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S E P T E M B E R 17 , 2 0 2 0
PANDEMIC PETS New proposal looks to outlaw strata based pet bans
BY RIDA BABAR ith pets being an unspoken part of the Australian identity, it is no surprise that a bill has been forward by the Animal Justice Party (AJP), which stated that bylaws in strata schemes which prohibit animals should be removed. While there are not a number of details released about the bill at this stage, affected groups including the Strata Community Association, politicians, and animal adoption agencies have been outspoken on their stances. The Cat Protection Society (CPS) is an organisation within NSW with the primary aim of taking stray cats off the streets and rehoming them.
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Kristina Vesk, the CEO of CPS, revealed her thoughts on the bill. “Pet friendly accommodation is something that we have been campaigning on for years.” The CPS is in support of the proposed bill, as the passing of it would likely mean a larger number of animals including cats could be rehomed as more owners would be inclined to adopt a furry friend. “People love pets. Pets are a part of the family, and these bans are a form of discrimination that says ‘if you live in an apartment you’re not allowed to have a part of your family’. You can create good rules surrounding communal living, so that the impact on other people isn’t negative.
“During lockdowns, so many people are discovering how important pets are and that’s why so many places are adopting and fostering more pets than ever because the sense of companionship and mental health benefits is enormous.” Speaking on the impact of the pandemic on cat adoptions, Ms Vesk said, “I’m worried when the economic hardship really hits home, that shelters are going to see a lot of pet relinquishment because people may still have the money to look after their pet but they may not be able to find a place to live with their pet.” She also compared the current crisis to her experience in CPS during the Global Financial Crisis
and the number of people who were forced to give up their pets during that period. “The feedback we’re getting from other shelters is that adoptions have increased. For us, because of the size of our shelter and the COVID-safe procedures put in place, it’s not possible to increase our adoption rate. We’re doing adoptions by appointment only, deep cleaning after each appointment, and having one family in at a time. In turn, this has meant that there are only so many cats we can rehome in any given week, but we know there’s a lot of demand because we have got a lot of people on a waiting list.” Continued on page 2
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