Finally a home for the strays
Published on: Wednesday, June 01, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Kota Kinabalu (SPCA KK) may finally have a permanent home for the over 200 cats and dogs it now shelters at a rented premises.A proper shelter in a 4.5 acre site along the old Papar road has been bought for us by a generous lady, Datin Chow whose compassion for animals is well known among local animal activists."It is very conducive for an animal shelter," said Its President Dr Stuart Chin. It is now raising RM1.5 million for the entire project.ADVERTISEMENT Phase one of the project involves earthwork, site preparation, and completion of the dog shelter with eight dog runs (bays) and, most of the necessary infrastructure for the whole centre. The construction cost for this phase is approximately RM440,000.Earthwork has been completed and we are raising the necessary fund to start construction. "The completion of this phase will allow our animals to move out of the highly unsatisfactory conditions in the present shelter," he said.The whole project will consist of dog shelter (8 dog runs), cattery, quarantine unit, sickbay/sterilisation unit, staff quarters and administration center with facilities for volunteers to participate in the care of these rescued animals.ADVERTISEMENT SPCA was formed in 2006 in response to the predicament of a large population of homeless cats and dogs in the municipality and its surrounding districts. The population of these strays has had been at over 35,000.
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"We are now receiving 15 to 20 calls on our hotline per day and, we rescue on average, 50 animals per month. Up to end Dec 2015, we rescued 1,108 cats and dogs. The majority were neutered and spayed before they are being put up for rehoming," he said.Stuart said although SPCA KK is an NGO funded purely by donations from the public and manned by a small group of volunteers, it is determined to expand and improve on services. "Our animals deserve better and if our country is to progress towards a developed nation status, we have to bring animal welfare to a level that is fitting of such."Lack of funds to build a proper shelter had meant that our work for the past nine years had been done out of makeshift quarters. To date, our shelter had shifted three times because of dangerous and unsatisfactory conditions," he said.He said an important part of SPCA KK's work is in educating the general public on the responsibilities in owning a pet and to understand that the root cause for the large population of strays in our society is due to the uncontrolled breeding of pets and strays. "SPCA KK needs to convince owners to neuter their pets because of the many benefits in terms of public health and safety and the numerous health benefits to their pets. This new centre will have the facilities to educate the public on such issues."He said studies in many Asian countries have shown that there is a marked reduction in stray population after the implementation of TNR programmes. He said the population of strays, especially puppies, in Tanjung Aru was markedly reduced since a TNR program was introduced. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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SPCA KK will be holding a fund raising event at Palm square, 4th Floor of Centre Point on the 4th and 5th June 2016 (Saturday & Sunday) from 10.30 am to 5 pm. The public are invited to join the effort and render financial support.