CAS News
 January 2009

 

CAS faces cut backs
as cash crisis deepens

 The Costa Animal Society has warned that it may have to make drastic cuts in the number of animals which it is able to accept for homing. The volunteers blame the situation on the current world economic crisis which has left charitable donations well down their supporters’ lists of priorities.

For some time, CAS has noted that, as a direct result of the worsening rate of conversion from sterling to euros, financial contributions from Britons in Spain has fallen alarmingly. Regular fund-raising excursions to Gibraltar and other destinations have been far from full, with some cancelled altogether.

 

Click on the logo above
to visit the website of
the Costa Animal Society

 

Now, a serious crisis looms as monthly income begins to fall well behind expenditure.

CAS’s undertaking is to find new, loving homes for animals which have been abandoned or maltreated, sometimes in distressing circumstances. Many are simply dumped and left to die, while others have been subjected to unbelievable cruelty.

However, providing these animals with the vital help they need from a vet, and which is required by law, is an expensive undertaking. This, together with housing some of the dogs and cats in fully legal kennels, means a bill for CAS of around 6,000 euros per month. Presently, income from fund-raising activities, membership subscriptions and individual donations has been running at less than half of this figure.


Wendy Thorne

   The solution is to reduce the number of animals for which help can be made available.

CAS’s President Wendy Thorne said that the organisation is not alone in its financial crisis, with other animal welfare groups also victims of the reductions being experienced in disposable income. However, failure to support a service to monitor and control animals could have serious, long-term implications for our town halls.

“When I first came to Nerja,” she said, “I was shocked at the sight of packs of dogs roaming wild and sick, plus abandoned cats breeding uncontrolled, with many simple left to die. A return to these days would be devastating, not least for the tourist industry upon which Nerja and many other towns depend in order to maintain their local economies.”

CAS receives no financial help or funding from any level of government and relies on good-will donations and support. None of the office-bearers or volunteers is paid for their work and the group which aims to combat animal suffering now needs help itself.

However, possible assistance could come from those who, while unable to donate cash, could give up some time to join those CAS supporters who foster animals waiting to find a new permanent home. “This would allow us to advertise these animals throughout our local and international network knowing that they are safe and well in the meantime,” explained Wendy Anyone interested in fostering kittens, puppies, cats or dogs is invited to call Jane on (+34) 6l6 530 071, who will explain what is involved.

Many of the 40 dogs and cats presently in the care of CAS can be seen on the website, www.casnerja.org, but the group warns that it may start refusing help in the future in order to reduce this number and its associated maintenance costs. This would inevitably lead to further suffering amongst innocent victims of maltreatment and abandonment.

If you could help CAS to weather the storm and continue its valuable work, please contact Wendy Thorne on (+34) 95 203 7095.

 

New at the CAS shop!

 

 

 The CAS shop is well-established as a great source of second-hand books and videos, all sold to raise cash for the organisation.

 But now there’s even more to choose from.

Recent visitors have been pleased to find a selection of nearly-new clothes at reasonable prices. Always worth a look!

The CAS shop in Nerja’s calle Dr Ferran, 12, is staffed by volunteers and is open from 10 am to 1 pm, Monday to Saturday.

 

  

Thrown from a car but rescued and recovering
  CAS continues to be amazed at the cruelty shown to animals.

It is thought that somebody threw this lovely pedenco dog out of car travelling along the motorway after which it landed in an enclosed area from which it could not escape.

Sharron, pictured here with the dog, and her boyfriend Steve eventually rescued it last month but by this time he was weak from surviving for many days on only rain water, in addition to which he had suffered a broken leg from his fall out of the vehicle.

At first, Expedito the vet thought that the limb might have to be amputated, but luckily, with some clever surgery and a metal pin, it was saved.

The dog is now recovering well with Sharron and Steve and expects to be able to run full pelt on all four legs before long. And his name? He’s been called Ditch, for that is from where he was rescued!

 

Over
€2,000 raised at CAS Christmas Ball

The Costa Animal Society held its annual Christmas Ball in Nerja at the end of November and raised a terrific 2,200 euros for the voluntary group’s funds. CAS wish to thank themain sponsor, Fleming Properties, for supporting the event.

The sell-out event at the Al Andalus Hotel, Maro, brought together 120 CAS supporters for a splendid dinner, followed by a raffle and entertainment from Global Radio’s Mark Peters, with dancing continuing into the early hours. Top prize in the draw, a 26 inch flat screen LCD television, was won by Bernadette O’Brien.

Thanks also to other businesses which showed their support, including Casa Essential, HzH, Hotel al Andalus, Talleres Tivoli, Hotel Los Arcos, Soltalk, El Elefante, El Candil, The Cottage, Irish Annie’s, El Oasis Punta Lara, Walli Ron, Stoker Brown’s, The Punta Lara Bar, Cochran’s, Langham’s, Iranzo’s, Linda’s Bar, Speakeasy, Clare White, Madison, El Puente, Simply Beauty, Lucy Poole, Ladyzonely Gym, Finlays, The Blarney Stone, Hotel Plaza Cavana, Streetwise, and Terry and Marilyn Evans.

 


L to R : Wendy & Richard Thorne (CAS President & Media Liaison), Karen O’Brien (responsible for cats and kittens), Anne & Roly Fleming of Fleming Properties, and Mike O’Brien (CAS Fund Raising)

A couple of nights later, a charity dinner dance at the same venue raised another 888 euros for CAS and Cudeca. The organisers Jan and Dave Neale thanked everyone who supported them and who helped on the night. A special thank you to Raphael of Hotel Al Andaluz, Burriana Properties Cafe, Taste of India, Rib House Torrox, Asian Ben, El Ancla, W.H. Smiffs and Allsorts.

 

Christmas
in
Cómpeta

 CAS was present at Cómpetá’s Christmas Market in December and raised 456 euros for the funds.

The Society’s stall was a focal point for the day, and a suitably attired canine representative help attract customers to find out more about the organisation.

 

CAS goes Dutch for the 100th time
  The co-operative arrangements between CAS and its Dutch counterpart HzH has seen the 100th dog travel from the Costa del Sol to a home in the Netherlands. Freddie (pictured left) flew out from Málaga just before Christmas to meet his new family in time for the seasonal celebrations

However, at the end of November things did not go so smoothly. Rosie arrived safely but when her owners arrived with her at their home, she slipped her collar and ran off into nearby woods. Now, she was in unfamiliar surroundings without having had time gain trust in her new owners.

The local animal welfare agencies, vets and even a dog whisperer were notified and posters were displayed, but it was thought that a familiar face might tempt her back. During her time at Seacrest Kennels, owner Kurt had got to know Rosie well, so he was despatched north to help in the search. HzH kindly paid for his flight and CAS took advantage of the situation to send four more dogs with him. Volunteers gave up their time to fast-track the animals through the travel preparation process.

So Kurt arrived at Düsseldorf airport accompanied by Todd, Snowy, Lulu and Jacko. After handing them into the care of their new families, he drove to the Netherlands to join in the search for Rosie. In cold and grey weather he met several local people who knew about the story of Rosie and she appeared to have become a local celebrity.

Heavy snow forced the search to end without success although the dog whisperer was certain that Rosie was still in the area. However, on his return to Nerja, Kurt was told that Rosie had been seen again. Although she then vanished, it confirmed she is still alive and, hopefully, we can bring news of a happy ending to her story next month.