Mayo SPCA in danger

Mayo SPCA in danger of permanent closure

Anton McNulty

THE Mayo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which rescues and cares for abandoned and ill-treated animals, may be forced to close due to a lack of funding.
The spiralling costs involved in rescuing abandoned animals have put pressure on the resources of the Mayo SPCA, who fear for their future if they do not receive a grant from the Department of Agriculture in the new year.
At last month’s AGM of the Mayo SPCA, it was revealed that the total expenditure for the organisation last year was €52,643, with €27,512 being paid for vets’ bills alone. Last year, they received a grant of €10,000 from the Department of Agriculture, with the remaining money raised by volunteers through fund-raising events, and from donations.
Grants from the Department of Agriculture will be announced in January but there is no guarantee the Mayo SPCA will receive one, and there is a fear the organisation will not be able to cover its costs next year if they do not receive a grant. Despite being affiliated with the ISPCA, they have not received funding from them for the past five years.
Ann Kivlichan of the Mayo SPCA explained to The Mayo News that every day is a struggle for the organisation. Last year, €38,196 was raised from donations and fund-raising events such as flag days and selling Christmas cards, as well as sales in their charity shop.
“This year has been far far busier than last year, and each year the number of rescues goes up and up and so do the costs involved in treating them. Every day is a struggle, we have all the practical work, which includes cleaning, walking and feeding the animals, as well as going out and dealing with complaints. Then, on top of that, we have to find ways of organising things to raise money. It is non-stop all the time, we spend as much time raising money as we do with the animals, but the animals have to come first,” she said.
Ann explained that they are on the phone every day to people reporting cases of abandonment or cruelty to animals, and they could have at least three welfare officers on calls across the county every day. She fears that if they cannot continue to do their work, the abandoned animals will be put down because of Mayo County Council’s ‘non-rehousing’ policy. This will not deal with the issue of over-breeding, which she feels is where the real problem lies.
The Mayo SPCA was founded in 2000 and has 200 members, who work on a voluntary basis, in all parts of the county dealing with cruelty, abuse and neglect of all animals. It has a ‘no kill’ policy and all animals rescued are placed in kennels before being brought back to health.