Saving Pets in South Africa

As a consequence of South Africa’s apartheid past, veterinary clinics and animal welfare support were mostly to be found in the “leafy” suburbs, the formerly whites-only areas.

This situation remains virtually unchanged, as demands on the South African government to address human welfare issues are immense, leaving little leeway (or resources) to address veterinary health and animal welfare.

This is where IFAW’s Community Led Animal Welfare projects step in to make a difference in the lives of pets and people.

Providing hope through loving pet care

In South Africa, a substantial percentage of its citizens live in informal settlements and shantytowns. Often these settlements are many kilometres from the formal infrastructures and support of towns and cities. Transport is a constant problem, and frequently access to electricity and even to running water is a challenge.

Additionally many people are out of work and destitute, as well as living with high levels of HIV/AIDS infection. To these people the affection and loyalty they receive from their pets makes their lives bearable.

IFAW helps these communities by supporting Community Led Animal Welfare projects that provide primary health care for the domestic animals of South Africa’s poorest people.

Grateful owners, happier dogs

The concept of Community Led Animal Welfare was born in Johannesburg, in 1992, when former animal inspector and animal lover Cora Bailey was asked to assist in rescuing the dogs of families displaced by political violence in the shantytowns outside Johannesburg. It quickly became apparent that veterinary services simply were not available to poor people in these areas and Bailey established the CLAW project to provide a solution.

IFAW has supported CLAW and its work almost from the outset, applying the basic principles of its work (providing caring, compassionate and consistent primary veterinary health care services to the dogs and cats of the indigent without jeopardizing the needs of people first) to all the projects it assists.

IFAW’s Community Led Animal Welfare projects provide solutions to pet overpopulation by providing free sterilisation for cats and dogs as well as dipping to prevent parasites, deworming and vaccinations. Because these projects work in the heart of animal welfare problems in South Africa, we see grateful owners, happier dogs, fewer unwanted offspring, and a decrease in the number of injuries sustained in dog fights. The projects have a direct positive impact on the community as a whole.

Helping more animals and communities across South Africa

IFAW’s Community Led Animal Welfare projects in South Africa now include a CLAW project operating in the informal settlements and townships on the periphery of the city of Johannesburg, in the country’s most populous province, Gauteng.

In Khayalitsha, a sprawling township outside Cape Town, the Mdzananda Animal Clinic provides its daily services from three former shipping containers; and The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS) works among the poor communities and in the informal areas of the South Peninsula of greater Cape Town.

All these projects provide their services in a caring, compassionate and consistent fashion, helping to ensure a better quality of life for both pets and people.