KUCHING: Guests had a good time at the Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) charity dinner held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Friday.
Laughter and cheer filled the air when Singapore’s drag queen comedian Kumar took centre stage.
Starting out as a singer in the late 80s, Kumar ventured into comedy as an Indian drag queen in 1991. He scripts the materials for his show with a routine of burlesque singing and dancing.
Kuching’s own local band Acounstic Connexion also took to the stage.
The charity dinner was held to raise funds for SSPCA’s animal shelter at Kota Sentosa and to build the proposed Animal Village.
SSPCA president Dona Wee said after a four year wait, the society got its best news when the Chief Minister announced that the state government had approved a piece of land to build an Animal Village.
“They will inform us when the site has been confirmed. We have to up our efforts to raise funds to realise our dream, which is why you are all here at this charity dinner tonight (Friday),” she said in her speech.
The animal shelter mainly depends on donations from the public to run. It has six full time staff to care for 260 animals assisted by volunteers.
The society spends nearly RM30,000 every month to feed and care for the animals, most of them strays that had been abused and abandoned.
She said the Asia for Animals (AIA) conference held here for the first time gave them opportunity to make many new friends, network and as a venue/platform to fight for their causes.
The conference had inspired and educated the public, volunteers, staff and council workers.
“We discussed rabies control with those with vast amounts of experience in Bali, in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Thailand.
“In Sarawak we never had to deal with that kind of problem. But seeing what happened in Penang and public reaction to the culling of all dogs, we can think about how to be better prepared for it here,” she added.
She revealed a Christmas charity bazaar on Nov 29 to raise funds to run the shelter and to build the Animal Village.