Humane Society International/Africa has joined forces with local organization Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO) to improve the lives and welfare of community cats and dogs in the villages around Hoedspruit.
HSI/Africa is providing HALO with grants in 2019 totaling approximately ZAR150,000 (10,850 USD) to increase spay/neuter efforts and to provide medical care to more cats and dogs in the area. In this wild corner of South Africa, animal vaccination and sterilization will be used not only to improve domestic animal welfare and manage overpopulation, but also to help protect wild and endangered species such as the African Wild Dog and African wild cats against diseases like rabies.
In South Africa, the challenges so often seen in street dogs and cats, such as overpopulation, lack of veterinary care and undernourishment are common. Whilst most community dogs are ‘owned’ in some way or form, they often roam the neighborhood, scrounging for scraps and freely breeding. As they come from rural and disadvantaged communities, affordable and accessible veterinary care is very limited.
HALO has been operating to serve Hoedspruit communities since April 2016, providing access to primary animal health care, including vaccinations and sterilizations, as well as educating owners about animal care and welfare.
