Gran Kaz donates to SSPCA |26 July 2022
SSPCA staff in action
Gran Kaz has donated R50,000 to the Seychelles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA).
Accepting the donation, board member Carmen Paige thanked Gran Kaz profusely, saying the money will go a long way towards helping them with staffing and the everyday running of the SSPCA.
With five full time kennel staff, one vet, one vet’s assistant and just over 200 animals boarded at the SSPCA currently the work load is immense, with staff constantly having to pitch in when and where they can regardless of their own duties and responsibilities.
“We rely heavily on volunteers to help out wherever and whenever they can, but this is all adhoc and dependent on their schedules. At times we may have many volunteers in one day and at others we don’t have any outside help for weeks on end. So being in a position to increase our team is a huge relief for us,” says Dr Maria, resident vet at the SSPCA.
The SSPCA recently reached out to those who have supported them in the past, saying they were in desperate need of assistance to get an additional vet’s assistant and kennel worker on staff, and Gran Kaz was happy to oblige.
“We always try to support the SSPCA whenever we can, whether through financial assistance or volunteering,” says Shama Amesbury, PR and communications manager at Gran Kaz. “As a non-profit, the SSPCA doesn’t make any money at all, anything they receive goes into the running of the kennels and the clinic and the feeding and keeping of the animals.”
While the SSPCA does have generous souls coming by with food, beds and toys for the animals, they still have a lot of running costs.
“We sometimes forget that in order for the place to run, they need full time staff, and these people need to receive a salary in order for them to be able to dedicate all their time to this job as opposed to working another job to cover their living costs,” says Ms Amesbury.
The necessity for an extra pair of hands in the clinic is undeniable.
“The sterilisation clinic which runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays can see between 10-20 sterilisations a day on Mahé and on Praslin even more. If you then add on other procedures we may have to do with our in-house animals, due to injury or disease, that’s a lot of work. We need all the extra hands we can get,” says Dr Maria.
At the handover of the donation Gran Kaz staff were lucky enough to be able to stand in on some of the procedures and get a better idea of what the veterinary staff do.
“It was an amazing experience; in the few hours we were there we saw a number of sterilisations, some animals getting their shots and even a little pup getting x-rayed to check for a fracture. It makes you feel all the more respect for the people doing this work,” says Ms Amesbury. “I would personally like to call on all individuals and companies out there who were thinking of helping out in any way they can to please get in touch with the SSPCA. And of course, don’t forget that one of the best ways you can help is by adopting and giving one of the animals a permanent home. There are so many sweet animals in need of love – one of them could be meant for you!”
Contributed
