Alice Springs Animal Shelter

About the shelter

The Alice Springs Animal Shelter has a rich history reaching back 70 years to the first meeting for a proposed society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA), which took place back in 1948. After several years of trying to form the group, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was officially established in 1963. Its original “pound” in Alice Springs consisted of two dog cages at the county depot.

In March of 2014, the name of the RSPCA of Central Australia Inc was officially changed to Alice Springs Animal Shelter Inc. Today, it is run by a committee of volunteers, funded by the community, and helped by dozens of volunteer workers. In contrast to the original pound, the shelter’s facilities now include five buildings which contain 20 kennels for adult dogs, separate spaces for mother dogs and their pups, nine pens for cats and kittens, and an emergency boarding facility for an additional 20 animals.

The Alice Springs Animal Shelter takes in animals surrendered by the public, found by park rangers, and sometimes animals that simply “show up” at the shelter. Many of these animals have been abused or neglected, and are sorely in need of love and training. The shelter is not government funded; nor is it part of a larger Australian organisation. All the funding for running the shelter and caring for the animals comes directly from the community of Alice Springs.

Mission

• Alice Springs Animal Shelter’s mission is to give animals in need a second chance.
• It seeks to protect animals from cruelty and negligence, through the support and promotion of legislation and law enforcement toward animal protection.
• In their daily activities, they aim to ease the suffering of every animal in their care.

How you can help

Wondering how you can help Alice Springs Animal Shelter? You may not realize it, but donations play a huge role in allowing the shelter to achieve its goals and save more animals. You can simply provide a direct donation, or bequest funds to the shelter in your will. You could also become a shelter member for as little as AUD 25 per year, or AUD 10 per month. Lastly, each of the animal kennels at Alice Springs Animal Shelter requires year-round maintenance to provide the animals with a safe and comfortable environment. For AUD 500 per year, you can sponsor one of the kennels; you’ll even get a plaque with your name on it, placed on the kennel!