Informing Our Community: Addressing Allegations
You may hear or see some information published about Animal Aid in the coming days. We are deeply disappointed to see this circulated in the media. No one works or volunteers at Animal Aid for any reason other than because they believe in our mission and want to be part of it. Every day, our team gives countless animals a first-rate second chance with genuine care, respect and dedication.
We also acknowledge that the changes within our cattery this year have been a time of adjustment for everyone. Unfortunately, rather than working with us towards our shared goal, a small number of people have chosen to share misleading information designed to damage Animal Aid’s name and reputation. The claims made about the mistreatment of cats at our Coldstream Shelter are, in many parts, simply untrue, taken out of context and do not reflect the daily reality of our work.
We want to be clear: we have nothing to hide. We have made the full email correspondence with the Herald Sun available for anyone who wants to read exactly how we have responded to these allegations. We are confident in our processes, our standards and, above all, the dedication of our staff and volunteers.
Please don’t let the malicious intent of a few people sully the trust that so many have in Animal Aid and the remarkable work you help us do every day. We continue to maintain strong save rates and we have more resources than ever before to support the animals who need us.
We will keep doing what we do best because there is far too much important work ahead — and our community is a vital part of that. Thank you for standing with us, and for helping us to give every animal a first-rate second chance.
A message from our CEO, Mark Menze:
“I want to acknowledge the great work everyone is doing in our Coldstream Shelter Cattery. If you haven’t visited our cattery recently, please do and see for yourself how well our cats are being cared for. This is an untrue campaign from a small cohort of people, designed to do nothing to improve Animal Welfare, but to instead inflict maximum damage to individuals and the organisation without regard to fairness, due process or our people’s wellbeing.
We live and breathe our mission and strive to do the very best we can for the animals in our care. I know many of you will be hurt by these allegations and I encourage you to reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. To everyone who supports our cattery and our work, please hold your heads high and be proud of the great care we give animals in need.”