An update from our 2022 World Animal Day grant winners!
An update all the way from Malawi informed us of some great news – that the roadside sales of underage animals appear to be in decline!
In August last year, we announced Malawi’s Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (LSPCA) as our World Animal Day grant winners and they’ve been busy ever since.
As well as tackling issues such as rabies, the LSPCA have been working hard on a multi-pronged approach to stamping out the cruel trade of young animals being sold on the side of roads.
Selling animals at the roadside
The roadside sale of animals in Malawi has been a huge problem in recent years, with puppies and kittens as young as just a few weeks old being kept in low-welfare conditions, away from their mothers for up to 12 hours at a time.
This practice leads to significant animal suffering, which is why the LSPCA are so determined to stamp it out.
The organisation has been working towards this by conducting patrols along the roads, collaborating with the Malawi police service to get prosecutions and working on public awareness campaigns.
Focusing on animal-selling hotspots
Upon being awarded the grant, the LSPCA were able to work with the police to conduct even more patrols in the animal-selling hotspots.
This led to 26 puppies and kittens being rescued from poor conditions and the arrest of 13 offenders.
Sadly, all the rescued animals were suffering from dehydration and poor body condition from being removed prematurely from their mothers, and several had open wounds that required urgent veterinary care.
Due to their poor start to life, none of them had received vaccinations or anti-parasitic treatment, making them susceptible to life-threatening conditions.
Looking forward to a brighter future!
Upon being rescued, the futures of the rescued puppies and kittens brightened considerably, as the LSPCA were able to nurse them back to full health in their veterinary clinic in Lilongwe city.
Following their recovery, all 26 young animals received preventative healthcare, were put up for adoption and have since found their forever homes!
The LSPCA believe that the need to rescue these animals is beginning to decrease generally, as the regular patrols appear to be working as a deterrent and the numbers of sellers on the roads is decreasing.
Compared to figures from the six-month period between August 2021 and January 2022, the arrests in the same period in 2022 have decreased by 58% due to the decline in sellers.
The LSPCA hopes that by continuing to administer fines and conduct regular patrols, no new sellers will step in to take their place.
Educating the public on roadside animal sales
In the coming months, the LSPCA will continue their hard work and will also work on public education measures that will discourage people from buying animals from the roadside.
We share their hopes that this animal welfare issue has been contained and can soon be stamped out.
We look forward to following the project as it progresses and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support as, without it, our grant programme would not be possible.
Find out more about Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (LSPCA)