By Rachel Mohamed
AfriPaw has launched its latest initiative in Cape Town’s under-resourced communities to provide easier access to animal clinics. Many pet owners struggle with transportation, so AfriPaw will use bicycle-drawn carts to transport pets to clinics.
Speaking on VOC’s Breakfast show on Tuesday, the Director and Co-Founder of AfriPaw Anél Wesson said that the organization was established in 2017 to assist people and pets in under-resourced communities and bring solutions to pet care.
Wesson highlighted that the organization found there were many barriers to pet care services that prevented pet owners from accessing vet services due to financial issues to better care for their animals.
“There are many barriers to pet care in our country some of which are a lack of finances to pay for veterinary services and as well as a lack of transportation to reach those services.
“We have various service interventions to try and assist pet owners in these areas and one of these initiatives is the monthly called Pet Connect is on a second Saturday of the month to run these services.”
“Some owners struggle to control their animals because they are old or cannot walk that far or the dogs can be territorial and fight with other dogs,” she said.
She further stated that they have seen an increase in the number of animals that attend the clinic each month in using these services.
“We have 750 pets that attend our clinics every month and we came up with a pet taxi where bicycle-drawn carts are used as a form of transport for these animals.”
She also raised concerns about the lack of education as another barrier to owners taking care of their pets when vaccinating them regularly.
“The lack of education is another barrier to pet care people don’t always understand the need for preventative care such as vaccination and parasite control. Sometimes people don’t understand the benefits of sterilization and the fact that there is a by-law introduced by the city of Cape Town that all pets six months or older need to be sterilized unless a permit is obtained from the city.”
“We integrate with the communities through our community-based ambassadors who live in the area. We have six ambassadors who cover different parts of the geographical boundaries and even have young ambassadors who are influencers among their peers to talk about preventative care and the rights of animals. Our assets are holistic in education and providing solutions to pet care.”
She also mentioned the different areas that the organization is currently serving with the hopes of expanding its reach to new communities.
“Our flagship geographic area is Capricorn, and we serve areas such as Vrygrond with overcome heights, expanding it to sea views, Montague Village, and Lavender Hill.”
“We are hoping to replicate and roll out the model in a new geographical area and new ambassadors and community members to assist us in our monthly pet connect and the idea is to eventually enroll a new seat of taxis in different areas. We are always looking for volunteers to work with us every Saturday of the month and welcome any support from the public,” she concluded.
The public is encouraged to get in contact with the organization by reaching out through their website at www. afripaw.org.za
VOC News
Photo: AfriPaw/Facebook
