Bulawayo SPCA urgent appeal for donations

Bulawayo public we desperately need your help. We are very short of funds which we need to continue to operate, and like everyone else, our running costs are huge and we are struggling to make payments. As well as covering the City of Bulawayo, we are now having to cover the whole of the Matabeleland area, including the rural areas, as the Z.N.S.P.C.A. is no longer able to cover these areas.



We are a private, non-profit organization, not a municipal or government agency. We are affiliated with the R.S.P.C.A., but for now we are not receiving funding or help from them. We depend upon donations from the public, the monies we receive from the S.P.C.A. Shop, and the meager adoption fees in order to operate.

Our Clinic charges a minimal charge, which covers the cost of drugs and medical supplies, and runs to provide a veterinary service for those in the lower income bracket. Unfortunately, we have 'clients' do not pay their bills, and therefore we sometimes do not cover the costs of drugs/services. Drugs, equipment and medical supplies are hugely expensive.

Here are some figures from the past year:

Dogs For the period July 2012 - July 2013 - 1145 dogs were admitted (brought in, surrendered, collected off the street, etc). Of these, 110 were adopted, and 136 were returned to their owners who came for them bringing the total saved animals to 246. The remaining 899 dogs had to be euthanized which equates to a staggering 78.5%!

Cats For the same period 204 cats were admitted. Of these, 56 were adopted, and 6 were returned to their owners who came for them. 142 cats had to be euthanized which equates to 69.6% !

These figures are shocking and upsetting as in one calendar year the S.P.C.A had to euthanize 1041 animals which is 77% of all animals admitted.

The cost of collecting, boarding and euthanasia for all these animals is HUGE. (It costs us approximately $15 to euthanize one dog (depending on the size) and a little less for a cat).

The core purpose of any SPCA is the prevention of cruelty to animals, and in order to achieve this aim, qualified Inspectors are employed to enforce the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (Chapter 19:09). Our Inspectors each respond to, and investigate, an average of 40 cases of cruelty per month. These include, but are not limited to: sick or injured animals not receiving adequate treatment, animals abandoned on properties or dumped, animals being tortured for human amusement, animals which are starving or not being cared for and properly fed, animals being abused in any way, animals not being housed properly or in danger from exposure to the elements, animals being kept solely to produce offspring for monetary gain (puppy/kitten "mills"), animals left to stray and in danger of harm to themselves, other animals or to humans, animals being chained up or caged for too long a period or, etc, etc.

We are so thankful for the donations, cash and kind, we do receive from both companies and private persons - without these we would have had to close some time ago. But the situation just gets worse. each month our bills get harder and harder to pay and we are at a crisis stage.

A donation of ANY amount will be GREATLY appreciated. Every little bit counts! You can bring your donation directly to the S.P.C.A. Or, our Banking details are as follows:

SPCA BUILDING FUND
STANBIC BANK MAIN STREET BRANCH BULAWAYO
ACC No: 0222031758601
BRANCH CODE: 1005 SORT CODE: 3302 SWIFT CODE: SBICZWHX

PLEASE, HELP BULAWAYO S.P.C.A. TO CONTINUE OPERATING - TO CONTINUE TO PREVENT PETS FROM BEING ABUSED AND ABANDONED.