of sick and injured dogs, mostly cruelly stabbed or hurt by speeding cars.
“In addition, biliary disease has increased due to the seasonal change, with ticks becoming a problem. Our medical expenses therefore amounted to R15 446,” said Fox.
To ensure that the animals had food throughout the Christmas season, the organisation spent R22 826 to keep spaza shops well stocked with pet food, which they then sell at an affordable price.
Furthermore, kennelling and outreach costs for their charity amounted to R14 589 and the organisation worked hard to build fences and release a total of five chained dogs in December, at a cost of R12 335.
Fox said they were grateful to all those who helped raise funds to cover their expenses by participating in their annual golf day, their month online auctions, donating to their Have-a-Heart Fund, purchasing their 2021 calendars and giving generous once-off donations to the charity.
She also said they were grateful for all participating veterinarians, namely Dr Annelise Barker, Dr Ardri Kriel and Dr Nerine Botha.
“We are beyond grateful for the support we receive from all our followers, especially those living in St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis, who support our charity with donations and gifts of pet food,” said Fox.
