Eastern Bay Animal Shelters Stretched as Demand Grows

Animal rescue organisations across the Eastern Bay are under increasing pressure as limited space, rising surrender numbers and a shortage of foster carers push already stretched services closer to capacity.

Shelters across the region say the challenges are being felt nationwide, with factors including the cost of living, housing pressures, abandoned animals and ongoing pet overpopulation contributing to growing demand.

For Kawerau’s Community Animal Welfare Society (KTown CAW), the biggest barrier remains the lack of permanent premises.

For the Ōpōtiki Society for the Care of Animals (OSCA), unpredictable kitten seasons and limited facilities continue to create challenges.

Meanwhile, Whakatāne’s SPCA says the issue reflects a wider nationwide strain on rescue organisations.

Across all three organisations, the message remains the same: more foster carers, responsible ownership and increased desexing are needed to reduce pressure and ensure animals can continue to receive care.

Over the past five years, KTown CAW has helped desex more than 1,400 animals. IMAGE // KTown CAW

At KTown CAW, founder Julia Stevenson-Renwick said the rescue’s biggest ongoing challenge remained its lack of permanent premises.

Operating from council-owned facilities on a month-to-month basis limited the number of animals the organisation could care for and prevented it from taking in dogs and puppies.

“We really need to get our own permanent premises so we can take in dogs and pups as well as cats and kittens,” she said.

“At the moment we’re very limited, so when it comes to capacity we do struggle.”

She said more owners were surrendering pets because they were moving house or leaving the country and were unable to take them.

“People automatically feel they can just come and drop animals off at rescue organisations, but unfortunately we’re the only ones in Kawerau, and we are very limited.”

She said the rescue also urgently needed more foster carers and volunteers.

Roaming dogs continue to be one of the community’s biggest concerns.

“We’ve had people come into the shop literally crying because their cats have been killed by roaming dogs,” she said.

“It really isn’t good enough.”

Stevenson-Renwick said stronger enforcement of dog control bylaws would help, but responsible ownership was equally important.

“People should have yards that their animals are kept in, especially at night.”

She said desexing remained the key to reducing unwanted litters.

“We still see people giving away free undesexed animals over social media. Desexing is the only answer to New Zealand’s massive pet overpopulation problem.”

Over the past five years, KTown CAW has helped desex more than 1,400 animals, while also providing food, blankets and practical support for owners struggling to care for their pets.

OSCA believes desexing is the best solution to the overpopulation problem in the region. IMAGE // OSCA

OSCA centre manager Kathleen Young said this year’s kitten season — when large numbers of kittens are born — had been unpredictable.

After a particularly busy 2024, intake numbers eased before rising again through April, May and June.

“It shows you can never stop desexing,” Young said.

“I think all the rescues will agree that the only solution to reducing numbers is desexing.”

OSCA subsidises cat desexing for $60 and continues seeking funding to provide discounted dog desexing.

Young said the rescue had temporarily closed intake several times during kitten season because its small facility simply could not safely house more animals.

“Our building’s only 14 metres by six metres, so we can only handle so many and keep them safe and healthy,” she said.

“There’s no point taking and taking because sometimes homing is very slow.”

She said rising living costs and a shortage of pet-friendly rentals were making it harder to find homes, while many kittens required weeks of care before they were ready for adoption.

Young encouraged owners to contact rescues early if they anticipated needing to surrender a pet.

“Don’t leave it until the last moment. Give us the heads up so we can think of a solution.”

Despite the pressures, she praised the community’s continued support through donations and volunteer work.

“If everyone contributes something, we can keep helping people and animals along the way.”

The SPCA have noticed an increase in recent months, driven by a number of challenges facing the community. IMAGE // Whakatāne SPCA

Whakatāne SPCA centre manager Warren Timpson said the shelter had also been operating at near capacity, with around 75 animals.

“The challenge we have is when animals come in, what do we do with them?” Timpson said.

Although the SPCA had a strong foster network, Timpson said it urgently needed more people willing to temporarily care for puppies, kittens, cats and dogs.

The centre relied on six paid staff and around 53 volunteers, making high intake numbers particularly challenging.

“It’s quite stressful when we can’t always help an animal that comes. We always do our best, but sometimes we don’t have capacity.”

Timpson said demand had increased over the past three months, driven by factors including the cost of living, people moving overseas and growing numbers of abandoned animals.

“Unfortunately, people leave their animals behind and don’t try to do anything with them, and then they become stray animals.”

He said the issue extended well beyond Whakatāne.

“I don’t think it’s just us. I think a lot of the rescue organisations are having the same challenge at the moment. It’s a nationwide issue.”

Timpson encouraged owners to first explore rehoming pets through friends, whānau and community networks before surrendering them to the SPCA.

“Please try your hardest to re-home your animal first.”

He also said more foster carers would make a significant difference by freeing up space for animals needing urgent care.

“That would be a massive help for us.”

Timpson thanked the Whakatāne community for its ongoing support, particularly the volunteers who keep the centre running.

“Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the SPCA, and without them we would really struggle.”

Across the region, rescue organisations shared the same message: reducing unwanted litters through desexing, alongside responsible ownership and continued community support, is essential to easing pressure on already stretched services.

For those wanting to help, the groups said even small contributions could make a difference, whether through fostering animals, volunteering time, donating supplies or supporting desexing initiatives.