Durban SPCA brings relief to drought-affected pets, livestock

Spokesperson Lindsey Fogarty says their team had raised enough money between themselves and purchased 1 000 litres of water. The team had then embarked on distributing the much needed resource to inland KwaZulu-Natal.

"So a couple of weeks ago, the Inspectorate team put their heads and wallets together and brought their vision to the rest of our staff with overwhelming results.

"Our incredible team dug deep and raised almost R3 000 within minutes, allowing us to purchase an astounding 1 000 litres of water to be sent to the affected areas. We then challenged the public to donate whatever they could. We ended up with 1 700 litres in total."

Fogarty says the team had focused on northern KwaZulu-Natal.

"The drought there has had devastating effects, not only on the communities, but on their domestic pets and livestock too. The areas worst affected have no established SPCAs close by and have lost thousands of animals to starvation and dehydration since 2015."

According to Fogarty the Inspectorate team volunteered their time on Saturday to drive to Dondhota and Ntambanana in Zululand to assist animals in need.

"They mostly dealt with families with cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, and even some geese. Animals that usually shy away from human contact ran to the Inspectors when they realised they had water.

"There was one particular herd of cattle that had trekked to a dry river bed, seemingly searching for water. When they were greeted by our Inspectors, they drank one bucketful after the next.

The inspectors said although the task was huge and overwhelming, the relief they saw in the animals made it all worthwhile. "They were humbled and honoured to be able to make even the smallest of differences."

Fogarty thanked Flo-line Cleaning Services who assisted Inspectors with transportation to Zululand and also lauded members of the public who donated water.

(File photo)