Better treatment for city's homeless pets

By Jules Bell

JAKARTA (JP): If you were a dog or a cat, and your owners did not want you anymore, your future would be pretty bleak -- scratching around for a meal and living the life of a transient on the streets of Jakarta with nobody to love you. There is hope though, and it comes in the form of an animal shelter, where food comes as regularly as attention and affection.

It is called Pondok Pengayom Satwa, and compared to life on the streets as an abandoned pet, it is about as close to the Hilton as a stray will ever get. And the service does not seem to be that bad either.

Located about 300 meters from Ragunan Zoo, in Ragunan, South Jakarta, the animal shelter is the only one of its kind that resident veterinarian Sri Isna Shinta is aware of in Indonesia. She described the shelter as: "A pound where we take care of abandoned animals, especially cats and dogs that have no owners anymore."

So how do the animals end up there? According to Shinta, some are simply abandoned and arrive in the care of concerned neighbors. Alternatively the owners themselves bring them in because they are problem animals who bite or are aggressive, or their owners no longer have the space, inclination or money to keep them anymore.

Approximately 25 dogs and 20 cats and kittens arrive every month, and currently the shelter has 85 local and mixed breed dogs and about 55 cats, which equates to the monthly average. The dogs reside in individual cages and the cats live in their own double-story enclosure. Pondok Pengayom Satwa has room for a little over 100 dogs and 60 cats. However, animals are not destroyed at the shelter.

They live out their natural lives, and are only put down due to incurable illness. When overcrowding seems imminent, the shelter refuses new admissions. Animals leave the shelter in another way also.

According to Shinta and Tri Diah Sugiarni, a vet working at the establishment's Animal Welfare Unit, last month 29 dogs were adopted out, but a more accurate indication is three dogs per week. Cats are not as popular though, rarely being adopted, and the majority of kittens received by the shelter die due to illness or stress.

When the homeless animals are received by the shelter, owners with a conscience and the financial means pay for administration costs, and for the animals to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered. Alternatively the owners may elect to simply pay the administration cost of Rp 25,000 ($US3.50) if they cannot afford otherwise.

Adoption costs Rp 25,000, and Shinta said owners are selected carefully to ensure that the animals will be cared for properly.

Pondok Pengayom Satwa is actually a continuation of a long history of animal care in Jakarta. Dutch animal care groups created in 1894 and 1932 evolved into the Yayasan Penyayang Binatang (Institute for Animal Lovers) in 1948.

In 1984 the Club for Animal Lovers was established in Jakarta, later to become the Yayasan Pengayom Binatang (Foundation for Animal Care) in 1985, and merge with the Institute for Animal Lovers.

Mrs. Soeprapto, the wife of the then governor of Jakarta, founded Pondok Pengayom Satwa in 1987, at which point the shelter was moved to Ragunan, offering a new modern location and better facilities.

Today the shelter also includes a veterinary clinic for both residents and outpatients. The clinic is an important source of income for the shelter, which receives no governmental funding and relies heavily on donations and the generosity of supporters and customers, Shinta said. Running the shelter under these financial constraints is not easy, and she cited food costs that run as high as Rp 11 million per month as an example.

The staff at Pondok Pengayom Satwa totals 21, including five resident veterinarians in charge of the clinic, animal welfare department and public relations, three of whom are full time.

"If you don't have an attachment to the animals you cannot work here," said Shinta, who has been with the shelter since 1989. "Some people do not stay long because they are looking for money. You cannot work here for the money," she said.

Another service offered at the refuge is temporary animal boarding, although only approximately six to eight dogs board per week, from anywhere to two days to two months, explained Shinta. Boarding costs Rp 15,000 to 25,000 per day for medium and large dogs and Rp 12,500 for small dogs. A feline friend will cost you Rp 10,000 per day. Christmas, New Year and Idul Fitri are busy, however, with as many as 40 dogs and 20 cats staying at the shelter during these holiday periods.

The shelter also offers a cremation service and has a small pet cemetery where animals have their own tombstones and funerals can be arranged.

Walking around the attractive gardens and clean enclosures housing the animals, you cannot help feeling respect and admiration for the people involved in this establishment -- involved because they care about the animals. This is evident watching Sugiarni interact with the 55 cats at the refuge, and she knows the names of every one of them. "I love the animals," she said, as she patted Rita, the oldest feline there at 13 years.

"I just want to help the animals," said Shinta, "and teach people that they have to be responsible for their pets. If they cannot, then they should not keep animals." She stressed how important it is for people to treat their pets as part of the family, and that children should be taught this from a young age, adding that cultural factors may play a role in this.

The shelter can be contacted on 780 4993 or 781 9617.