After all our telephone conversations, I was finally to meet animal welfare campaigner Suzy Gale and her husband, Roger. In December 2005, they invited me to the House of Commons for the launch of their new animal welfare project. As I walked along Victoria Street, with the sound of Big Ben chiming the hour, I wondered about the protocol for getting inside Westminster. I prowled round the building until I eventually found the side entrance. It was while my bags were being scrutinised by security that it suddenly struck me just how far I had come with Catsnip. As if in a series of snapshots, I saw Giulio and me prowling Castelmola in search of the injured cat and then the sad face of Antonella; I seemed to hear Elke’s cry of triumph as yet another feral entered our traps. Frank, Genoveffa, Dorothea… all swam through my mind. What a journey I had made in their company! Now I was to meet representatives of some of the UK’s leading animal charities and share with them the championing of those who could not speak for themselves.
A petite blonde woman was waiting to greet me in the central lobby, a lofty stone octagonal space with a tiled floor. ‘So lovely to meet you at last,’ said Suzy in a slightly husky voice.
Roger shook my hand, then led the way along what seemed a maze of corridors, where he was constantly greeted by colleagues – I felt like royalty.
The meeting was to present the idea of launching an organisation whose goal was to alleviate the situation of feral animals, particularly cats and dogs throughout Europe. What interested me was that it would be angled towards helping those working on a small scale, such as Catsnip.
Said Suzy: ‘We don’t intend to cut across the admirable work already carried out by various organisations in the field but rather to fill a gap in the market.’
‘But surely there are organisations already dealing with this?’ a voice cut in.
Suzy was quick to pursue this. ‘Yes, of course there are, on the larger scale, but I think the idea of “one person can make a difference” might be embodied in other ways. For example, there is the tourist who sees a case of severe animal abuse or neglect and has no reference point or access to a website that could offer advice. I also think there is a need for support for small neutering and sanctuary projects, which at the moment is not catered for.’
As Suzy confirmed, she had several years of hands-on experience: ‘Some years ago, Roger and I visited the St Nicholas Monastery of the Cats at Akrotiri in Cyprus. What we saw had a profound effect on us both. There were hundreds of sick and dying cats and kittens, exposed to the scorching sun and multiplying unchecked. I launched the Cross Cats Project, and, together with Professor Ronald Jones of Liverpool Veterinary School, we took groups of veterinary graduates to Cyprus. Over a period of three years, hundreds of cats were caught, neutered and returned to their original territories. It was an invaluable experience of hands-on work in basic conditions for these young people.’
But, she added, when this project was forced to be discontinued, sadly the improvement did not last as the cats then went on to multiply again, with local vets refusing to continue the work.
‘I was left with a small sum of money in the account. I approached a large international charity, which showed an interest in such work, but has not pursued it.’
Suzy then received a plea from ‘a lone voice on the Internet’ that one person can make a difference. She took up the cudgels and developed the idea of tourism and animal welfare. Since then she has been cheered by requests across the political parties seeking advice about animal welfare: ‘The Conservative Animal Welfare Group receives large numbers of requests for information, advice and assistance. Perhaps there is a need for such an independent organisation to be formed to deal with these matters?’
‘I’d like to point out the number of stray dogs which are killed in the UK,’ put in Clarissa Baldwin of Dogs Trust. ‘Even though this number is reduced, we still have to clean up our act.’
She was more positive about the ‘Romanian Experience’, where dogs had been neutered and returned to their location with no great hope of many being adopted. In fact, in two years, they had achieved an amazing number of 800 adoptions.
Suzy caught my eye. It was my turn to stand up and describe the work of Catsnip. As I heard myself speak and saw the rapt expressions around me, all my doubts seemed to fade. I had been strong; acted when others just sighed and turned away. Elke had been right when she’d said ‘someone has to care about them’. I’d felt so much alone but was now surrounded by people who had dedicated their lives to needy animals in a similar way. Amid a burst of applause I sat down.
‘I’ve travelled all over the place since the Cyprus experience,’ Suzy continued, ‘and it’s become clear that very little is being done to deal with the problems with feral and stray animals; many horses and donkeys are also neglected by their owners. The situation seems to be the norm in many tourist destinations.’
She smiled at me. ‘I’ve also realised that many small projects, sanctuaries and other groups in the UK and overseas need support, both in terms of finance and advice.’
‘Oh, yes!’ I couldn’t help murmuring. ‘When I began, I knew nothing – I just had to pick it up as I went along.’
This new initiative, Suzy outlined, would include a website offering advice to others trying to set up similar projects to Catsnip, information on the purchase of equipment and data on available vets and volunteers willing to help.
‘My view is that far too many tourist areas neglect the local stray animals; they are willing to take money from tourists but not to address the problems. We now expect to be in a position to bring pressure to bear and to assist those people working in the field, to alleviate these problems with a programme of catch/neuter/return and in the long term we would obviously like to see well-run shelters established. Animal lovers have the right to go on holiday and enjoy themselves, knowing that the local stray population are receiving the care and attention they would wish.’
And so Animals Worldwide was launched. A drink in the House of Commons bar, another new experience for me, and then I was walking back along Victoria Street to catch my train. What a day it had been!