Written by Courtney Stassen – Founder NAC (Noupoort Animalcare)
Photography by Retha Diedericks
Severe animal neglect was rife in the small, remote Northern Cape dorp of Noupoort, and the nearest animal welfare organisation was over 150km away. Observing this neglect everywhere around me moved me to find a solution, and in 2011, I started Noupoort Animalcare (NAC).
It starts with sterilisation
At first, I thought that if I could just get all the dogs (there weren’t many cats at that stage) sterilised, then there’d be way less abuse, neglect and dumpings taking place. There’d be fewer pups dying in misery and pain from diseases such as parvo and distemper, which their owners didn’t know about and didn’t understand.
I just wasn’t sure how to go about it…
So, I did a shout-out on Facebook, and a few local ladies offered to help with a fundraiser. I also rallied some friends to help (they’re still part of NAC), and our first 60 dogs were sterilised soon after – what a miracle – and an informal animal welfare organisation was born! Well, after that, Noupoort Animalcare just gained momentum! We started doing outreach work in the townships; people got to know us and started to bring sick and injured dogs to me for help.
Seeking shelter
There soon arose the need for a place of shelter as people were bringing unwanted dogs to me, or homeless and injured dogs were found in dangerous places. I turned some unused land next to my partner’s business (the land is also owned by him) into camps. With whatever used fencing, poles, mesh, gates, etc. I could find lying around, I erected these camps to be able to take in these desperate souls.
Around 2018, a serious cat population problem presented itself. Suddenly, every second township home had a cat. Cat sterilisations then became just as important as dog sterries. But the cats kept on coming…
In 2020, I received sponsorship to build a cattery, which now has, on average, 70 inhabitants. Sadly, adoptions for adult cats are few and far between. This is largely due to the absolute remoteness of our town, which isn’t going to change, so the cattery has been built to be as comfortable as possible for them while awaiting their forever homes.
All the animals in our care are sterilised, vaccinated, dewormed, and treated for parasites. Adoptions don’t happen that often, but when they do, our adoption rules ensure the best possible home for the animals, as well as the agreement to return said animal should things for some reason not work out. Fortunately, to date we’ve had no returns AND we get regular updates from adoptive parents, which is wonderful!
However, my main focus was (and still is) spays, because I certainly wouldn’t have been able to handle the amount of dumpings otherwise.
Noupoort Animalcare today
We don’t have a local vet – the nearest are 40km and 50km away. Part of our services include weekly visits to the vet, funded by our organisation as the local populace is impoverished. Donations from kind supporters barely cover the cost of food.
Despite this, to date, we’re proud to have sterilised more than 1100 animals and vaccinated many more. We’ve provided tick-and-flea dip for hundreds of dogs; provided kennels, runners, doggy jerseys, dewormers, blankets, and medical treatment for many dogs as well; rescued dogs and cats from dire situations, such as owners threatening to beat them to death; removed starved animals; removed cats at risk of being killed due to the owner believing they were bewitched; and the list goes on…
When we started, mange was a big problem, but we went all out and treated these animals to such an extent that cases have now dropped to almost nil.
We recently had a really bad distemper outbreak that spread like wildfire. Sadly, due to limited funds, we weren’t able to secure enough treatment and vaccines, and despite our best efforts, tragically, many lives were lost.
Our rescues don’t just end with dogs and cats. We’ve rescued and rehomed horses, donkeys, goats, pigs, tortoises, hedgehogs, skunks, snakes, an owl and other birds.
When any animal is in distress, we’ll jump in and assist. NAC is a pro-life organisation, which means that every life matters, and we’ll do everything in our power to help the animals brought to us and ease the suffering of those who can no longer be helped.
Our motto is: “Where there’s life, there’s hope”.
By 2021, we’d grown so much that we were advised to formally register an NPC (Non-Profit Company) so that we could do all our work formally and with all the lawful requirements to proceed and raise funds, etc. We’re now a fully registered NPC (reg no. 2022/216343/08).
You can help!
The number one need is, of course, FUNDING to cover vet visits, medication, sterilisation, etc. and food for the animals in our care.
Other needs are:
- Canned food for dogs, puppies, cats and kittens
- Vaccinations for dogs and cats
- Dewormers for dogs and cats
- Broadline for cats (because it kills parasites inside and out)
- Kennels for township dogs
Any donations are most gratefully appreciated:
NPT Animalcare
Capitec Middelburg
Branch code: 470010
Account number: 1357912267
For more information on Noupoort Animalcare, please email to courtneystas@yahoo.com, WhatsApp 083 338 9527 and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/noupoortanimalcare