July 2014 57 www.bahrainthismonth.com through expatriates leaving or Bahrainis unable to take care of their pets. Joyce estimates the BSPCA receives an average of 3,000 animals at its shelter every year. Most aspects of their work is voluntary and the AWC is largely funded from the proceeds of the BSPCA Thrift Shop, which sells used goods, donated by the expatriate community. In addition, the society raises funds through holding events such as the Dog Walk, Fashion shows and charity dinners. “We’ve managed to operate solely on donations and our own fundraising efforts so far, but in order for us to take the society to the next level of professionalism, we are paying for a full-time veterinarian, a qualified operations manager as well as animal handlers. We operate round the clock, dealing with thousands of homeless animals every year. Being the only registered animal charity in Bahrain, we’ve never turned away an animal or refused to deal with an animal-related problem,” she notes. Fundraising is a hugely onerous task and the society relies on the generosity of certain quarters such as the British Embassy, which provides them with a venue for their events and volunteers who contribute generously of their time. In the coming years, Joyce and the board would like the veterinary section of the centre to become a Blue Cross Hospital that will treat sick animals for a minimal sum. Private veterinary care worldwide is expensive and many people who cannot afford to take sick pets to private vets bring them to the BSPCA instead. But the society, due to ministry regulations, is currently unable to function like a private practice. “We don’t want people not taking a suffering animal to the vet because of financial limitations. If we’re able to offer a Blue Cross facility in the future, we could treat those animals for the cost of consumables and medicine. We’d also like to have outreach vehicles which will go into the villages and bring animals to the shelter for medical care,” she says. However, she hasn’t found much support from corporate organisations in Bahrain. Securing appointments for funding with the big companies is a difficult task and, when she does, Joyce is often told that animal welfare is not a priority. “Sadly, an animal charity doesn’t always rank as highly on the glamour scale as events such as a car race or a golf tournament, and yet animal welfare is not something that should be swept under the carpet. Animals are sentient beings.” Preventing cruelty In addition to caring for neglected animals, the BSPCA’s major ethos is to raise awareness about animal cruelty in Bahrain. As with most other values, it helps to start with the young ones. The charity hosts schoolchildren, who are taken on a tour of the centre to familiarise them with animals. They are then taught the global understanding of animal welfare and about how they should approach cats and dogs safely. When it comes into force, the GCC Animal Welfare Law will make offences related to animal torture and abuse punishable by a BD1,000 fine and a term of imprisonment. Animal lovers such as Joyce hope the law will be a deterrent to people on the island who engage in cruel sports involving animals. “Once the topic of animal welfare is included in Bahrain’s school curriculum, we’re planning to reach out to the public schools and talk to children about it. There are studies that say most animal abusers go on to abuse humans in later life,” says Joyce. Over the years, the BSPCA has kept a vigilant eye on instances of animal abuse in Bahrain, bringing to light the plight of abandoned circus animals, exotic animals being bred on remote farms and dogs being used in fights for entertainment and gambling. While Joyce is aware that not every person is an animal lover by disposition, she believes that people should wake up to the urgent problem of stray dogs in Bahrain. “In this progressive and civilised country we call home, seeing packs of stray dogs on street corners is a matter of concern. Even as we’re trying to change that, I want to say that it’s not the responsibility of the BSPCA and its volunteers, but an obligation on the part of every citizen residing here,” she says. The Animal Welfare Centre in Askar Joyce with her adopted pet Samson
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