KOTA KINABALU: Animal shelters in Sabah are constantly faced with financial burdens as well as mental and physical challenges to continue with their rescue work for strays.
Of late, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Kota Kinabalu and Shelter of Hope Penampang are among the latest to share their plight on the upkeep, costs, and burden of operations.
SPCA, through its social media platforms, has made an urgent appeal for donations as they are at risk of shutting down due to lack of funding.
At the moment, their resources are perilously low and only enough to last for about two months for the 261 dogs and 90 cats under their care, said its president Dr Stuart Chin.
He said the new minimum wage policy, the high cost of veterinary care and other expenses and daily unrelenting calls for help are factors that put their organisation on the brink of closure.
He said with an operational cost of RM85,000 per month, their biggest expenditure is for medical treatment (RM32,000) while other expenses include food, utilities, transportation, maintenance, and staff salaries.
“We plead for your help. Please donate whatever you can. If everyone and enough people send in a ‘humble’ donation, we stay open and continue our fight for animals,” Chin appealed.
SPCA relies on public funds to keep it afloat but also has a charity shop in Karamunsing to generate income, he said, adding that while their funds continue to deplete, the number of animals in need keep rising.
“We don't turn away critical cases, even though our resources are stretched thin,” he said.
In 2024, SPCA KK neutered 1,081 dogs and 1,321 cats, bringing their total since 2006 to over 17,065 animals.
“In 2024, SPCA KK sent 1,300 animals for medical treatment. Our annual bills on neutering and medical expenses exceed RM400,000,” Chin said.
He appealed to owners to neuter their pets to reduce the number of strays.
Despite the Animal Welfare Enactment 2015 which punishes pet abandonment with up to three years in prison and or up to RM100,000 fine, many newborn puppies and kittens, still blind but alive, are thrown away as rubbish, he said.
Shelter of Hope Penampang operator Adrienne Godfrey Johniu said public funding has been getting lower, while operational costs were rising, more so with the recurring floods in her area.
She and her helpers, who include her children and relatives, faced a lot of stress every time it rains and then floods, as they had to rescue all the animals and put them on higher grounds, while trying to salvage food and other things at home.
“We continue to depend on public funding to help these animals. Please, please, continue to share about us so that we can keep our mission going,” she said.
Shelter of Hope also does sales occasionally to help pull in funds to sustain their operations.
Another NGO, ALIR - Animal Lovers Independent Rescuers, had on March 10 stated that they would not be able to accept new cases as their bills, amounting thousands of ringgit, have yet to be settled.
“We are sorry if we are not able to accept new cases until this case is settled,” it said in a Facebook post, adding that one of their followers, known as Victor, who is also a volunteer, has been in a coma due to a stroke the past two weeks.
