Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA) views with great concern the problems facing the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (JSPCA) with regards to its location. The difficulties encountered by the JSPCA in finding a suitable location for their animal shelter in the environs of Kingston are not new.

Since its founding in 1903, JSPCA has been the champion of the rights and welfare of animals of all types and has been based at several locations beginning with King Street (1938 – 1943); Spanish Town Road, Kingston 11 (1943 – 1999), which was closed because of both funding and safety issues); 113 Constant Spring Road (1978-1991); and 10 Winchester Road (1991 – present). Where can it go now to continue to provide shelter and care to all animals in need is the question at hand.

Although many in Jamaica think of the JSPCA solely as a veterinary clinic for those in the low-income bracket, it also operates a shelter for stray and abandoned animals, performs low-cost spay-neuter services for dogs and cats, and has been pivotal in dealing with domestic animal welfare issues on farms and with horses around the island. Rescue and rehabilitation services for our wildlife, from crocodiles to birds and marine mammals such as whales and dolphins; public education on animal welfare; responses in disaster situations (even internationally, eg after the earthquake in Haiti) are all part of its mandate. These animal welfare functions must continue to be supported by public and private contributions.

For the veterinary profession, the JSPCA has been an important source of employment and clinical experience for many newly graduated veterinarians and those who aspire to be veterinarians as well. Though the JSPCA operates one of several veterinary facilities in Jamaica, its charitable animal welfare mandate is what makes its continued accessibility in the Corporate Area important. The JVMA recognises this important role of the JSPCA and urges all persons with the capability to assist to help identify a suitable location in the Kingston metropolitan area for a shelter for the society to house the small and large animals that need a home. We also urge tangible support for adoption or re-homing of sheltered animals and for ongoing spay-neuter campaigns to control the growth of our stray dog and cat populations.

Dr Paul Cadogan

Chairman, Jamaica Veterinary Medical Assoc

denbighvet@cwjamaica.com

www.jvma.org