The society is classified as an essential service and will continue to attend to animal cruelty cases and emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnimal cruelty will not stop due to the nation being on lockdown and we suspect that many animals will suffer during these trying times,\u201d said Jacques Peacock, Germiston SPCA management committee secretary, on behalf of the management committee.<\/p>
Animals already admitted to the society and those who come in in the weeks to follow will still be cared for.<\/p>\n
The lockdown will have a severe impact on the income of the SPCA, due to no visitors to the society and the suspension of income-generating services and fund-raising events.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe plead with our community to continue supporting our society during this time, via our online donation platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease consider donating towards our society to ensure that we can continue our service to the animals and the community, pay our staff and settle our bills,\u201d said Peacock.<\/p>\n
Donations can be made into the Germiston SPCA\u2019s back account: First National Bank, account number: 5111 271 6150, branch: Eastgate, branch code: 250 655.<\/p>\n
Secure donations can also be made via Payfast: https:\/\/www.payfast.co.za\/donate\/go\/germistonbedfordviewspca.<\/p>\n
The SPCA has reduced its staff capacity to an alternating skeleton staff roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have staff members staying on the property who will be able to care for the animals in the kennels and any new ones,\u201d said Peacock.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo volunteers will be allowed during the nationwide lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff members will be on duty to respond to animal emergencies both during office hours and after hours.<\/p>\n
Strict hand-washing and disinfection protocols will apply.<\/p>\n
The focus of the SPCA\u2019s work during this time will be on emergency care, such as animal cruelty cases and caring for sick and injured animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll animals admitted to our society will be admitted through our after-hours drop-off kennels, on the left-side of our society.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese kennels will be serviced regularly, and strict disinfection protocols of the kennels and stationery will take place,\u201d said Peacock.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur reception will be closed, and the staff will only be attending to phone calls and emails.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo contact the Germiston SPCA call 011 825 5033 or send an email to reception@spcagermiston.co.za.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n Covid-19: Take security seriously during lockdown<\/a><\/p>\n Covid-19 on Print<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Owners will still have the seven-day period to reclaim stray animals.<\/p>\n Reclaiming of animals will be done by appointment only.<\/p>\n Members of the public can lodge animal cruelty complaints by calling 011 825 5033 during office hours or 082 675 0072 after hours.<\/p>\n \u201cShould any member of the public wish to surrender their animals, or become aware of an injured or stray animal, we urge you to bring the animals to our society, as we need to limit travel as much as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will only collect confined stray animals,\u201d said Peacock.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease note that we have no authority in terms of legislation to issue affidavits or letters stating people can feed feral cat colonies.<\/p>\n \u201cPermission for such activities must be obtained from the local JOC, with the assistance of the SAPS.\u201d<\/p>\n All adoptions are suspended until further notice, due to the movement of members of the public being restricted to buying food, seeking medical care, etc.<\/p>\n All non-essential veterinary services, such as vaccinations, deworming and sterilisations have also been suspended until further notice and the thrift shop and bookshop are closed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge our community to remain calm and to take the welfare of their animals into consideration during this time.<\/p>\n \u201cAbandoning your animal is a crime and we plead with members of the public to rather surrender your animals to your local SPCA should you not be able to care for them anymore,\u201d Peacock said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe assure you that we remain dedicated to our core mandate \u2013 the prevention of cruelty to animals, which we must do in a responsible way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask for the public\u2019s understanding and support during this difficult time while we do our part to flatten the curve.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s continue working for the animals and show compassion to every living creature that walks this earth.\u201d<\/p>\n *Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news<\/em><\/p>\n Dear reader,<\/em><\/p>\n As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as \u201cfake news\u201d) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.<\/em><\/p>\n Readers with any comments or queries may contact national group editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or legal adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist)\u00a0busiv@caxton.co.za.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Also follow us on:<\/p>\n
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