Next 2 Projects: Clanwilliam cats 7th April Wupperthal 21 to 29th May 2014

Clanwilliam Cat Sterilisation Project We are aiming to sterilise as many cats as we have funding for on the 7th of April 2014. We have a waiting list of 80 cats for the Clanwilliam area. Wupperthal Domestic Animal Mass Sterilisation Project Wupperthal and its satellite communities lie in an environmentally sensitive area of the Cederberg mountain range. Most members of the community are poor and unable to care effectively for their pets. This has a negative impact on both animal- and human health, as well as on the environment. EnviroVet CVC is working with a local organisation, CLAWS, which is an animal welfare organisation working in the Cederberg Municipal District under the guidance of EnviroVet CVC. The main focus of this project is the sterilisation of animals amongst less advantaged communities in order to curb the natural exponential pet population growth and thereby prevent unnecessary suffering and spreading of zoonotic disease within the community and surrounding environment. We propose to run a mass sterilisation programme in Wupperthal and its satellite communities in May 2014. The purpose of this programme would be threefold: Firstly, to reduce the numbers of unwanted animals in the community and thereby improve general animal health and stabilise the pet population’s growth curve. Secondly, because Wupperthal is an isolated community, we will be able to measure the effectiveness of a mass sterilisation programme, which will help us with future programmes elsewhere. Thirdly, and most importantly, by reducing the number of pets, we aim to reduce the incidence of domestic cats interbreeding with African wild cats and reduce feral populations of dogs and cats which compete with indigenous animal populations for food and territory. By doing this we will help to preserve and protect the biodiversity of the area. The benefits of this of programme will be that less advantaged people living in these communities will see an improvement in the health of their pets and importantly, the surrounding environment will benefit from the reduction in problem domestic animals in this area. We will be running the project over a eight day period in which we hope to sterilise an average of forty five animals per day. The proposed starting date of the project is 22nd May. We hope that by making a success of this project we can generate the support to spread it out to the rest of the Cederberg and help sustain and improve the bio- diversity of the area. We also believe this to be an opportunity for the Cape Leopard Trust to use this as a platform for further environmental education in the community – a programme already in progress in this isolated Cederberg community. Importance of good pet management could possibly be incorporated in the existing CLT education curriculum. The organiser of the Project will be Dr Annelize Roos, principal of EnviroVet CVC and SAVC-registered veterinarian with many years of experience in community animal health. Potential Sponsors are welcome. We are in need of cash donations, pet food, blankets and printers to print educational material for the community Thank you