Help TEARS sterilise 350 animals for World Spay Day, 24 & 25 February
One sterilisation prevents thousands of rescues
TEARS Animal Rescue, in collaboration with Animal Welfare South Africa (AWS), AfriPaw and experienced veterinarians from TAH, is launching a World Spay Day campaign titled ‘Stop the Cycle. Save Lives.’
This year, we are doing things differently. Over just two days, 24 and 25 February, the teams aim to sterilise 350+ cats and dogs, with each partner playing a vital role in making this possible. TEARS and AWS will provide clinical facilities where the procedures will take place, AfriPaw will assist by co-ordinating the identification of animals from underserved communities, and the TAH veterinary team will provide additional surgical support to help reach, and hopefully exceed, our goal.
The purpose is simple but urgent: to prevent unwanted litters and reduce long-term suffering. One unsterilised animal can lead to hundreds, even thousands, of unwanted animals over time, many destined to live lives of neglect, hunger and hardship. By sterilising just one animal, we don’t only change one life, we prevent generations of suffering before it begins.
Sterilisation reduces suffering, neglect and overcrowding
TEARS Operations Manager, Mandy Store, says, “Sterilising animals is the most successful way to reduce animal suffering. At TEARS, we see so many litters born into neglect, mothers exhausted from constant breeding and animals suffering not because people don’t care but because prevention did not happen in time. Sterilisation is one of the most powerful tools we have to stop this cycle before it starts. One sterilisation doesn’t just help one animal, it prevents generations of suffering, and it keeps animals out of over-populated shelters.”
Sterilisation is a prevention, not just a rescue
TEARS Animal Rescue works in underserved communities where access to veterinary services is limited, and many pets and stray animals go unneutered. Store says, “Sterilisation saves lives before a rescue is even needed. Every female dog or cat we spay, or male pet we neuter, costs R500 for this campaign, money we need to raise from the public. By donating to this relevant and meaningful campaign, donors are helping before animals end up in shelters or before those animals’ next litters are forced into shelters. Animal welfare shelters are severely overcrowded. Although TEARS is a pro-life shelter, once our shelter is full, we cannot accept any more animals, even though so many more animals need our help.”
The R500 cost includes sterilisation, vaccination, a microchip and a bag of food
“All animals we sterilise are entered into a database, allowing us to track not only each individual animal but also the number of animals in each household and area, giving us a clear picture of how many animals have been sterilised in a specific location. The R500 cost per procedure includes a vaccination, a microchip and a bag of food for each animal. We are hoping to raise enough funds to carry out 350 sterilisations,” says Store.
As one unsterilised animal can lead to thousands of unwanted animals, so one sterilisation changes everything, not only for that one animal but for thousands more. “We would like to thank every donor for standing with us, and for caring about the animals who can’t speak for themselves,” says Store.
Help TEARS Animal Rescue prevent suffering for thousands of animals in the future by donating to this campaign. Donations can be made via the following link: https://app.glueup.com/event/166854/register/
TEARS website: www.tears.org.za
TEARS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TEARSAnimalRescue/
TEARS Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/tearsanimalrescue/?hl=en.
ABOUT TEARS ANIMAL RESCUE:
TEARS is a pro-life, non-profit organisation established in 1999 (registered in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act) whose core aim is to rescue, treat, rehabilitate, reunite, and rehome lost, abandoned, abused, and neglected companion animals and to educate pet owners and the youth living in the four under-resourced communities within which we operate.
We strive to meet the needs of the under-resourced communities in the Southern Peninsula by providing:
● free sterilisations and subsidised medical support that includes vaccinations, deworming, and parasite control
● access to two TEARS mobile clinics that offer primary healthcare and pet care support.
● Access to the TEARS Veterinary Clinic, offering veterinary care for vulnerable pets for almost any condition, illness, or injury at a welfare rate.
TEARS remains the only facility in the Cape Peninsula’s far South available seven days per week, including an after-hours mobile clinic service from 4.30pm to 7pm with limited veterinary care. TEARS treat the hundreds of animals who need treatment each month for various conditions, illnesses, and injuries.
Our experience enables us to manage the population control of companion animals in these areas, based on available funding, and to reduce the spread of zoonoses as a means of supporting community health and complying to the WHO’s One Health approach to the animal-human interface.
We are partnered with community-based NGOs and community leaders to support vulnerable pets and pet owners living in the four core communities we are mandated to serve. Our Programmes aim to bring about systemic change through strategic interventions based on community involvement and support. Implementing effective animal welfare solutions in high-density and low-income communities has been proven to positively impact human welfare by delivering health, environmental, economic, educational, and social benefits.
