All is not well at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SCPA).

The shelter, which has been a beacon of hope for countless stray animals in the Klang Valley since 1958, is undergoing the worst crisis of its 47-year history and facing an uncertain future.

Not only is it overrun with over 1,000 animals every month at its Ampang Jaya headquarters, the SPCA is also facing a financial crisis as they need more than half-a-million ringgit a year to operate.

Worse, property developers are eyeing their plot of land, making the future of the shelter a bleak one indeed.

The Malay Mail learnt that the site, currently leased out to the SPCA by the Selangor Government, is under threat of being sold off to property developers.

A source said an alternative plot for the animal shelter is being discussed, with Putrajaya being the most likely location.

"This would be disastrous for the shelter. At present, the headquarters is located in a strategic area easily accessible to most people. It is also in a semi-rural setting conducive to the animals’ well-being," said the source.

"It is difficult enough to get people to drive out and send their unwanted pets to the shelter even in such a convenient location.

"I fear that if a move to Putrajaya materialises, people will give up making any effort altogether, resulting in more abandoned animals in the streets."

It is learnt that negotiations on the matter between the SPCA and the State Government began six months ago and the shelter is looking into raising funds to buy the land.

When contacted yesterday, SPCA chairman Christine Chin declined comment.

"We cannot comment on the matter yet as it is still being discussed by the committee," she said.

However, she agreed that the shelter is in desperate need of funds.

"On the average, we need RM50,000 a month or more than RM500,000 a year to run the shelter,"

"Such an amount is not easy to come by as we do not receive Government aid. We rely solely on donations from the public and the corporate sector."

Of the RM50,000 a month, half is for salaries, while another RM5,000 is for the animals’ medical bills.

However, it is the food and maintenance bills which take up the bulk of expenses.

The animals’ food bill totals RM10,000 while the remaining is spent on maintenance, utility bills as well as the servicing and petrol bills of the shelter’s two ambulances which are used to collect unwanted pets and confined strays.
Last year, HSBC Corporation donated RM100,000 towards the shelter’s corporate sponsorship programme. The rest of the money was raised from bazaars, jumble sales, collection boxes and the sale of T-shirts and merchandise via its outreach work in schools and shopping centres.

Another problem faced by the SPCA is overcrowding of animals.

The shelter’s 17 kennels are full, with the arrival of more than 1,000 unwanted cats and dogs every month.

The Malay Mail was taken on a tour of the shelter’s facilities last Sunday.

The kennels, although serviceable, were in a dilapidated condition and needed upgrading. Although the staff had done their best to maintain cleanliness of the area, there is a shortage of space for the animals.

The cat kennel, where arrivals are put into before being taken for vaccination, deworming, vaccination or neutering, measures only six metres long and four metres wide.

"Imagine more than 50 cats cramped into these tight quarters. However, there is nothing we can do as we just have to cope with the limited space," said SPCA animal inspector Sabrina Yeap.

Source: Malay Mail