RSPCA NSW has made the decision to permanently close its Blue Mountains shelter, through a two-staged approach over the coming months.
The first stage will see an end to shelter operations, including adoptions, and the second will see the management of stray animals and the facilitation of the community’s impound services transitioned back to the Blue Mountains City Council.
While dates have not been confirmed, all RSPCA NSW staff and volunteers will be given the opportunity to be redeployed within the organisation once the services of the site have ceased.
In a statement, RSPCA NSW said that the decision to close the site comes after careful consideration, taking into account the community’s long-standing views on how the site should operate and it is clear that members of the Blue Mountains community want a secure place for stray animals to be cared for.
“Over the years, our shelter has served as a valuable resource for the local community, providing care and support to the animals of the Blue Mountains. During this time, we have observed a positive transformation in the community’s approach to animal welfare.”
Steve Coleman, CEO of RSPCA NSW, said it is evident that the Blue Mountains are a community who prioritise the wellbeing of their pets, which has subsequently led to a significant decrease in the number of animals coming into the Blue Mountains shelter.
“This is a testament to the community’s unwavering commitment to positive pet guardianship and clearly shows that animals within the community are regarded as cherished family members.”
Across the state there has been a 350 per cent increase in requests for support through RSPCA NSW’s domestic violence, aged care, emergency boarding, and homelessness programs.
“We recently conducted a report to calculate the long-term impact our community services have on areas in need. This method of reporting measures values that are not traditionally assessed such as social, economic, and environmental factors.
“The findings showed that collectively, our community programs generate $7.97 worth of social value for every $1 we invest. This reiterates what we have been saying for many years, that RSPCA NSW’s greatest impact is focusing on prevention, early intervention, and education, with the ultimate goal of keeping people and their pets together and animals out of shelters,” said Coleman.
To stay up to date on the latest industry headlines, sign up to the Pet Industry News e-newsletter.