A 500km journey: SPCA brings free desexing to East Coast communities

After opening registrations in late April, the animal welfare organisation was inundated with calls and bookings for pet owners in the region to take up the limited-time offer.

It’s certainly not your average delivery, with teams of SPCA veterinarians and veterinary nurses also making the journey to the East Coast, a region sorely lacking in veterinary services. SPCA staff will travel from Wellington and Palmerston North on a weekly basis for a period of five weeks to provide free desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, flea and worm treatments to hundreds of companion animals.

SPCA’s desexing caravan – known as Bessie - will be departing from SPCA’s Masterton Centre this week and will be operating in Tolaga Bay, Tokomaru Bay, Ruatoria and Te Araroa from 17 May – 18 June.

SPCA CEO Andrea Midgen says the animal welfare organisation is offering these vital procedures completely free of charge to East Coast pet owners in a bid to combat the large number of unwanted animals they see in the region.

“With the nearest veterinary clinic, a couple hours’ drive away in Gisborne, the sheer number of animals coming through our Gisborne Centre’s doors is huge. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg and a lot of work needs to be done to reduce the overpopulation of animals on the East Coast,” Ms Midgen says.

“By putting Bessie back on the road and taking her to places where the need is high, SPCA can hopefully reduce the large number of unwanted animals and make a tangible difference to animal welfare in the East Coast community.”

Since SPCA opened registrations in April, the team has seen a huge response from the East Coast, with the community welcoming them with open arms, especially for this campaign.

“We’re so grateful to everyone involved in making this campaign a reality, in particular, the East Coast community who have been so welcoming to us and the work we want to achieve. We're excited to bring these important services to a community in desperate need of them,” says Midgen.

To find out more, go to www.spca.nz/desexingcaravan