SPCA aims to draw up plan to control strays situation

The Society for the Protection and Care of Animals intends to start gathering statistics on Malta's stray population to be able to put together a structured plan to control the situation before it gets out of hand.

The aim is to establish the number of stray animals and colonies, as well as who is looking after them, said SPCA president Barbara Cassar Torreggiani.

The SPCA would be using the services of the Girl Guides, who plan to assist them with the research as part of their environmental project next year.

Ms Cassar Torreggiani and SPCA home manager Christel Selis recently attended the World Society for the Protection of Animals conference on Stray Management Control in Athens.

SPCA Malta is an associate member of WSPA, which is keen to share its knowledge and experience to improve Malta's standards, Ms Cassar Torreggiani said on her return.

She said the SPCA has been advised not to attempt a neutering campaign unless it has the necessary statistics and the government's total support.

The international, two-day conference, organised by WSPA, in conjunction with the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA), discussed the stray management options open to city councils and animal welfare groups; legislation and enforcement; responsible ownership; sterilisation programmes; humane education; owner responsibility and euthanasia.

In the run-up to the 2004 Olympics, Greece's long-standing stray dog problem is the subject of much speculation amid fears that tens of thousands of strays may be indiscriminately culled.

Estimates put Greece's stray dog population at over 500,000, 15,000 of which live in areas that have been designated as Olympic municipalities.