Better treatment for city's homeless pets

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.