July 25, 2008
Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals
Before 1996, no established animal welfare groups existed in Uganda. There were several scattered shelters, a legacy of the East African Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but many dissolved during the upheaval in late 1960s and into the late 1980s.
The Uganda Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (USPCA) was registered as an NGO in 1998 and has set the precedent for animal welfare groups all over Africa.
An HSI affiliate since 1999, the USPCA works diligently and against many odds to ensure that animals around the country have the chance for a better life. The group achieves this through programs that dispel rumors (linked to cultural tradition) that cause animal suffering, and that allow people to see the economic benefits of compassionate care.
The USPCA operates numerous clinics at which animals of all kinds can be treated or spayed/neutered. An open clinic is held at least five times per year primarily in Kampala (or Kla), but also in rural areas where people do not always have the resources to care for their animals. Working with a very limited budget, the USPCA also holds ten sterilization clinics per year at which hundreds of animals are successfully sterilized.
The organization has also established the Kamwokya Center—a place where children can come to get treatment for their animals and learn how to properly care for them through books, games and educational tools. These children often teach their families the benefits of animal welfare.
The USPCA also runs an adoption program, adopting out about 90 animals a year.
Emergency services
HSI has sponsored USPCA's call center since 2002. Emergency care services are an integral part of USPCA operations, and the center receives an average of six phone calls per day. The most common inquiries involve reports of animal abuse or abandonment, interest in adopting an animal, and injuries that require emergency response.
"Now that we have the funding, thanks to HSI, to help these animals in distress, we find that the public is much more ready to help us and the animals," says Katia Ruiz Allard, USPCA's Vice Chairperson. "They will take in an injured or abandoned animal knowing that we will [be able to] provide veterinary care."
Humane livestock practices
One of USPCA's most notable achievements is their progress in humane livestock transport and slaughter. HSI, the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), and the USPCA have been working together since 2002 to introduce humane handling at a local slaughter facility in Kampala, Uganda.
In early 2004, a strategic action plan was developed to bring together interested parties, including representatives from the Kampala City Council, the Uganda Veterinary Association, the Ministry of Agriculture, abattoir workers and others to introduce and implement humane techniques and equipment. As a result of these efforts, Ugandan President Museveni declared, "the transport of animals in Uganda leaves a lot to be desired. Apart from reducing the quality of the final product, beef, it also puts the country in a bad light and you will find many markets closed to our beef because of inhumane handling of animals… I am directing the Inspector General of Police and the Ministry of Agriculture to vigorously promote the rules governing animal transport."
Although the USPCA faces many difficult circumstances, their actions have positively changed the lives of animals and people all over Uganda. USPCA became an HSI Animal Advocate in 2003.
Uganda SPCA
P.O. Box 27933
Kampala
Uganda
E-mail: uspca2003@yahoo.com