Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / RSPCA Darwin's Peter King says they're doing free microchipping this weekend

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RSPCA Darwin's Peter King says they're doing free microchipping this weekend · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio is Peter King from the RSPCA.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Peter.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good akat first time, I'm very excited. I usually hear
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: of it earlier in the day, so it's nice to
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: come a bit later.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Oh good stuff. No, we're very happy to have you
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: on the show because I know that the RSPCA does
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: so much to help the animals in the Northern Territory
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: and right now just taught me through the numbers of
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: how many animals you've got out there at the shelter
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: at this point.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: Well, as of last Friday, I do a weekly report.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: As of last Friday, we had one hundred and twenty
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: two animals in our care about.
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a real lot at the moment.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Usual time a year for a higher intake, but we're
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: so thankful to our foster caring network they look after
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: about half of that number because we just don't have
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: the capacity for all those animals on site.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, is it more cats or dogs or a
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: mix of everything.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: It's actually about a fifty to fifty split almost exactly. So, yeah,
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: plenty of cats out there at the moment. We got
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: a big drama out in the community with our stray
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: cats population is extreme, stremely high. Becoming feral has a
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: massive impact on our environment. We're taking some steps towards
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: trying to address that with some community desexing work we're
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: doing as well.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: I'd love to talk about that someday.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's that seems to be making a bit
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: of a difference, but we've got a long way to
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: go with that. But yeah, a lot of those cats
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: come to us as a result of picked up as strays,
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: litters of kittens that have been born out in the community,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: and then they come through the local council pounds generally
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: and make their way towards us for rehab and rehoming
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: and all that sort of stuff.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Yeh know, it'd be hard, like I've seen myself. I've
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: seen that myself in the community where you end up
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: with the cash sort of near the house and then
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: it has kitchens and so then obviously people take them
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: to the RSPCA are they sometimes do they need to
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: be sort of I don't know what the right word is,
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  Speaker 1: where they're a bit feral and need to kind of
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: be domesticated to some degree.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Sometimes it ranges hugely.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: Sometimes if a cat has been out more in the
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: while for a long period of time, they do tend
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: to become a bit feral in there. Generally the ones
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: you can't bring back to domesticated opportunities. But for the
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: most part, the high majority of cats that we have
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: through astray, but they've still got contact, most commonly with humans,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: whether humans feed them just as a gesture of good will,
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: or whether they're in contact in suburbia. I live in
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: the city and I can walk a block at night
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: and see six cats running around on the street. So
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: they're definitely not owned, so big issue, but we're doing
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: our best to take a responsible approach.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Now, tell us about this microchipping the free microchipping day
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: that you've got happening this weekend.
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: It's huge.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: It's the second of two days, and we're probably going
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: to put another one on at least in the future.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Thanks to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: the Animal Warfare grants that we were able to apply
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  Speaker 2: for each year, we managed to secure funding to cover
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: the costs of these microchipping days so we can offer
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: that service for free to the community. And two weeks
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: ago on a Sunday, we did about just under forty
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: animals were microchip that weren't already and we've got another
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: one on this Sunday at the site at Bolta Road
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: in Bremer at our shelter.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: From nine till twelve.
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  Speaker 2: The bookings are starting to ramp up now, so we're
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: hoping to max out that day and just totally maximize
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: the microchips because they're just so important.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: So this someday between nine and twelve, people are able
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: to come out there and get their animals microchip. They
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: need to make a booking.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: Not it does help us. We've got five minute blocks
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: for bookings. It just helps us to sort of structure
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: the day a little bit. And we've got our booking
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: system online through a link via our Facebook and Instagram pages,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: or you can just give us a call in the
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: office at eight nine eight four three seven nine five
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: and we'll slat you into one of those spots.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: And Peter, do you find this like most of the
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: animals that come into the RSPCA's care throughout the year,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: are they microchipped or are people, you know, maybe not
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: as organized or not microchipping their animals as frequently as
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: they should be.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: That's the point of this program because the very vast
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: majority of animals that come to us are not microchipped,
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: and the very few of them that are have got
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: out of date details on them, so they might have
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: a previous owner's details, they might have a previous address
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: and phone number detail on the chip. The chip is
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: scanned by a handheld scanner and the Council Pounds can
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: do it. We've got the scanners, various vet clinics have
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: them as well, so it identifies the number of the chip.
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: The number gets plugged into.
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  Speaker 2: A website as a code and that brings up the
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: details of whatever that chip details hold.
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: So it is the best, the best way to rehome.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: An animal that has been found at large or found
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: astray or picked up on the street and taken to
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: the Council Pound or to a local vet or if
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: we come across them. It is the best way because
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: you can have dog collars with tags and phone numbers,
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: but of course they get ripped off if a dog
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: jumps a fence or runs through a wire gate or
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: something like that. So that's a good way to try
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: to identify, but the microchip is the full proof method,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: and that's why we're really keen to encourage as many
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: people as possible to get on board with this free service,
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  Speaker 2: free opportunity to have their cat or their dog or
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: their rabbit microchip.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: This Sunday awesome.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's such an important thing to do. I've
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: got a blue heeler cross that is a bit of
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: a hoodini. Every time the gate opens just slightly, she
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: tries her be still to take off down the road
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: to visit the neighbors dogs. But it does mean that
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: if she goes a bit further, that you know that
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: the pound are able to actually ring us straight away
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: and we can go out and get up.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: That's right.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: And you know that there's the clear and present dangers
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: of running around in traffic and all of those other
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: things with a dog escaping, but at least if they
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: are able to remain safe and do find themselves into
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: the hands of someone who wants to help, the microchip
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: identification is just the fool proof method and so important.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: And it's so you know, people have got so many
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: living expenses at the moment. We know the cost of fuel,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: the cost of your groceries, everything's gone up. So this
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: is a fantastic opportunity if you have you know, if
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: you are going through a bit of a tough patch
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: where you're able to come out there, you're able to
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: do it for free and make sure that your animal
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: is then able to get back to you if it
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: does get out.
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: That's right, and there is usually a cost. We of
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: course provide that service.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: All year round if anyone needs or would like to
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: have a microchip done, and that does come as a
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: cost normally, but again thanks to the Department, we've been
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: able to cover the funding for that or sorry, the
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: cost for that and provide the service for free. So
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: it's really a good step forward with our animal welfare
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: mission as well.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Now, before I let you go, these one hundred and
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: twenty two animals that you've got out there at the moment,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: you've got a mix between cats and dogs. If there
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: is somebody out there listening this morning who's thinking to themselves,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: you know what, I've thought a lot about this, and
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: I do want to adopt an animal. Where can they
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: go and check them out? Or where can they what's
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the best approach?
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  Speaker 3: Do you reckon?
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: Well, the visit to the shelter is a must, of course,
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: but if there's an interest from anyone listening who wants
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: to have a look at what's available, which animals are
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: available at the moment.
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: They can go to a website at RSPCA.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: Darwin dot org dot au and follow the links through
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: to the animals available, or easily they can go to
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: also adoptor pet one word adoptor pet dot com dot
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  Speaker 2: au and that's the national page for all RSPCA animals.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: So they've simply got a filters to the NT and
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: then they'll see all of the available animals for adoption
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: and that's updated consistently during the day, so if we
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: have an adoption and it updates in the system that
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: animals remove from avail ability of course, but it's very
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: much up to date, so it's a good way to
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: have a look before you come down.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: Oh good stuff for Peter King.
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Lovely to speak to you this morning. I really appreciate
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: you coming in and telling us a bit more about
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: the micro chipping day, but also those animals that you
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: have got out at the shelter right now.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: Thanks for your time. I appreciate that.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you.