Walking the walk for those who can’t talk

Animal welfare non-governmental organisations are planning a march on the Durban Beachfront on Sunday, July 19, to highlight shortcomings in the current city Animal By-Laws that focus on punishing animals and their owners rather than protecting them.

“The current by-laws are directed towards controlling animals as nuisances. We believe in a different approach. Animals were declared ‘sentient beings’ by our High Court in 2017, which means they are entitled to the same protections as people. We would like to see our city by-laws amended to reflect this. While animal control is important, it should be balanced by an acknowledgement of animal welfare,” said Shaun Janke of the Durban Animal Welfare Network (DAWN).

Shabnam Baran of Stray Paws Animal Rescue and Welfare, an NGO that works intensively in townships and informal settlements, says that backyard breeding and a lack of enforcement is causing a crisis of abandoned animals.

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“We have seen a massive surge in roaming unsterilised and unvaccinated animals. This is causing a health crisis for both people and animals. We would like to see a mandatory breeding permit for anyone offering animals for sale, tighter enforcement of humane animal bylaws, and we are urging the municipality to create a system of subsidised sterilisation for indigent animal owners,” Baran said.

Democratic Alliance councillor, Sharmaine Sewsunker, will be taking the suggestions, compiled by this group, to council. The DA has enshrined animal rights in its constitution, confirming – in line with the South African Constitution – that the rights extended to people should also be extended to animals.

“We are awaiting the petition from the march. We will check the contents for any legal or regulatory concerns and then lodge it with council,” she said.

Niki Moore of Cats of Durban, a feral cat sterilisation agency, says that the current bylaws are being used to intimidate people, rather than look after animals – especially in areas where people lack resources.

“The current by-laws are impractical and unenforceable. They impose one-size-fits-all regulations on animals with wildly different needs and behaviours. Our animal welfare NGOs do tireless work to help and protect animals against abuse and neglect, but these by-laws often work against them. Allocating rights and resources to animals does not mean they get taken away from people. Poor people also love their pets. And roaming, scavenging stray animals are a health and safety hazard. So it is less about spending money on animals that should be spent on people, and more about allocating resources so that both animals and people can benefit,” said Moore. Anyone interested in joining the march can contact Niki Moore via WhatsApp on 071-932-8925.