With feathers, fur or scales, there are so many abandoned animals that the SPA shelters are overflowing. Some 7,202 potential companions are waiting for a new master in the 62 sites of the animal defense association.
And “requests for abandonment” continue to flow, according to the SPA, which simply can no longer “collect new residents”. As in 2019, the association took in more than 45,000 animals in 2021, making “40,142 responsible adoptions” possible.
2021 is over! To have more and more animals adopted and saved, to put an end to the scourge of abandonment, to protect animals even better… Commit yourself to us for 2022!#DonateSupportAdopt #We share pic.twitter.com/srf1nf2e52
– SPA France (@SPA_Officiel) January 7, 2022
The abandonment of new pets (reptiles and rodents, known as NAC) increased by 56% last year. According to the SPA, this is explained because these animals are “available for purchase on the internet and in stores”, and therefore likely to be the subject of a “coup de coeur” purchase, thoughtless.
Campaigning for the recent law prohibiting the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores from 2024 to be extended to NACs, the association also calls for “a real awareness of the French”. “The first reflex for the acquisition of a pet should be adoption in a shelter to fight against abandonment and empower the owners”, develops Jacques-Charles Fombonne, president of the SPA.
The accountability of adopters is a key element since the animal protection service of the association was marked in 2021 by an upsurge in reports of mistreatment. The number of investigations increased by 17% compared to 2020 and the legal department indicates that it has instituted civil proceedings with the filing of complaints 343 times. A total of 349 hearings were held and the SPA saved 131% more suffering animals compared to 2020.
Drawing up this grim picture, the volunteers nevertheless point to a glimmer of hope: the number of equine adoptions has practically doubled since 2019, to reach 154 in 2021. Eager to continue this good momentum, the teams point out that the Grand Refuge de Pervenchères, in the Orne, offers 61 horses, donkeys and ponies for adoption.