LIFESTYLE NEWS - Initial data on South Africa indicates that an estimated 4,1 million companion pets are currently homeless in the country.
Besides pet-friendly housing and expensive veterinary costs amongst others, Mars Petcare and Royal Canin have launched the first-ever State of Pet Homelessness Index in collaboration with leading animal welfare experts in order to measure the scale of cat and dog homelessness by country.
The Index identifies local contributing factors and builds insight into critical components that will inform future initiatives to help address the complex issue.
The Index estimates that there are 224 million homeless cats and dogs across nine countries including South Africa.
Built on input from 200+ data sources supplemented with quantitative data on consumer attitudes, the Index ensures a holistic view of pet homelessness.
Each country received an overall tally between zero and 10 (where 10 = no pet homelessness exists) based on data collected across three focus areas.
The Index currently includes nine countries – the US, UK, India, Mexico, Germany, Russia, South Africa, China and Greece.
Making pet homelessness in South Africa a priority
“At Mars, we’re driven by our Petcare purpose to create A Better World for Pets™. As a global company, we have the ambition to end pet homelessness. Tackling this issue helps both animals and people – bringing the benefits of the human-animal bond to more people and ensuring every pet has the sustained care and nutrition that they need to thrive,” says Tumi Masekela, Corporate Affairs Director at Mars Multisales Southern Africa.
Masekela adds, “
The world we want tomorrow is one where no pets are homeless. Unfortunately, the reality today is that there are approximately 4,1 million homeless companion animals in South Africa as per our newly launched State of Pet Homelessness Index.”
Overall, South Africa scored 4.0 on the Index’s 10-point scale with 27% of companion animals in the country being homeless.
South Africans keen pet owners
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed perceptions of the role of cats and dogs in the home worldwide and after the hard lockdown in March and April 2020, pet ownership has been on the rise in South Africa.
However, global data suggests that across the nine Index countries measured, nearly half (47%) of pet owners have concerns that post pandemic, there will be more homeless pets than ever as economic hardship makes caring for pets difficult.
The Index revealed 77% of the general population in South Africa would consider adopting from a shelter and rescue centres in the future, compared to the global average of 65%. The country has effective programmes that promote pet adoption and fostering, connecting potential owners to shelters and rescue centres, and raising awareness of the benefits of having a pet.
South Africa’s above-average sterilisation rates help with reproduction control; however, work is needed to address the high rates of canine rabies, as well as the requirement for more robust national rabies control programs.
Vet expenses and housing concerns pose challenges
The Index revealed that 49% of South Africans are hesitant to take their pet to the vet due to high costs, compared to the global average of 28%.
In addition, 70% of South Africans believe it’s difficult to own a dog when living in an apartment compared to the global average of 60%. As for cats, 51% of the country’s respondents agree that apartment-living is not suitable compared to the global average of 45%.
Pets make our lives better
“Science tells us that pet ownership brings a multitude of benefits to our health and well-being: from improving our heart health and physical activity to building empathy, aiding development, and strengthening our sense of community. We believe pets deserve more and tackling the issue is central to our purpose of creating a world where they are healthy, happy, and welcome,” adds Masekela.
She concludes, “We’ve worked for years to address pet homelessness in pursuit of our Purpose: A Better World for Pets™, implementing a wide range of programmes including responsible pet owner education, expanded access to veterinary care and shelter support.
"Until now, there was no way to understand the scale of the issue comprehensively in South Africa. That’s why we are proud to share the State of Pet Homelessness Index as a crucial first step, so that anyone working towards this goal can benchmark and measure the effectiveness of their interventions over time. We know that this is just the start, and we look forward to developing impactful collaborations to end pet homelessness.”
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