Dear Editor,
It was extremely shocking to see the letter written by the executive of the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) chastising Ms Syeada Manbodh. If as they said her letter to the newspapers was misleading the public, why did they not discuss this with her privately and ask her to clear up the misinformation herself? Why was there the need to chastise someone who has been one of the few souls who have been rescuing abused and suffering animals in Guyana? Suppose she had taken offence (rightfully so) and stopped taking care of animals? Is there anyone else in Guyana who does what she has been doing? Which member of the executive of the GSPCA is readily available to someone if they have an animal who needs rescuing?
When I wrote about a donkey that was being brutalized, I reported it to the GSPCA too and every day I called to see if they had done anything, and each day I got an excuse that they had not. Syeada had to take the Inspector. One evening at about 6 pm my brother and I saw four puppies abandoned by the seawall. It took us over one hour to catch them and put them into our vehicle. When we reached the GSPCA it was closed and no one was there. We did not know what to do with the animals as we do not live in the city. It was Syeada who relieved us of the puppies and took them to the GSPCA later.
About the ‘spay (spade) and neuter’ programme – even I did not know that this was being done at the GSPCA. And do Guyanese even know what spaying and neutering is? I decided to ask a few people that I saw – all regular Guyanese. Their answer – spade (spay) – the thing you dig with! Neuter? Don’t know!
Guyana has a serious problem with animals not being cared for and people straying animals. If the general population knew that they could get their animals taken care of without the expense of paying for it, don’t you believe that some may utilise this service? The problem is that they must know why they need to spay/neuter the animals and that it is free of cost too.
In closing, it is my sincere prayer that good souls like Syeada Manbodh do not get disheartened and discouraged; please keep on saving all these silent suffering animals. God is watching and He will richly reward you.
Yours faithfully,
N Bisnath
