FACED with over R300 000 in vet bills, the animal welfare organisation Phoenix Animal Care and Treatment (PACT), is urging the public to support and attend its “Rock for Rescue” fundraiser.
The event will take place at the Radisson Blu in uMhlanga on May 10 at 5.30pm.
The organisation is dedicated to the sterilisation of stray and homeless animals. They are also involved in rescue and re-homing of animals and have helped more than 70 000 animals since they were established in March 2012.
Neeri Naidoo, the co-founder of PACT, said they were often inundated with calls for help and, as a result, they incurred high vet bills, which has prompted them to close their doors temporarily.
“Most of our debt is due to after-hours treatment. For example, for a dog that was knocked while running across a road, or a highway, or is found with its limbs cut-off. Sometimes there is a need for immediate treatment. This cannot be put on hold until the next morning. We also have high monthly kennel and cattery costs, as well as food costs. We feed up to about 600 dogs a day.
“This fundraiser serves as a lifeline that the organisation desperately needs to continue the work that we do to help animals. The event will be a night of fun, food, entertainment and there will be a special appearance by our rescue dogs. There will also be an auction of some of our rescue dogs’ paintings. We urge the public to support the event to save lives.”
Naidoo added that the organisation also focused on sterilisation and education.
“We believe sterilisation is the essential goal of most animal welfare organisations. The problem we are faced with, which often results in animal cruelty, is overpopulation due to the lack of sterilisation.
“To curb this, we go into various areas with our mobile veterinarian, where it is most unlikely that an owner would take their pets for its vaccinations, or to be sterilised. We also educate communities as we believe it is the only way to break the cycle of abuse towards animals,” she said.
For more information on the event, call 076 4551 616.
THE POST
