Bahrain’s oldest animal welfare centre is once again facing a severe financial crisis and is on the verge of permanently pulling the shutters down on its shelter in Askar.
Every summer the charity shudders at the thought of the electricity charges it will have to cover as it tries to keep its inmates cool before they get rehomed.
The Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) has been providing a variety of services to help abandoned animals in the kingdom for the past 40 years, and hopes supporters will ‘step up and do their part’ once more to keep the facility running.
BSPCA chairman Mahmood Faraj told the GDN that the animal welfare centre (AWC) has seen a dramatic fall in support and donations since Covid-19 and that without them, they may be unable to help their 80 dogs and 50 cats, as well as focus on other initiatives that have helped reduce the number of dog fights in Bahrain by 90 per cent.
“Bahrain has for a long time struggled with the endless number of strays on our streets; however, since Covid-19, the number of animals that have been dumped has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels that shelters across the island have struggled to recover from,” he said.
“During the pandemic, a lot of people bought small dogs such as Shih Tzus since they were working from home; however, when they returned to work, many of these pets were then abandoned.
“The problem is that animal shelters like us do not have the room to take in all of these animals and, in addition, very few people are adopting nowadays, which is exacerbating the problem.
“To put things into perspective, I had more adoptions in one month in the year before Covid-19, than I did in the entire of 2024.
“Prior to the pandemic, we had 25 to 30 animals adopted each month, but that number has now decreased to maybe two or three, meaning that we can only take two or three animals off the streets every month.
“In addition, a lot of expatriate families, who were our main source of adoptions, have left Bahrain and have not been replaced.”
He also explained that a shortage of funding and donations in recent years has worsened their situation, making it incredibly difficult to pay bills, staff and feed and provide medical care to all animals at the centre.
“We are classified as a company, which means that we pay commercial rates for electricity, so in March our bills range from BD400 to BD500 per month and, in the summer, they can reach BD1,000 per month,” he said, adding that these bills must be paid and if they do not receive enough funding and donations, they will be forced to close within the next three to six months.
They rely solely on public donations and sales of secondhand clothing and items at their thrift shop in Budaiya; however, there too has seen a decline in donations.
Mr Faraj, who has been working to help combat the kingdom’s stray dog problem for the past 18 years, also stated that as the only registered animal welfare centre in Bahrain, they face several challenges that other unregistered groups do not.
“The majority of our time is spent filling out paperwork to ensure that we are adhering to all of the proper legal requirements, and do not get me wrong, while this is important because we have to account for our spending, the mounting rules and regulations to keep running as a charity makes things extremely difficult.
“There have been situations where some ‘animal lovers’ ask for money on social media and it turns out that they are not acting in good faith. So if individuals are donating money, they should ensure that their money is being accounted for.”
He also pointed out that the BSPCA does more than just shelter strays, it has also worked to help reduce the number of dog fights in Bahrain by 90 per cent over the past seven years.
“We have worked closely with the authorities to stop these fights to protect innocent animals,” he said, adding that they would learn about where these events were taking place and work together to either prevent or shut them down.
“Now, it is all about prevention; we make it difficult for them to do it,” he added. “They are constantly moving around, so we spend a lot of our evenings tracking down events to ensure that no animals are harmed.”
The animal welfare centre also works to conduct a successful spay and neuter programme on a monthly basis, with the goal of neutering 50 animals every month.
“These programmes are absolutely critical because it means that there are fewer puppies and kittens on the streets,” he said, adding that the BSPCA also helps other animals in need – not just dogs and cats.
“We have been caring for a donkey for the past three months after it was found wandering the streets; its owner has yet to come forward,” he revealed. “We also took in a falcon that was found at a house in A’ali in January, which we were able to return to its rightful owner. Over the years, we have also rescued and rehabilitated sea turtles.
“Our mission is more than just rescuing animals; it is also about rehabilitating the animals and finding them loving families who will care for them for the rest of their time.”
Mr Faraj also highlighted that because funds and support are limited, it is critical that supporters manage the resources they do have effectively.
“There are some people who want to adopt dogs in Bahrain and get them sent abroad to Canada, for example. Although this is great, it can cost anywhere between BD500 and BD700 to ship each one.
“With BD500, I could neuter 20 dogs in Bahrain. It does not mean that one option is better than the other, but when we are already so limited with resources, we must use whatever can be donated wisely.
“People are also not allowed to just take any animal they want from our shelter; we ensure they are fit to take care of that animal for the rest of its life.”
He stressed that if the centre does not raise and receive its critical funding, more than 100 animals would be out at risk.
“We will do everything we can for them,” he said. “But we need funding and supplies such as cat and dog food, cat litter, as well as donations for our thrift shop.
“This is a community-based charity in Bahrain, and the stray animals menace is a Bahrain problem, which means that the entire community should be coming together to do their part.
“We should be striving to improve our mind-set and take care of our community, and I have not seen much help from the younger generation which worries me.
“We are desperate for the next generation to step up and take over because, when I leave, who will take over?
“Even if you do not like the strays, just be kind. It costs little to nothing to place a bowl of water or food away from residential areas to feed them.
“Take responsibility for your environment. If you can do something to help it will make a difference.”
The BSPCA was established in 1979 by a small group of committed and passionate animal lovers and was officially registered by the Social Development Ministry as a humane, charitable, non-profit organisation dedicated to the welfare of animals.
The centre opened in 2012 on donated land and features play areas for the animals, a duck pond and an aviary. It replaced a rundown base on leased land in Shakoora which changed classification from agricultural to residential.
The charity invites volunteers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am to 1pm to help at the shelter and take the dogs on walkies.
Donations can be made in cash or card at the Animal Welfare Centre or through banks using IBAN BH04NBOB00000099073943. If you can help call 17591231.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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