Cristina Hodgson
RISING inflation means people are having to give up pets they can’t afford, animal shelters say.
According to local animal shelters, everything related to products and material for pets has seen a price increase of between 35 and 40%, with pet food going up by about 25-30%, leading to a bump in the number of pets being abandoned.
Additionally, shelters such as the Sociedad Protectora de Animales y Plantas in Malaga (SPAPM), have their own surging costs to deal with.
With more than 200 animals to care for and 14 staff to pay, including a recent increase in the minimum wage, means the shelter also finds itself in a tricky situation, grappling with both declining donations and declining adoptions.
Regrettably, as highlighted by a spokesperson from the Pavlelas animal shelter in Malaga, it seems that lately, for one animal that finds its forever home, 10 are unsuccessful animal adoptions, seeing the animals once again abandoned further down the line.
An inappropriate practice that is amplified all the more in the months following Christmas.
In fact, Pavlelas refuses to give adoptions at Christmas.
“When a family comes to me and wants one, I tell them to go to El Corte Inglés to buy a cuddly toy. Animals are not a gift,” the spokesperson said.
Unfortunately, when the economy is struggling and people are unsure of their financial stability, a lot of pets feel the brunt and are surrendered to a shelter or worse still, abandoned.
READ MORE:
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