Tags
Fears more stray cats and dogs face euthanasia after RSPCA dumps roles
There are concerns more stray cats and dogs will be euthanased in Tasmania after the RSPCA moved to dump some roles.
The animal welfare group has warned it may have to close unless it redefines itself and scales back responsibilities, including shedding pest control and stray animal management.
The group was also finalising an agreement to pass animal cruelty complaints involving large numbers of animals to the Department of Primary Industries for investigation.
Local Government Association Policy Director Katrena Stephenson said there were concerns more stray cats and dogs would be put down.
“It might mean there is more of a focus on humane euthanasia,” she said.
“It may if there are less places in the pool to take on the re-homing, so by the RSPCA contracting, the other organisations may not be able to pick up the difference, that possibly it may lead to more euthanasia of animals.”
David Peters from Dogs Homes of Tasmania said the more people who are involved in animal welfare, the better.
“If the RSPCA is no longer able to look after dogs, it would put more pressure on us,” he said.
Mr Peters hoped councils would not put down more animals because of the changes.
RSPCA general manager Peter West said the group wanted to shed responsibility for animal management, pest control and dealing with stray animals.
“We’ve sort of become the place that fixes all those problems, when really those problems are of local government or State Government,” he said.
We’ve sort of become the place that fixes all those problems, when really those problems are of local government or state government
RSPCA Tasmania General Manager Peter West
“So what we’re doing now is pushing back a bit to say you guys need to handle animal management, you guys need to handle pest control, we’ll certainly be there to help animals in need but that’s not our core function.”
The group has already been talking to local councils and the State Government to reduce the number of animals it must care for.
Mr West said the RSPCA in Tasmania could no longer do it all and the Department of Primary Industries needed to take over investigations of big animal cruelty cases.
“Every time we take in an animal we have to re-home it, there’s de-sexing to happen, there’s all the vaccinations, or if an animal comes in and its injured and not doing well and we have to euthanase it,” he said.
“All of these things are a cost to the society and we have to find those costs somewhere.”
Councils had in the past worked with the RSPCA to roll out responsible pet ownership programs, including free micro-chipping and de-sexing in a bid to curb the number of feral cats and dogs.
The RSPCA expected it would take about 12 months to turn around its finances.
Topics: animal-welfare, tas
rspcaanimalcruelty 