About

How FAW came to be

In February 2005 I visited a farm just outside Durbanville where I picked up two kittens lying under a bush.  One of the farm labourers, Karlien, asked whether her friend Ansie, who lives in Fisantekraal, could have them for a birthday present as she loves animals very much.

Rosa had been working with penguins for five years when Fisantekraal stumbled into her life. Now she spends all her free time caring for neglected cats and dogs.

Up to that stage I did not even know the place existed.  The next weekend I visited Ansie to make sure the kittens were doing well.  As I drove in I saw a dog that looked like he was convulsing.  I phoned Animal Welfare who came to pick the dog up and the Inspector told me it was distemper (a virus in the brain).

I was driven to go to Fisantekraal again the next weekend where I saw a dog with no hair on his body. He looked horrible!  Again I phoned Animal Welfare and this time it was mange!  I then realized that these animals need help.  Since then I have been spending virtually every weekend (now two years) in Fisantekraal transporting sick animals to hospitals and feeding the hungry ones. I also have a full-time job, but in between all that I managed to take all the cats and dogs of the farm labourers to Animal Anti-Cruelty League in Epping for sterilization.

I saw that the breeding of the cats and dogs were out of control.  Animal Anti-Cruelty League started in June 2005, picking up six animals every Friday and six every Saturday for sterilisation at their hospital in Epping.  Although I was grateful for this help, I realized that the progress was too slow and I approached the private Vets of Durbanville for help.  Since December 2005 we have had a Spay-a-thon every school holiday at the Trevor Manual school in Fisantekraal where between 80 and 90 animals get sterilised in one morning.

On the sad side, from February 2005 until today, approximately 5 000 animals have had to be put to sleep due to illnesses, or they were unwanted because owners cannot afford them or strays without permanent homes.  As far as possible we try to find other homes outside Fisantekraal but due to the high numbers it is not always possible.

Since December 2006 the PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) runs a primary health care clinic in Fisantekraal every Tuesday.  They also take three dogs and three cats to their hospital in Bridgetown for sterilisation, return them the next Tuesday and pick up the next six animals again.  The people of Fisantekraal are very greatful for this service!!

Rosa Pheiffer
Founder of FAW