Rustenburg SPCA / DBV
Promoting welfare - Confronting cruelty
"Our Mission is to combat cruelty to animals and promote the proper care of ALL animals."
The Rustenburg SPCA
We are the Rustenburg Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals. The Rustenburg SPCA was founded in 1936 and to this day it is our mission to combat cruelty to animal and promote the proper care of ALL animals – through advancing awareness in the communities we serve.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to help create a community that LEADS South Africa in its care and respect of animals in homes, on farms and in the wild.
We are committed to mobilize a society that provides all animals, as a minimum, five essential freedoms:
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
2. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
3. Freedom from distress
4. Freedom from discomfort
5. Freedom to express behaviors that promote well-being.
The charity function that we perform:
We inspect facilities that keep animals: pet shops, sale yards, security companies, abattoirs, etc. to ensure the animals have the proper care and take action where standards are not met.
We also run the municipal pound for stray animals, domestic and farmed animals. It is our mission to reunite lost animals with their owners .
Our SPCA inspectors work in underprivileged areas, educating owners about animals care, and enforcing the Animals Protection act 71 of 1962.
One of our biggest challenges is to motivate dog and cat owners to sterilize their animals.
An oversupply of puppies and kittens lead to sick, old or unwanted animals being abandoned to die of starvation. Neglected animals spread diseases and worms, etc. – not only to other animals but to children playing in the same dirt.
Sterilization is crucial to the prevention of cruelty to animals.
History and Background of the SPCA and Rustenburg SPCA:
The first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Southern Africa was founded in the Cape in 1872. This is known today as the Cape of Good Hope SPCA.
The formation of other SPCAs soon followed, with one being established in Port Elizabeth in 1875, one in Durban in 1896, in Johannesburg in 1902, Pietermaritzburg in 1906 and both Pretoria and Krugersdorp in 1910.
Of all of those Societies, only one is not still functioning today. The rest are fully operational Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the society has grown to over a hundred SPCAs nationwide.
The objectives of the Society shall be:
- To prevent cruelty and the ill treatment of animals by promoting their good treatment by man;
- To prevent wanton and improper treatment of animals;
- To encourage kindness and consideration towards animals, including the establishment and promotion Junior Movements;
- To maintain and protect animal and bird life in their natural habitats;
- To educate the entire community with regard to the humane treatment and compassion of animals.
The NSPCA considers that the welfare of an animal includes its physical and mental state and that good animal welfare implies both fitness and a sense of well-being.