Doubling pet sterilisations to control skyrocketing population in townships

The Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha has launched a programme to sterilise more animals and curb the growing pet population in Khayelitsha. According to their estimations, approximately 300 000 companion animals live in the township, many of which are unsterilised. On the 4th of January they launched a satellite sterilisation clinic in partnership with Blue Downs Animal Hospital in a neighbouring suburb to fight against the population growth.

“The community’s pet population is skyrocketing. Backyard breeding is rife as puppy and kitten sales are income generators. There is also a massive increase in the township’s size and population as people move to Cape Town from other provinces bringing their animals with them,” says Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Executive. “There are many superstitions around female dogs needing to produce at least one litter and that males will lose their ‘manliness’ and stop protecting homes if sterilised. The increasing population means insufficient homes or overcrowded homes which can lead to intentional and unintentional neglect.”

The clinic has extensive education programmes teaching about the importance of sterilisation. Yearly the animal clinic sterilises around 1500 pets. “This is not enough”, says Sr Heidi May, General Manager. “But due to our capacity at our facility, providing medical treatment to over 1000 animals per month, we are not able to do more. We have limited space in our operating theatre and limited veterinarians who also need to care for all patients in our hospital and shelter.”

The clinic had to find a creative solution to make a larger impact in the community and have done so by creating a Satellite Sterilisation Partnership Clinic.

“We believe in partnerships and that, through standing together, we can do even more good,” says Sr May. They have partnered with Dr Rightwell Munyuki, the owner and veterinarian of Blue Downs Animal Clinic whose practice is serving as a satellite sterilisation clinic for this newly launched programme. “In just five months we have already sterilised 353 extra animals.”

The launch of this programme was made possible by the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in the United Kingdom who sponsored one year’s running costs and sterilisation costs for 720 animals in 2022. The programme has, however, been so well received that they are already reaching more. “We have limited funding for this programme and we don’t want to stop sterilising because of funding restraints. We ask the public to become #SteriSuppawters to reach more animals,” says du Plessis. 

“We would like to reach more animals than the targeted 720 for this year. We can do it but we need to source more funding to make that a reality,” says Sr May. “We want to encourage the public to sign up as #SteriSuppawters and sponsor a sterilisation.”

To become a #SteriSuppawter sign up for a monthly debit order of R100 to sterilise two pets per year or R50 to sterilise one pet per year at www.mdzanandasecure.co.za. Or donate a once off amount of R650 to sterilise one animal.

Bank details:
Mdzananda Animal Clinic,
Standard Bank,
Account number: 075595710,
Branch: Rondebosch,
Code: 025009,
Savings account,
Reference: Steri +Your Name.

For further information visit their website on www.mdzananda.co.za or contact marcelle@mdzananda.co.za. A video of the partnership can be found on your YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ZF9gVEEGuas

Source: Mdzananda Animal Clinic 
Website: www.mdzananda.co.za

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Disclaimer: The information produced by Infurmation is provided for general and educational purposes only and does not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always seek the advice of your vet or other qualified health care provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you suspect that your pet has a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.