AN OFFICIAL from the City Veterinian’s Office (CVO) said the Happy Animals Club has yet to apply for Animal Welfare Accreditation (AWA).
Dr. Corazon Sepulveda, head of CVO, said during the ISpeak media forum on Thursday morning, March 7, 2024, at the New City Health Building in Magallanes, Davao City that the animal shelter has not yet applied for AWA because the ban on the shelter has not yet been lifted.
“Until today, they have not applied for the annual welfare accreditation dito sa Davao, so I was [asked] by the admins pero di pa sila naka-apply because ang sabi ni Happy Animals, hindi pa daw na-lift yung kanilang closure kaya hindi pa sila nag-apply ng accreditation (Until today they have not applied for the annual welfare accreditation here in Davao, so I was [asked] by the admins but the Happy Animals said that they did not apply because the closure has not yet been lifted),” she said.
Sepulveda added that they should apply for accreditation as an animal shelter since they are rescuing animals.
“Kasi yun yung dapat na unang step na gagawin nila kasi they are into rescuing animals (Because this is the first step that they should do because they are into rescuing animals),” she said.
She added that the CVO's main concern for the animals club is the welfare of the cats and dogs. Their main priority is the cleanliness of their surroundings and where the shelter buries the bodies of the dead animals.
“Kasi pupwede if the animal is deceased and nakakahawa siya so papano i-dispose and then saan tumatakbo ang kanilang waste? (Because if the animal is deceased and contagious, where do they dispose of the body, and also where does their waste flow),” she expressed.
Sepulveda said that if they go on to rescue animals and they do not have the AWA, the Bureau of Animal Industry will close them eventually.
Section two of the Republic Act 8485, otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, states that “No person, association, partnership, corporation, cooperative or any government agency or instrumentality including slaughterhouses shall establish, maintain and operate any pet shop, kennel, veterinary clinic, veterinary hospital, stockyard, corral, stud farm or stock farm or zoo for the breeding, treatment, sale or trading, or training of animals without first securing from the Bureau of Animal Industry a certificate of registration therefor.”
She urged the Happy Animals Club to follow the suggestions of all the offices concerned and get an AWA to cannot continue their operation.
The Happy Animals Club faced closure last October 2023. Several inspections were conducted over the matter, and several recommendations were issued by offices, such as health certificates for employees, sanitary permits, proper waste disposal, and less noise.
As of writing, SunStar Davao tried reaching out to the shelter, but it has not responded or issued any statement on the matter. RGP
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