It’s been a long 3 months for the blue-eyed guy known as Number 20. After several surgeries to fix his broken leg, he finally gets to go back to his home in Tembisa, near Johannesburg. If he could speak, he’d be sure to express his gratitude to the Society for Animals in Distress (SAID), the organisation responsible for treating him.
As well as providing free veterinary treatment for township pets, SAID also educates local communities on pet care. In this way, they hope to empower people to look after their pets well, thus reducing the need for their services.
Number 20’s doctor, Chief Veterinary Surgeon at SAID, Dr Chris Swanepoel, explains the reason for his long recuperation period at SAID, “Some animals are difficult to treat because once they start feeling better, they begin running again and do further damage. After 3 months of treatment and several surgeries, I am just happy that this animal can go home.”
Carmen Douglas-Kilfoil, the Fundraising Manager for SAID, emphasises the need for community education, “Many of these cases could be avoided through educating people on how to better treat their animals. Saving animals is important but educating people is a more sustainable solution.”
Through the good work of individuals like Chris, Carmen and their colleagues, SAID has saved the lives of thousands of animals. To enable the good work to continue, Different.org and SAID are partnering to fundraise for 200 “care packages” which include sterilisation, micro-chipping, deworming and vaccinations. For more on the project, visit the project page here.
Login or Register with one of the options below