UNDERSTANDING CRUELTY TO ANIMALS CAN HELP YOU JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST IT MORE EFFECTIVELY!
Last week we looked at how to better understand cruelty and recognize the signs of cruelty. This week we will look at how you can report cruelty and help us fight and prevent cruelty against animals.
Pets have no voice to cry out for help and they can’t dial 911. They aren’t able to alert authorities to abuse, and they can’t quietly discuss their pain and injuries with a veterinarian. You have to be the eyes and ears for the animals you encounter to ensure that if there is any abuse, it can be stopped in time or prevented. If you do not report cruelty, then you are complicit.
As we mentioned last week, neglect may require an educational visit from an SPCA inspector or animal welfare worker and abuse may require the removal of the animal from the home and prosecuting the offenders. Either way, your call will guarantee a better life for that animal.
This article is a re-print published 26 April 2023.
UNKNOWINGLY YOU CAN BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM.
Cruelty comes in many forms and you might, unknowingly, be supporting it!
• Breed – there’s no such thing as responsible breeding when we have a massive overpopulation crisis!
• Support breeders (registered or backyard) when millions have to die
• Support pet shops that sell animals
• Support Aquariums
• Support Zoos
• Support Petting farms
• Support wild animal interaction (e.g., rides)
• Support Circuses with animals
• Support unethical hunting practices
• Do not sterilize your pets
• Do not keep them safe and let them roam the streets (including cats)
• Support irresponsible organizations
• Do not report cruelty
• Abandon/abuse/neglect any animal
• Give animals away for free
• Use products tested on animals
• Support “free to good home” ads
• Not planning for your pets when you immigrate or in your will.
…..the list goes on and it is easy to unknowingly contribute to the problem.
REPORTING CRUELTY
Save your local SPCA office and emergency numbers on your phone. Also, include the numbers of the areas where your friends or family stay or where you visit frequently.
HOW TO REPORT
- Is it safe to take a photo/video?
- Get an exact address or pin drop.
- Call your local SPCA. Find them via the NSPCA website.
- Assist with the case.
- Report if it happens again.
Please understand that the SPCA or animal welfare organizations can’t always just take the animal. There is a legal process to follow!
ALWAYS REPORT CRUELTY!
If you notice an animal that appears to be suffering, call your local animal welfare agency (mainly the SPCA in SA) immediately! Do not send a message or email or do this through social media as we lose precious time! Call until they answer! It can always be done anonymously and even if you are unsure, rather report so the SPCA can investigate. You can find an SPCA near your location or contact the NSPCA directly. You can also report it to your local SAPS, but I would rather do it through the SPCA or other local animal welfare organizations willing to assist.
Read here how to recognize the signs of cruelty, but if you are unsure whether it is cruelty or not, report it anyway! Please understand that the SPCA can’t just take an animal away on the first visit. They need proof of the cruelty and there is a process to follow including writing a notice to comply or warnings before a warrant can be obtained for the removal of the animal in question. In clear-cut cases, it can happen faster. When you call them and they go out, and you feel nothing has happened, follow up and contact the NSPCA – nspca@nspca.co.za. When it happens again, please contact them again and even provide affidavits where possible. This will help with the process. If you report cruelty to a SPCA and they claim it is not their area, by law, they still need to make sure that the case is attended to.
HELP US FIGHT CRUELTY!
- Report cruelty!
- Be a responsible pet owner. Know about and fulfill the needs of your pet. Don’t just concern yourself with basic needs – give your pet positive experiences that really enhance their well-being. It is a lifetime commitment, not just when it suits you.
- Be an example of kindness to other pets. Foster a pet that has suffered abandonment. Sadly, many pets are relinquished to shelters for various reasons. Foster homes help these animals to recover and prepare them to move on to a new permanent loving home. If you can, ADOPT!
- Intervene if you witness animal cruelty, abuse, or neglect. Do what you can to stop someone from mistreating an animal. However, be sensible and if necessary, seek help from other witnesses or authorities. An animal that has been mistreated needs support, sometimes immediately. You can make a real difference by taking an animal out of a harmful situation.
- You can keep food, water, a leash, and a blanket in your car. If you see an animal in need or roaming around you can help. Approach only if it is safe for both you and the animal, as we do not want them to run away into danger. If the animal is hurt, stay with them or follow them at a safe distance, while you wait for your local animal welfare organizations to come and assist you. If you can pick up the animal, take them to your Vet, the SPCA, or into your yard until the owners are found.
- Teach your children to have respect for animals. Set a good example by being respectful towards animals. Show children how to interact with and treat animals with love and consideration. Even if your pet allows it, kids should not be sitting on or pulling on the ears or tails, etc. of pets. Help them to grow up to become the next generation of advocates for animals. Children who are cruel to animals often grow up to be cruel to people as well. Nip animal cruelty in the butt early on, even better, prevent it!
- Know the legislation & support legislation that promotes kindness to animals. Stronger animal welfare laws and harsher penalties for abusers will lead to fewer cruelty cases. Support the campaigns and advocate for animal rights! Ask what animal welfare policies the political party you support has. You can read the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1993 (Act 169).
- Animal and social welfare link. Consider that neglect of animals can be closely linked to domestic violence. Animal abuse usually precedes or is concurrent with other abuse. By reporting your suspicions, you may also be helping both the animal in need and the family members concerned.
- Educate people around you about the issue. Help people to understand that they can intervene in situations where animals are being neglected or even tormented. Animals have a right to live without fear or pain, and we have a responsibility to step in if their rights aren’t respected. Promote programs at schools! You can read more on specific educational animal welfare topics on the NSPCA website.
- Offer help to people who seem overwhelmed with their animals. Animals aren’t necessarily neglected out of a lack of love. An owner may not have the psychological resources to provide an animal with the appropriate care. Whatever the reasons may be, an affected pet must be removed from a place of neglect and given the care it needs to live and thrive. Any help you give to an animal may help a human too.
- Volunteer in animal welfare, whether it is by fostering, helping at kennels, sharing posts, or by donating to those who do the work. Take care of those animal welfare workers in the trenches, so they can continue this sad and tough job. Whether it is words of encouragement, a gift, treatment, or just a coffee.
- Using cruelty-free products like skin/body/hair/make-up and clothes. The www.humaneguide.co.za are products endorsed by Beauty without Cruelty (South Africa) that do not test on or pay for testing on animals. Don’t be fooled by companies’ smart and sly slogans. It is never what the company claims, but what they can prove! Be informed!
- Don’t support “free to good home” ads and report the selling of animals on social media. Don’t support breeders, pet shops, animal dealers/brokers, the circus, aquariums, petting farms, animal rides, animal sports, unethical hunting practices, or any industry that exploits animals for money or entertainment.
Preventing animal cruelty is no easy task, but with your help, we CAN DO THIS!
WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER.
