The Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) warns each year of the acceleration of abandonment and the saturation of its shelters. The association reported on Wednesday, September 6, a “critical situation” after the care this summer of 16,498 animals in its 63 shelters. In detail, these are 11,564 cats, 4,054 dogs, 844 new pets, mainly rodents, and 36 horses during the summer period.
According to the SPA, the results of the summer are “serious”. The number of abandonments between May 1 and August 31 was up slightly compared to that of summer 2022, but the latter already marked a high level compared to the previous year. At the same time, adoptions fell by 5.2% compared to last summer, a situation which therefore does not make it possible to free up places to welcome new residents.
“Our teams are exhausted and must remain on the front line to take care of all these summer orphans. We currently have 7,994 animals present on all of our sites”, an increase of 2.4% compared to last summer, Jacques-Charles Fombonne, the president of the SPA, is alarmed in a press release. For the latter, this situation has been setting in for a few years “with each time new reasons for abandonment, such as inflation this year”. He hopes that “this new school year will be conducive to raising awareness about the responsibility that an animal engenders”.
A shock campaign launched by the SPA
To fight against the scourge of abandonment and raise public awareness, the SPA launched the “Lost Human” operation, a shock campaign of wanted notices where the roles are reversed. “My name is Pongo and I am worried: my human has disappeared (…) he certainly got lost soon after he tied me to a tree,” reads one of the posters.
The campaign includes five other posters, featuring dogs and cats speaking up to describe their owners, whom they naively hope to find through these advertisements posted in the streets.
A reminder of the facts evokes the reasons for abandonment: excessive veterinary costs, allergies, an aging animal, a move, a dog with special needs not taken into account which ends up doing damage or even going on vacation. “So many traumatic situations noted on a daily basis by the shelter teams to save these animals from the irresponsibility of their masters”, is indignant at the SPA.