This article is from page 51 of the 2007-12-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
THREE Clare organisations will benefit with a 25 per cent increase in funding for animal welfare organisa- tions, the minister for agriculture an- nounced on Friday.
The Clare Animal Welfare in Ennis, the Clare SPCA in Clonoghan and the Second Chance Animal Res- cue will receive €15,000, €10,000 and €3,000 respectively from the new funding.
The total number of organisations being supported by her department has now been increased by 13 to 107, representing every county in the Coe as
Payments totalling some €1.46 million will be paid immediately
to the 107 organisations to assist in their work in 2008 and brings the total amount of assistance provided by the department to animal welfare organisations since 1995 to more Wer Ne temom mses esONF
‘These bodies do tremendous work in rescuing, rehabilitating and pro- viding new homes to neglected and abused animals.
“While the grants being announced today do not cover the full costs of the increasing demands being placed upon these organisations, the sub- stantial increase in the level of fund- ing was in recognition of the vital role played by such organisations in animal welfare, particularly in respect of small animals,’ said Min- ister Coughlan.
‘Animal welfare organisations still require the ongoing generous finan- cial support of the general public to enable them to fulfil their mission to promote animal welfare and relieve animal suffering in Ireland.”
Other local organisations to gain funding were the Avalon Greyhound Sanctuary in Galway (€10,000); the East Galway Animal _ Res- cue (€3,000); the Galway SPCA (€25,000); the Limerick Animal Welfare (€20,000); Limerick SPCA (€15,000); MADRA in Galway (€3,000); the Renvyle Animal Res- cue Group in Galway (€3,000) and the Whiskers New Park Animal Sanctuary in Galway (€15,000).
Minister Coughlan said that, given her new fisheries’ responsibilities,
she was particularly pleased that among the first-time recipients of funding is the Irish Seal Sanctuary which has, for many years, been pro- viding welfare support for rescued marine wildlife found in difficulty around the Irish coast.
“A pet is for life, not just for Christ- mas. I am appealing to parents and others to think responsibly when considering giving a pet as a Christ- mas present and reminding people of the numbers of animals that are abandoned every year as soon as the Christmas novelty has worn off,” she said.
The minister urged people to heed the warnings and advice offered by the animal welfare organisations in this regard.