City Hall to quiz CSPCA on animal welfare concerns

Cork city councillors and officials are preparing to inspect the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) at Mahon, and quiz the committee that runs it, on foot of public concerns about the operation of the facility.

Chief among the concerns of councillors who have sought this official visit to the shelter are recent allegations that have called into question the Society’s commitment to animal welfare.

And the €70,000 that City Hall pays to the CSPCA every year to operate the city’s dog warden service could be in the balance if the delegation is not satisfied with its findings.

Councillors told The Cork News that the visit to the Mahon centre could take place within the next two weeks. CSPCA spokesman Chris Connolly could not be contacted yesterday afternoon.

Since late last year, the CSPCA has been swamped by allegations over its treatment of animals, and its policy on animal euthanasia. Although the CSPCA moved legally to head off a Facebook campaign by former employee, Mary McCarthy from Glanmire, the allegations have persisted. Ms McCarthy has declined to comment further on the matter.

Independent Councillor Kieran McCarthy raised the issue at Monday’s meeting of city council’s Recreation, Amenity & Emergency Services strategic policy committee.

“I’ve been aware of these allegations for some time, but there are two sides to every story,” Cllr McCarthy told The Cork News. “We know what the allegations are, but councillors don’t have the answers. We need answers to these questions. This is the right and proper way to find out,” he added.

Each year, City Hall pays €70,000 to the CSPCA to operate a dog warden service for Cork. The sum is made up of the warden’s salary, and the accumulation in €8 fees paid by City Hall to the CSPCA for every dog that the warden brings to the shelter.

On this point, Cllr McCarthy said: “If I’m not satisfied with the answers, I’ll be suggesting that we have a look at what value the public is getting from the service, and whether it should be provided by someone else.”

Cllr McCarthy said he had previously visited the shelter as a youth leader, and standards were then “very good”, but acknowledged that “time had passed”.

“We need to find out what is happening right now,” he said. Other members of the committee said they would join the City Hall delegation to Mahon.