Homeless animals: a phenomenon of great magnitude
The problem with stray animals is as vast as it is complex. The main victims are cats and dogs, whose overpopulation, in the absence of a policy of systematic sterilization, is causing much suffering. In France, there are no less than 10.7 million cats in the streets, and this figure continues to grow. Abroad and overseas, as in China or recently in Mauritius and Reunion, mass slaughter campaigns are scheduled, and to fight against them One Voice is bringing the issue in front of the courts and mobilising public opinion. In Darjeeling, India, we work with their local partner DGAS. We have already funded the construction of a clinic and a shelter for abandoned animals’ care and adoption; we also support sterilization / vaccination campaigns for cats and dogs. In France, sterilization and the ban of selling pets by small ads are at the heart of our campaign.
Abandonment and suffering
10.7 M
400,000
Domestication has resulted in animals being dependent on humans. Left to stray is not synonymous with freedom for them. Loneliness, hunger, fear, bad weather are all difficulties they face. Even for cats, which are mistakenly believed to be self-sufficient, the distress is great. Regularly targeted by certain humans, they must face an endless violence: stoning, drowning, strangulation and burnt alive... One Voice’s Zoé Cell takes legal action against their torture.
The investigators of the association also go in search of homeless cats to expose the ordeal they undergo daily; we also support our partner shelters that, in their actions, feed and sterilize the animals. In 2012, the association set up an innovative partnership with one of the shelters and a retirement home. This project Named Chatipi has allowed the creation of a reception centre for several cats without families in a Burgundian EHPAD (Care home for dependent senior citizens). The goal, which has been achieved, was to bring comfort to both the elderly and the cats, making the place an intergenerational meeting place for seniors, children and cats.
Stray donkeys in Brazil
Dogs and cats are not the only ones to fall victim to wild abandonment. In the Northeast of Brazil, stray donkeys have multiplied since they were no longer used for transporting people. Abandoned by their owners, hungry, left to their own devices, donkeys roam and reproduce with no concern. They are so numerous today that they generate traffic accidents. Becoming an embarrassment, they are sometimes buried alive! Campaigns have organized to catch and to lock them in farms. But infrastructures are rarely enough and they die in great numbers, without anyone caring for them. Thanks to local and international partnerships, One Voice have started a long term operation for their rehabilitation. With the issue being brought to the forefront via the media, we have already obtained the support of the authorities. But even with real political will, there is still a long way to go...
Abandonment and natural disasters
In developing countries, natural disasters generate complicated situations. Lost animals are left homeless and the already difficult situation of those who are roaming becomes dramatic. The health risks, for them as for humans already in precarious situation, worsen significantly. This is what brought One Voice to intervene, following the tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia, the floods in India and after the earthquake in Haiti. Caring for, vaccinating and feeding not only cats or dogs, but also cows, sheep, goats and horses is a vital emergency...
