Khayelitsha’s animal sanctuary faces closure

Khayelitsha’s only remaining animal sanctuary could close its doors by next year due to dwindling sponsorship.

Mdzananda Animal Clinic on the Cape Flats treats 700 animals per month for free, mostly stray dogs and other domestic animals. It also offers services such as adoption, sterilisation, vaccinations and surgeries.

Spokesperson for Mdzananda, Marcelle du Plessis says a sponsor who contributes majority of their annual funding is pulling out.

“We used to have an international donor who was our main funder, unfortunately due to overseas budget cuts they had to withdraw their funding, and yes; we are lacking lot of funding, they were covering about 65% of our income,” says Du Plessis.

The Cape Metro’s stray dog population is estimated at over 200 000. The clinic performs just over two thousand surgeries per year. The City of Cape Town says it is working with various animal shelters to deal with stray animals.

Mdzananda Clinic has started a Paw Member Funding Campaign where donors can contribute R100 per month to its coffers.

It aims to reach three thousand donors in order to break even.