EMIHLE MBANGATHA
Dr Roger Davis took on the Discovery Surfers Challenge this past weekend, dressed as a merman no less, and raised R30,000 for ailing local animal welfare.
Davis, a vet from Wild Coast Veterinary Clinic Crossways decided to run the Surfer’s 17.5km to generate awareness and garner donations towards Hilltop Animal Outreach, which provides services for local abandoned and sick animals.
The money raised will go towards medicine, stock resources and surgical equipment.
With R30,000 having been raised towards the cause, Davis surpassed his initial R10,000 goal and credits the East London community for this.
Davis said: “It was great to be out there! People welcomed us home clapping and cheering, they knew we were doing this for the animals.
“There are so many stray animals in our part of the world and we all need to do our part to reduce the numbers and break the cycle of breeding that contributes to an increase in strays.”
Davis said efforts to address proliferating sick and stray animals mitigated the threat of rabies.
He acknowledges that individual efforts cannot solve the problem and argues that the crisis persists due to inadequate government intervention.
The Wild Coast Vet and Hilltop have a long-standing relationship and have provided care to thousands of animals for more than a decade.
Hilltop Animal Outreach co-founder Jenni Krause said every contribution, no matter how small, made a difference. Hilltop Animal Outreach manages around 250 feral cats across various colonies in East London, ensuring they are fed and sterilised.
They also receive frequent requests to assist with the sterilisation of new colonies.
Visit their Facebook page, Hilltop Animal Outreach for information on donating.
