When GREED rears its ugly head and CONSCIENCE takes a back seat…

In running AnimalCare, the hardest and most tiring (and often, annoying) part is having to deal with applicants who are not honest and forthright with us.

This is written in our policies:

Our subsidy assistance is open to individual NEEDY caregivers of street animals.
NEEDY = Those who have no means of raising funds on their own.  

Our subsidy assistance is NOT open to recognised organisations. 

And this:

Our maximum subsidy for MEDICAL TREATMENT:
50% of the total cost for treatment subject to a maximum of RM500 (per animal) if you only apply to our fund. If you are going to or have already applied to other funds or are raising funds through other sources, kindly disclose this fact in your communication with us and on the form. In such cases, the subsidy amount may be revised accordingly or we may not subsidise at all. Failure to disclose this fact amounts to dishonesty and you may be barred from receiving help from us. 

1. We have applicants who are NOT needy, but insist they are. They are internet-savvy and they raise funds from facebook and other sources, but they do not disclose this fact to us. We know facebook is a very effective channel to raise up to 100% or more for most cases.

2. We have applicants who apply to other organisations but do not disclose this to us. They double-claim and triple-claim.

3. We have applicants who ask their friends to claim from various sources on their behalf so that it would appear like they are claiming for different animals.

4. We have those who belong to other organisations who raise funds along with us at their booths at pet events, yet, they still apply to us when they need funds.

It’s called GREED and a lacking in CONSCIENCE. It’s very tiring and annoying having to deal with such applicants. It drains our energy and time which could otherwise be used for better pursuits.

In view of a considerable number of such cases, we may have to revise our policies again. Each time an applicant abuses our goodwill and trust, we need tighter policies. We have a responsibility to protect the funds entrusted to us by our donors.

Yes, we want to help the animals, but in doing so, we have to go through the human caregiver.  All we ask is that the human caregiver be honest and sincere. Please do not make money out of the poor animals. Please do not attempt to collect more than what is needed or find ways and means to get more than what you are entitled to.

Most importantly, we all have a duty to protect the credibility of animal welfare in this country. Donations are given by the public who trust that we will use the funds responsibly and honestly. Once this goodwill is lost and the credibility tarnished, the ones who suffer the most will be the animals.

We can all do our part to prevent this from happening if we act responsibly and always disclose the truth.

Please listen to your conscience. The future of animal welfare depends on it.