Interview in EuroBiz Magazine with SCAA Director Carol Wolfson

Expcerpt from EuroBiz Article "China Gives to Charity" http://www.sinomedia.net/eurobiz/v200610/around0610.html

Second Chance Animal Aid What it does: Provides health care and foster homes for abandoned animals Founded in: March, 2005 Director: Carol Wolfson Website: www.scaashanghai.org Second Chance Animal Aid (SCAA) is a non-profit organisation that provides Western-standard health care and finds fostering and adoptive homes for abandoned animals in Shanghai. It runs outreach community programmes to raise awareness about animal welfare and raises funds for existing local animal welfare projects. Q&A with Carol Wolfson, Director of SCAA

Eurobiz: How did SCAA start?

Carol Wolfson: SCAA is the only organisation of its kind in Shanghai, and in China. When we started in March 2005 there was nothing here, just money making scams where local people would pick up sick animals and sell them, yet would call themselves animal welfare organisations. Now there are hoarders; people who keep 100 or more animals, usually cats, in their home. They think they're doing good by getting the animals off the streets but they're kept in unhygienic conditions, they can't receive treatment and have no quality of life. We call ourselves a "mobile shelter" because we have no physical address; if we had a location people would literally dump thousands of animals over a wall or tie them up in boxes and leave them at the door. We already have 30-60 phone calls a day asking us to pick up abandoned animals that people have found, but that's not what SCAA does. Although there are emergency cases where we rush to personally save an animal, in general, if someone finds an abandoned animal they must foster it until SCAA can secure a foster parent, and we also ask them to pay for its first medical checkup. We have been recognised by the UK RSPCA and the WSPA for the successful foster programme we run.

EB: How many animals have been adopted?

CW: 252 in 18 months. It may not seem like a lot, but it's a long process for every single animal we rescue. Each animal is assessed when it first comes in; it has to be isolated, checked for disease, vaccinated, neutered and in some cases when the animal is too sick to cure or in great pain it is best for it to be euthanised. Behavioural problems are also observed to see if it is a risk to humans or other animals. Before it is adopted it is taken care of by foster parents where we can watch its behaviour and overall health condition. Often the foster parents end up adopting the animals themselves. We hold three adoption days each month to which the foster parents bring the animals and sometimes people just bring their children along to these days so the kids can pet the animals as there are so few chances for this kind of bonding in Shanghai. All of the get togethers we hold are very informal and joyous.

EB: How do you ensure the foster and adoptive parents are suitable for looking after animals?

CW: We do house checks for local adopters; unfortunately, we've had some disastrous effects from adopting to local people who know little about real pet care. We also urge people not to take their pets to local vets which are rarely licensed and poorly trained; they'll spend more in the long run fixing the problems. Most foster parents are expats; a lot of Australians (due to the need to take pets via a third country for six months prior to another month in Australian quarantine) and now some Japanese as we've had some media attention in Japan. But we desperately need more foster parents, as well as adoptive parents and more money! We're lowest on the totem pole for financial donations behind other "human" organizations, and our monthly medical bill has grown to US$2,000. It's a catch 22: the more animals we save, the higher the medical bills. We have sponsors that have donated gifts in kind - AGS Four Winds International Movers generously sponsor a van for example - but as of yet we have no corporations that just give us cash.

EB: What's been your most successful fundraiser?

CW: The Christmas party was very popular last year where we raised RMB60-70,000. We just held a fantastic event on September 10 where we auctioned off 20 eligible young bachelors for dinner dates and netted RMB42,000. It was a great night.

EB: Do you run programmes to promote animal healthcare?

CW: Yes, we run projects about pet care education in Chinese and international schools in Shanghai. Education is one of our main priorities together with foster care, promoting animal protection laws and urging boycotts on the horrific pet markets and stores that sell animals here. Most of the animals sold in markets are inbred from puppy/kitten farms, pumped full of antibiotics and have been weaned too early from their mothers. It's hard to walk away but if people buy them, they're only condoning these practices.

EB: So how do you promote animal protection laws?


CW: We work with international organisations who work with the government. It takes time but I believe there will be animal protection laws in the next five years. Cases such as the culling of 50,000 pet dogs in Yunnan for fear of spreading rabies incited protests from many young people. People are not putting up with this treatment of animals anymore. Dog culling wouldn't happen in Shanghai (the police would have to shoot us to get to our pets!) but we do urge everyone to get their dog licensed and muzzle them when walking if necessary. We also recommend walking the dog yourself and not just letting the maid do it; dog nappers do exist in Shanghai and it's easier for them to take a dog from a frail Chinese maid rather than a Westerner.