The Okanagan Humane Society (OHS) has launched their annual Spring Raffle to Rescue Animals to raise much needed funds at this very busy time of year as animal rescue is in full swing.
鈥淭his time of year, is very busy for OHS and all of our volunteers as the rescue work begins, states Romany Runnalls, Volunteer Board President, OHS. There is always a large influx of lost, abandoned, stray and feral animals in the spring which results in a lot of breeding for both owned and community animals.鈥�
This local organization helped more than 1500 animals in 2022 breaking the record of the most animals they have served in a one-year period. And, to date OHS has spayed or neutered more than 25,000 local animals and counting.
鈥淢uch of our mission work and funding goes directly to spaying and neutering animals in our community鈥�, states Romany Runnalls, Volunteer Board President. 鈥淲e rescue animals and support low cost spay neuter programs through partner veterinarians for families experiencing income hardship and having difficulty affording spay and neuter services for pets; along with also ensuring our community animals are fixed to be a part of the solution to pet overpopulation,鈥�
鈥淭here are many cat colonies in city centers and on farmland in the valley. We have had some great success getting a handle on the city cat populations in the bigger urban areas where we have more veterinary partners and volunteers but are still working very hard at getting the populations down in rural areas and small towns,鈥� mentions Runnalls.
OHS has been working in our communities for 27 years, capturing, sterilizing, and rehoming homeless, stray, and feral community cats and kittens. This is a large part of the work they do throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Runnalls states, 鈥渓ife for many of these animals is terrible. These helpless cats and kittens have had to learn to live on their own and find enough resources from people feeding them outside and survive the harsh seasons. Their lives are fraught with danger and risk almost always ending in an untimely and tragic death from car strikes, disease, frigid temperatures, or predation.鈥�
Rose and Orchid were recently rescued by a good Samaritan in the Mara Lake area. A woman with a large property and farm animals noticed the little, sick looking kittens by themselves, no mother in sight.
She worked on gaining their trust and when the veterinary came to check on the farm animals, they managed to snag Rose and give her some drops for her severely infected eyes.
Soon after, she captured both kittens and called OHS to help! Both are currently in foster and undergoing medical care and attention. Rose has two cloudy eyes and was vision impaired when she arrived in foster. With regular antibiotics, she is improving quickly.
Once both animals are stabilized and healthy, they will be spayed and soon after be available for adoption in a new loving home.
This rescue work is very costly especially when the animals are unowned, there is no cost recover. One rescue mission in the South Okanagan recently saw OHS rescue 24 adult cats and 28 kittens from one rural property by Osoyoos. The cost of this rescue effort was more than $30,000 as many of the kittens were sick with respiratory and eye infections and all had to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and receive ID before being adopted into a new home.
OHS has launched their annual Raffle to Rescue Animals to raise much needed funds to support this rescue work that is saving lives of local animals.
There are many great prizes to be won including two early bird cash draws, a weekend getaway to Revelstoke, a Wine Experience in Osoyoos and a $500 gift certificate for veterinary services with one of OHS veterinary partners in the Okanagan region.
You can go online to day to purchase your raffle tickets at or donate to their mission work today at .
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