For the love of animals

Community participation and support ensure that the SPCA Keetmanshoop can continue to expand and be a safe haven for abused and abandoned animals.

"This is the only SPCA branch in the central south of the country, and we work under the auspices of the Windhoek branch. For a long time, we took care of animals at the Veterinary Clinic in Keetmanshoop and fostered animals in our own homes before the branch was established and registered in 2020," explained Lynette Oosthuizen, the chairperson of the Keetmanshoop SPCA branch. 

According to Oosthuizen, all this changed for the better when the Keetmanshoop municipality intervened. “They did a very good deed by handing over two building blocks of the stables building for our use. We have developed this area at a cost of N$200,000. We converted two lanes of stable blocks into cages and are still in the process of doing more alterations. We employ two caretakers and have four fulltime volunteers. We do admissions, provide foster services, facilitate adoptions, and attend to cruelty complaints,” she said.

Safe space - The Keetmanshoop SPCA branch accommodates more than 90 animals at this stage. “Most are dogs and cats. We also receive birds, porcupines, warthogs and horses. The animals come from the surrounding areas and far away. Looking after them is a big, seven-day job. We have animals that are abandoned by their owners, animals that can no longer stay with their owners or animals that are injured or get sick,” said Oosthuizen. 

The animals are first examined by a veterinarian, and if they are fine, they are rehabilitated and returned to families or the wild again. Some animals are sent to the SPCA sanctuary in Windhoek. 

Community involvement - Oosthuizen also lauded the community of Keetmanshoop for their continued involvement in the project. “The community participation aspect is just incredible. People call and report cases of animal cruelty. This shows that we are educated because we are paying attention to the welfare of our animals. We also work a lot with the children. They like to listen, watch and learn, but there is a long way to go concerning education around animals,” she said.

Raising funds - The SPCA is a charity which relies heavily on good hearted people and fundraising initiatives to make ends meet. Many times, when people die, they leave some funds for the SPCA. The SPCA Keetmanshoop also receives donations from the community and businesses in Bethany and Koes. The organisation is also running a Teddy Bear fundraising drive from Central Lodge in Keetmanshoop.  

“We use the money from our Teddy Drive from time to time to provide food packs and facilitate tick 'dipping' treatment in the surrounding settlement areas. We also sell bags of cat and dog food, which we receive from Windhoek. We also do a lot of projects, like selling clothes and pancakes to collect money for the cause," Oosthuizen explained.

Get involved - The SPCA Keetmanshoop branch is expanding, and its needs are ever increasing. “The SPCA Keetmanshoop is a community institution, and our doors are wide open. We need volunteers, it is nice to be a part of such a project. Please come and visit the animals, they need human affection and must be exposed to different people and experience human interaction so that they can successfully return to a family. Come and see what we do there,” she concluded.