MOSSEL BAY NEWS - What started years ago as a small colony of strays who made the Mossel Bay Harbour their home has exploded into a population crisis of hundreds of feral felines, causing concerns among restaurant owners and residents alike.
Salome Bruyns, senior inspectorate manager of the Garden Route SPCA (GRSPCA), says that along with the long list of unwanted elements that go with unstable cat populations of this kind, the most concerning is that unless properly managed, the colonies will continue to grow.
Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) has called on the Garden Route SPCA to assist with the management of the crisis.
Working in close consultation with the Mossel Bay Municipality, experts from relevant cat associations and members of the community, the SPCA has commenced with a rigorous project to ensure the long-term wellbeing and sustainability of the various cat colonies on the port property.
"This project includes catching the cats, assessing their overall condition, sterilising them, and releasing them back to their colonies. The aim is to establish humanely-managed, healthy colonies that no longer suffer from disease or injury," says Bruyns.
She says one of the major issues the SPCA faces is that of members of the public dumping their own domestic cats when they are no longer able or willing to take care of them.
"Not only is this extremely cruel, but it is also illegal and only exacerbates the problem. We urge owners who are struggling to provide proper homes and care for their cats to act humanely and responsibly and bring them to the GRSPCA for rehoming or sterilisation.”
The SPCA is committed to giving the port cats the best chance of survival in what is now their natural habitat. With growing public awareness and the ongoing help and support of its donors and volunteers, it is confident the crisis can be controlled humanely and that harmony will be restored to the harbour.
If you would like to volunteer your skills or expertise or make a donation towards the catch, neuter and release programme, please get in touch on www.grspca.co.za or 044 693 0824.
Every contribution counts and is counted upon.
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