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Published on 02 September 2024
The Bathurst Animal Rehoming Centre (BARC) has been officially open for just three months but has reached capacity, with an overwhelming number of lost and stray animals now housed at the state of the art facility.
General Manager David Sherley said BARC had 250 percent more capacity than the old small animal pound on Vale Road, but since opening has been inundated with cats and dogs, and currently has 68 dog and 43 cats looking to be rehomed.
“Our staff are to be congratulated on handling the challenges created by such a large number of animals in their care. We are seeing unprecedented numbers of cats and dogs being dropped in the overnight cages or picked up as lost and stray animals off the street.
“We know the situation at BARC with numbers of animals in our care is not unique to Bathurst. Animal shelters across the state are dealing with the same problem, with a huge influx of dogs and cats looking for new homes.
“While we are providing the best care possible for the animals at BARC, we need the community to play their part and help as well.
“To give us the best chance of reuniting lost pets with their families they should be microchipped (with up-to-date contact details), registered and wearing a tag. So often we have animals dropped to BARC or picked up by our Rangers where the microchip details are out of date or the animal has no microchip or registration.
“We regularly promote lost cats and dogs via our Facebook page, but many of these animals are left uncollected.
“Responsible pet ownership is our first step in helping curb number of animals at BARC. It is also important that animals are desexed to prevent unwanted litters of kittens and puppies. Just this week we have had two cats which had found their way to BARC deliver litters of kittens.
“If you are looking for a new cat or dog, consider adopting from BARC. All of the animals available for adoption are profiled on our website and Facebook page. Make an appointment and set up a getting to know you session at BARC. We have a specially designed adoption pavilion designed for the meet and greet sessions.
“Some of the animals in our care have been with us for months. Harley for example has been with us since July last year and Molly since November. These animals deserve a new home and we are encouraging the community to look to adopt, not shop, when it comes to finding a new family pet,” Mr Sherley said.