Orangebellied parrot on the balcony
rescuing animals before the lockdown AUTHOR Meredith Stephens “Did you hear the ad on the TV asking for people to adopt animals from the RSPCA animal shelter? Apparently they need to find homes for these animals before lockdown,” my daughter Hannah tells me pleadingly. Just the incentive I need. I look on the RSPCA website and click on photos of doggies with winning smiles posing for the camera. I decided to follow the RSPCA on social media and then secure the one booking that is left for Saturday. My husband Rick
14 | APRIL 2020
would probably prefer a cat to a dog, so I booked a cat viewing. I hesitate though because the cats might pounce on the family of orangebellied parrots who perch on our balcony every morning. They might even maul my Laura Ashley sofas. We arrive at the RSPCA shelter and cannot find a park. Many others have responded to the appeal to adopt. I eventually spot a space and squeeze into the slot. As I exit my car I see a pair of Jack Russells being escorted by a couple of volunteers. Each of the doggies comes up to greet me as if we are old friends, dragging the
leads out of the volunteers’ hands. I tell the volunteers I want them, but they tell me that they have just been adopted, as they usher them into a smart car with their new owner. We arrive at the cat reception and are directed to hand sanitizer. Families and couples are waiting at the entrance, each group imposing a couple of metres distance between them and the next group. We gain entry and are directed to the cat cages. By now there are only four cats left. Prospective adopters surround two of the cages, so we are ushered to the aviary at the rear, where the
