The number of unwanted dogs and cats in the custody of the Municipal Affairs Bureau is increasing but the number of adoptions is falling, putting pressure on kennels.
According to a report in Ponto Final, 63 animals were surrendered to the bureau by owners between January and July this year – compared to 47 during the same months of 2022 and 2021, and just 27 in 2020.
The number of stray animals captured by the bureau has also grown, Ponto Final says, with 492 dogs and cats rounded up in the first 7 months of 2023, compared to 397 in the corresponding period of 2022.
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Meanwhile, adoptions have been falling. There were 260 dogs and cats adopted between January and July this year, about the same as the comparable period last year, but considerably fewer than the 352 adoptions in 2021.
The news comes in the wake of figures showing a sharp rise in the city’s cat cull rate, with 165 stray or abandoned cats euthanised during the first six months of the year compared to 79 in 2022.
It also follows a plea for donations last month from the Macau Association for Stray Dogs and Animal Welfare. The organisation provides shelter for 111 dogs but has been struggling to meet monthly expenses after donations tailed off during the Covid-19 pandemic.
