Drury-Wee (left) presents Nancy with an SSPCA umbrella as a token of appreciation.
KUCHING: The Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) will soon receive the title to two acres of land from the Sarawak government for the construction of its long-awaited The Animal Village.
Its president Datin Dona Drury-Wee said upon receiving the land title, the non-profit organisation can immediately get started on the project, which is estimated to cost around RM4 million.
“We are happy to announce that we are very close to finally getting the land title from our state government and now we will be looking for willing quantity surveyors and builders as well as the generous public to help us build our dream, The Animal Village.
“Once we receive the title, we have to start on submitting the building plan for approval and of course, fund-raising,” she said at the SSPCA Christmas Charity Bazaar which was officiated at by Batang Sadong MP Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri here yesterday.
She expressed her gratitude to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg for supporting SSPCA in acquiring the land.
“We first applied for it in 2010 when Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari was still the Tourism Minister and he has been supporting us ever since.”
The site for The Animal Village will be at Jalan Ranger here and once completed, it will replace the existing SSPCA shelter at Mile 6 1/2 Penrissen Road to provide shelter for abandoned, abused and unwanted animals.
In addition, Drury-Wee pointed out that SSPCA is currently looking for a suitable house to serve as a low-cost neutering clinic.
“We hope to have a robust neutering programme that can be rolled out throughout the state and especially in areas that do not have access to vets,” she said, adding that this initiative is also supported by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing as well as the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.