TEARS Animal Rescue and AfriPaw join forces to bring veterinary care to Vrygrond
TEARS Animal Rescue and AfriPaw join forces to bring veterinary care to Vrygrond
Image supplied by the publicist
Every second Saturday, something extraordinary takes place in Vrygrond, one of the Western Cape’s oldest and most densely populated informal settlements. TEARS Animal Rescue and AfriPaw Animal Welfare have teamed up to give the many dogs and cats living in the community a fighting chance at a healthy life.
For almost a decade, AfriPaw has served the low-income community of Vrygrond through free sterilisations, affordable primary healthcare and access to food and shelter for township pets. The partnership with TEARS takes that work further. AfriPaw does the essential groundwork - identifying animals in need through their trusted network of community volunteers and their door-to-door relationships built over the years in Vrygrond.
TEARS steps in to provide the medical expertise: vehicles, medication, vaccines, and, crucially, veterinary and additional staff on the ground. Animals requiring emergency care or sterilisation are transported to TEARS for treatment.
TEARS Operations Manager, Mandy Store, says the collaboration plays to each organisation’s strengths.
“AfriPaw knows this community and has the trust of the people who live there. We bring the medical capability. Together we can do far more than either of us could alone.”
The fortnightly outreach runs every second Saturday and TEARS covers all transportation and sterilisation costs. It’s no small commitment. All of TEARS’ vehicles run on diesel, which means transportation costs alone are substantial.
Image supplied by the publicist
In June, the partnership reached a significant milestone. AfriPaw launched a second Pet Clinic in Seawinds - a community that borders Vrygrond but has historically faced additional barriers to accessing services due to its location. On opening day, 177 pets received primary healthcare, many for the first time. TEARS was there, alongside fellow programme partner the Animal Welfare Society of SA, providing vehicles, medication, and veterinary staff to make it happen.
The numbers have grown steadily ever since: by August, the Seawinds clinic had served 260 pets in the month, while the Vrygrond clinic continued to draw over 900. Combined, the two clinics are now reaching more than 1,100 animals every single month.
Sterilisation is at the heart of what makes this work matter in the long run. Every unsterilised dog or cat in an under-resourced community represents a ripple of future suffering: more litters, more strays, more animals without enough food, care or shelter. The more funding TEARS receives, the more sterilisations they can perform, and the fewer animals that end up on the streets.
Sometimes the clinics find more than they bargained for. Take Flea for example. She arrived at TEARS via the AfriPaw Pet Clinic after being surrendered as a young puppy. Her tiny body was covered in fleas and her ears were red, raw, and constantly irritated from the relentless scratching. She was in rough shape - but she was in the right place.
Thanks to a generous donation of half a million rands’ worth of Bravecto flea and tick treatment to TEARS, Flea was one of the first to benefit. A single dose provides up to 12 weeks of relief, while its quick onset of action meant the itching stopped almost immediately - giving her skin and ears the chance to finally heal. Happily, Flea has since been adopted and found her forever home.
You can help make every second Saturday count. In 2026 alone, the two clinics have reached thousands of animals across Vrygrond and Seawinds. Donations towards sterilisations and transportation costs directly increase the number of animals TEARS, AfriPaw and the Animal Welfare Society of SA can reach, bringing their vision of a community that treasures and protects its pets one step closer to reality.
To donate, visit https://app.glueup.com/event/donate-to-mobile-clinic-166857/
Flea (puppy) with Fleas
Image supplied by the publicist
About TEARS Animal Rescue
TEARS (The Emma Animal Rescue Society) is a registered non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa, dedicated to the rescue, treating, rehabilitation, and rehoming of abandoned and abused animals.
Through medical assistance, humane education, rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming, TEARS works to end pet homelessness, neglect and abuse across the communities it serves, powered by individual and corporate support, and partnerships with fellow animal welfare organisations.
TEARS website: www.tears.org.za
TEARS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TEARSAnimalRescue/
TEARS Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/tearsanimalrescue/?hl=en.
