Where We Started
Animal Rescue Organisation (Melkbos Animal Care ), originally known as the Voluntary Soul Paws Animal Care (VAR) was established in 1986 to combat the neglect and abuse of animals in the Old Crossroads area. At that time, when riots kept many people out of the indigent and informal settlements, VAR opted to go into these areas in need to reach the suffering animals.
Our Mission
There were no animal welfare organisation’s going into the very indigent areas providing a veterinary service to the informal settlements, so many animals were left destitute.
Given the economic status, the majority of pet owners had no transport of their own to take sick or injured animals for medical assistance. The need for mobile welfare veterinary assistance was identified and this became the focus of the organisation’s mandate “TO RELIEVE THE SUFFERING OF TOWNSHIP ANIMALS”.
VAR operated from the home of founding members Betty Hobbs and Ulrich Schafer in Kenilworth, and was registered as a formal NPO with the Department of Social Development in 2001 when Soul Paws Animal Care was given an NPO number. A Constitution was drawn up, a document which to this day, remains the foundation of the Organisation.
Many local private veterinarians offered their assistance on a weekly roster basis and animals to be sterilised were collected from indigent communities and later returned to their owners, healthy and sterilised. Initial services offered included the removal of sick, mangy, unwanted and injured animals using an old donated vehicle.
Our Vision
Fundraising was in its infancy and took the form of book, cake & bric a brac sales by volunteers. A database of donors was established and public relations began to raise awareness and support.
VAR moved to a large office in Tulbagh Square in the City Centre and continued to operate from one vehicle (affectionately known as Tuffy) doing collections of goods for sale in Green Market Square to raise funds and transporting animals to the local veterinarians for sterilisation. PDSA was very supportive during this time.
In time a small piece of ground was given to Soul Paws Animal Carein Nyanga near the bus terminus for the erection of a hospital. A good relationship was built with community leaders in Nyanga. A vibracrete wall was initially erected to mark the exterior boundaries of the property but sadly this was removed piece by piece by the locals within days of the wall being erected. It was soon realised that building a hospital on this ground would not materialise as locals rejected the idea and regarded an Animal Hospital as a health hazard.
Safmarine donated two containers which were set up in Nyanga at the bus terminus and Crossroads and operated as small clinics whereby dipping baths and other equipment could be stored. The clinics opened every day and served the community. Over time both the containers were stolen which made operating stationary clinics difficult.
As VAR grew in work and stature, a house was rented in Stanley Road, Observatory in 1994. At this time, there were about five staff members, the word Voluntary was dropped from the name and ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANISATION was born in 1995.
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