Council: Ministry yet to take over pet care facility

Male’ City Council states Animal Welfare Ministry has yet to take over the pet care facility.

The pet care facility was developed under an agreement between the council and the ministry to address the growing stray cat population in the capital. Construction work began on the 5,000 square feet plot in the Farukolhufushi area of Hulhumale’ Phase II on March 19, and the facility opened on November 2. It was named ‘Olhu Hiyaa’.

Just as the Council was preparing to start moving stray cats to the facility, the Ministry instructed the Council to stop the transfer of the cats and hand over the facility to the Ministry.

Subsequently, the Council decided to recoup the money it spent on developing the facility and hand over the facility to the Ministry.

Speaking with Sun on Monday, Male’ City Council’s Spokesperson Aminath Shathufa Shafeeu, citing the Ministry has yet to take over the facility, said it is unclear when efforts to move stray cats will commence.

The Ministry instructed the Council to stop the transfer of the cats citing the council had failed to comply with some of the ministry’s instructions.

The Ministry also detailed its reasoning behind the instruction: 

• The non-registration of any expert staff working at the facility
• Lack of designated cages to quarantine cats that a newly brought in to the facility
• No proper system in place to run the operations of facility  
• No waste management system in place to hand biological waste
• No system in place to provide water and food for cats that will be taken to the shelter
• Failure to appoint staff to care of the cats taken to the shelter
• No medications available at the facility and no system in place to acquire medications

The Ministry said these issues need to be resolved before services at ‘Olhuhiya’ can be commenced.

They further noted having requested Male’ City Council to resolve the issues and inform the Ministry of updates in this trajectory. As per the Ministry, the instruction to suspend the transfer of cats was issued following the Council’s failure to address the issues raised.

The growing stray cat population has given rise to public health concerns, as excrement litter the streets, especially in areas with a large number of cats, such as near the King Salman Mosque in Henveiru.