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Untitled Document
Knysna Animal Welfare
The town of Knysna is situated along a stretch of the well-known Garden Route of South Africa, lying between the two main cities of Port Elizabeth and George, in the Western Cape.
An area of immense beauty, with spectacular natural attributes, one would expect the town to easily live up to its reputation of being the “Garden of Eden”. With stretches of natural forest, oceans sprawling onto white sandy beaches, and mountains cradling this little town, could one imagine that the countenance of all it’s inhabitants were less than picture perfect. |
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“ It is as if life had said, ‘I am going to send you into a world of cruelty. I shall make you sensitive to pain, fear, heat, cold, hunger and starvation. In this world of cruelty, I shall make you defenceless. In addition, I shall strike you dumb.’ This is the kind of world that animals are born into.” -
Grace Johnson, Animal Activist |
Just like everywhere else on our planet, man has forsaken some of God’s special creatures, whose pain and misery belie imagination. With an unceasing influx of migrant workers, and overpopulated informal settlements, it is obvious that somewhere along the way, the price of poverty and sometimes ignorance would have to come to bear.
Our mascot Goffin |
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Man’s best friend becomes the target of abuse and frustration, fuelled on by alcohol and drug induced malice, whilst gentle felines are brutally attacked by the dregs of society – boiling water and oil, knives and broken glass the instruments of their appalling onslaught. Behind the walls of fancy homes, where ignorance and finance is not an issue, reside some hearts bereft of feeling. Pets once “cute and cuddly” – now a burden as they reach their later and more frail days.
WITH YOUR HELP, KNYSNA ANIMAL WELFARE IS THERE TO CARE FOR THEM. |
KNYSNA ANIMAL WELFARE is a privately funded, non-profit making association solely working for the benefit of animals found mostly in underprivileged areas. Acting and speaking for those who have no voice, the society engages in rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing where possible, education programs and daily clinics, as well as operating a sterilization program which operates on a weekly basis, servicing the areas that fall between Sedgefield to the west of Knysna and Harkerville to the east. Besides responding to distressed call-outs from the public, the society is often also driven to engage in the welfare of larger animals, that although not falling within their jurisdiction, cannot likewise be ignored.
Education is power, and to the best of their abilities, the staff of the society distribute visual pamphlets on both the care of animals, feeding requirements, and disease protection and control. Many of the pet owners have wonderfully cared for and loved animals, but sadly these cases are in the minority, leaving the heavily financially burdened society and limited staff with an awesome, and for the most part, heartbreaking task.
Happy stories though do abound, and through the success of bringing scared and starving creatures through their ordeals, many but not enough of the rescued animals find loving homes, where their faith in humanity, their health, and their dignity can be restored. These successes can be attributed to the caring public, and only be sustained and attained through continued public participation. Without this ongoing generosity, the situation would be so much more hopeless. Through bequests, donations, fund-raising drives, food donations collected at local supermarkets, income gained from the societies welfare charity shop, donations placed into “Bondi” a bronze replica of a naval dog mascot with ties to the town, relief becomes a possibility.
With ever increasing demands on the services provided, and ever increasing financial burdens, (the society requires a minimum of R70,000.00 a month) to run successfully. |
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A PRAYER FOR ANIMALS
BY DR. ALBERT SCHWEITZER
Hear our humble prayer, O God, for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for animals that are overworked, underfed and cruelly treated;
for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death.
we entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,
and so to to share the blessings of the merciful.
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We appeal for you to visit our donations page and help in whichever way you feel able. To those who have always given of their time and resources – thank you and thank you again.
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