CASE STUDY 2
RSPCA International is often approached by associate
organisations complaining about the poor state of the
municipality’s provision for stray animals in their city.
Attention is normally focused on inhumane animal
catching methods and the extremely low rehoming
rates at the municipal shelters. Many groups want to
open a new shelter to compete with the municipal facility.
One animal welfare organisation in Eastern Europe
decided to take an alternative approach. The group
studied the legal framework governing stray animals,
lobbied the local authorities and urged them to improve
conditions there. Through understanding the law and
working with officials, the group was able to
highlight the local authority’s responsibility for the
welfare of animals in its care.
The organisation persuaded the local authority to arrange
a fact-finding visit for the officials to study methods of stray
control in the UK. The visit impressed upon the authorities
that they were not providing appropriate care for those
pets abandoned by irresponsible owners, underlined the
lack of skilled staff at the municipal shelter and highlighted
other measures that could be adopted to reduce the rate
of abandonment.
Following the visit, the officials asked RSPCA International
to deliver an animal handling and shelter management
course. In the two years since lobbying started, the local
authority has built a new shelter to international standards
and specifications. The shelter’s original manager has been
replaced by a qualified vet, who fully endorsed the need for
trained shelter staff