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A pilot project by AfriPaw hopes to help poorer communities to access healthcare for their pets by providing ‘bicycle pet taxis’ that will transport their furry friends to animal clinics.

The project was launched in Vrygrond in Cape Town and hopes to help pet owners in the area who are too old to walk to the mobile clinic that the organisation deploys monthly to the parking lot at Capricorn Primary School.

“We noticed that people were unable to come to the clinic because their pets didn’t want to walk the distance,” says Anél Wesson, Director and Co-Founder of AfriPaw.

Wesson says that they would often see people pushing their pets to the clinic in trolleys, and this sparked the idea for a taxi service for four-legged residents of Vrygrond. The pilot project will test which bicycle is best equipped to handle the ‘trailer’ – the prototype of which was sponsored by 4Evr Plastic Products.

Wesson says that AfriPaw is now looking for a company to sponsor the project. The setup costs for one unit is R25,000 for the first year, thereafter it would cost about R7,000 a year. This includes the bicycle, cart, cage and the wages of the rider. “We are looking to have between five and ten taxis in the first year,” she says.

Four-legged Companions Pilot Pet Taxi in Cape Town – https://t.co/cFbVvhTLW0 pic.twitter.com/EInNYThhIr

— Good Things Guy (@GoodThingsGuy) July 25, 2024

AfriPaw was formed in 2017 and offers a variety of programs in Vrygrond, including a free monthly clinic, mass sterilisations, and educational seminars. The clinics collaborate with various animal welfare charities, including TEARS Animal Rescue, Animal Lifeline, and Aid4Animals in Distress. The monthly clinics treat around 650 pets with the assistance of volunteers and ‘ambassadors’ who live in the neighbourhood.

 “Most people don’t have work, but they are trying to look after their dogs.”

With so many human issues, we often forget that there are non-human residents living in our city too, and they also need a helping paw from time to time.

If you want to donate to Afripaw’s efforts, you can check out their website here.

[source:thegoodthingsguy]