The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has the following message for people as the festive season approaches:<\/p>\n
“If you have animals, please ensure that they have the best of care.<\/p>
“Making sure their vaccinations are up to date is the first step and also a condition of being able to book pets into boarding facilities if you are going away.<\/p>\n
“Please plan ahead and ensure that their every need is catered for, whether you are with them or away during this period.<\/p>
“We recommend microchip identification as the ideal gift if an animal does not already have this form of permanent tamper-proof identification, which is also proof of ownership.<\/p>\n
“Compassion comes in all forms and we ask for consideration towards all creatures and the promotion of responsible behaviour.<\/p>\n
“An appeal is made to everyone to choose activities that do not exploit animals in any way.<\/p>\n
“Even if an animal may not be harmed, we ask people to consider if petting lion cubs is ethical and to look at the bigger picture; this is just one example.<\/p>\n
“Being the eyes and ears of the SPCA movement links to this and we ask members of the public not to be afraid to report anything of concern.<\/p>\n
“This might range from youngsters aiming at living creatures with air guns or similar items, to accidents involving animals or broken down vehicles carrying animals.<\/p>\n
“Please carry the number of your local SPCA with you on your cellphone.<\/p>\n
“Even if this is not the appropriate SPCA, they can forward the information quickly.<\/p>\n
“Above all, please report concerns regarding abused, neglected or cruelly treated animals by phone.<\/p>\n
“Every SPCA has an all-hours emergency number, but e-mails may not be monitored around the clock and the same applies to messages of this kind on Facebook.<\/p>\n
“The identity of an informant is always kept confidential.”<\/p>\n