Inaccurate Information On SeychellesRescue.Org (SSPCA)

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Over the years I’ve visited the SSPCA (Seychelles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) ‘s website several times and although I completely support their movement and the voluntary work they do on the islands, I think it’s important enough for me to rectify certain inaccuracies on their website.

Firstly, the image above does not depict a “typical animal housing” in Seychelles.  I’ve been here long enough to know that: I have pets, my friends have pets, my neighbours have pets…and almost everyone I know have pets.  Nobody I know accommodates their animals in such “housing”.

I could easily guess that it’s a chicken house because of the shape and size of the door.  Why would anyone put their cats/dogs in something like that? That said, it’s actually made to look nice with all those brick patterns and what not, so the person who created that mini-house above possibly had good intentions.

Many of us have pets that live in our houses and sleeps on our beds.  I know the cats in my house do.

Secondly Greg Lake, Seychelles is an island.  It’s ‘funny’ how people from developed nations compare young island countries to older countries with developed cities.  That’s just very naive.  We’re talking about the costs of maintaining something that is open 24/7 in an underpopulated country…I’m sure we’d have a few facilities like that if there was a clear demand for it.

The Seychelles is always advertised as being something of a paradise island, pristine beaches, peace and tranquillity, etc. What they do not tell you in the brochures is that the Seychelles is pretty much a dictatorship, not too dissimilar from some of those in the neighbouring African countries. The people there are extremely poor and there are very few shops or facilities on the island at all. After a couple of days driving around you begin to notice small clues such as the fact that people very rarely smile and everywhere you go there seems to be a sense of hopelessness and resignation. This I later came to realise is what happens to people when they are denied their freedom. - Greg Lake

The above is written on an SSPCA site…how easy is it to just stick to asking for funds? Why do you have to say such nasty things about a country and its people? That was just irrelevant.  Every country has its bad people, good people, poor people and wealthy people.

We advertise our pristine beaches and such because that’s what is provided to tourists/visitors.  Just like England will advertise the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and other interesting sights.  You guys wouldn’t advertise the extremely high possibility of getting stabbed in broad daylight on the streets of London, or the many homeless people there.  Why in the world would we get tourists involved in the political situation of the country?

Greg actually places that on a site with the SSPCA logo.  I’m uncertain as to whether or not it is the official SSPCA site.  How dare someone ‘blog’ his opinion of Seychelles on what seems to be the only SSPCA website online? It is misleading, and it makes people believe that the account is factual, when this guy is clearly just some sort of attention-seeker.  It really is just a horrible thing to say such nasty things about everyone in a country when he doesn’t know much about this country.

Greg links to Mandy66′s Virtual Tourist review about Seychelles entitled “Avoid Seychelles If You Are An Animal Lover”.  To those of you who think Seychellois are generally cruel to animals: what about people like me who care about animals? Over the years we’ve “housed” stray animals who just wandered into our house and just decides to live with us permanently.  In fact, Printz‘s mother was a kitten we had found at the bus stop with her sister and we picked up both of them and brought them home to live with us.  Was it cruel for my sister and I to pick up kittens at the bus stop and bring them to come live with us? When we moved house we brought them with us.

There are stray animals all over the world…stray animals mate, and give birth to even more stray animals.  Hence the establishment of numerous societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals all over the world.  You can just drive around, see a few stray animals walking around and assume that nobody cares.  Some people care, some people don’t.  You shouldn’t take pictures of animals in bad shape and point fingers at the entire population.  If a kid in your country microwaves a kitten should I believe that everyone in your country are that cruel to animals?

Seychelles is a country just like any other.  This is not heaven where people smile day in and day out, and sing to the tune of a harp.  Visitors who have such expectations of Seychelles being a heavenly place end up disappointed for obvious reasons.

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