Richmond Animal Protection Society

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Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS)
Location
Area served
British Columbia
Revenue
$1.2 million in 2013[1]
Employees
20 full-time, 28 part-time in 2014[2]
Volunteers
550
Websiterapsbc.com

Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a no kill animal services agency in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. RAPS operates the RAPS Cat Sanctuary (Canada's largest such facility),[3] a fostering network, social enterprise thrift stores, and the RAPS Animal Hospital, a full-service animal clinic.[4]

RAPS was founded in 1989 as Richmond Homeless Cats. It was registered as a nonprofit organization with the Province of British Columbia in 1995. In 2007, it was renamed the Richmond Animal Protection Society. In 2017, it was renamed the Regional Animal Protection Society to reflect the geographic reach of its programs and services.[5]

History

In 1989, Carol Reichert[4] founded the Richmond Animal Protection Society (then Richmond Homeless Cats), the first organization in the Richmond area helping feral cats.[6] At the time, feral cats were quickly killed upon entering local animal control pounds.[6] Volunteers started to do trap–neuter–return of feral cats, including fostering and taming feral kittens, and fostering tame cats for adoption.[6] There were soon 43 feeding stations for feral cats tended each day in Richmond and south Vancouver.[6]

In 1999, space was donated for a shelter,[6] which became the location of a cat sanctuary.[7] To try to reduce the number of homeless pets, the organization subsidized spay/neuter surgery for low-income pet owners, helped people recover lost pets, and offered solutions to behavioural problems.[6]

Determined to end needless

euthanasia of animals, the organization bid on the municipal animal shelter contract in 2006.[6] On February 1, 2007, RAPS took over operation of the City of Richmond animal shelter and implemented a no-kill policy for the animals regardless of age, medical needs or adoptability.[6] The organization reports on its website that the "implementation of our no-kill philosophy has been very successful and we are finding safe and loving homes for hundreds of shelter animals."[6] The same year, Reichert said, "We’ve proved that you can operate without killing. It’s twice the work for us, but it can be done, and it’s very rewarding to operate that way.”[8]

By early 2012, in five years of running the municipal shelter, RAPS had "handled more than 2,000 dogs, 1,800 cats, 300 rabbits, 50 farm animals, 350 small animals (like birds, reptiles and ferrets) and temporarily housed 1,500 injured wildlife."[9] Reichert retired in April 2014 after 25 years of service.[10]

The Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a registered charity that operates the City of Richmond Animal Shelter and, independently, one of Canada's largest cat sanctuaries. RAPS is a no-kill organization.[4]

No-Kill Promise

As a no-kill animal-serving organization, RAPS asserts:

Under our care, no animal is ever euthanized due to lack of space, treatable illness, physical defect, age, or behavioural or socialization issues.[11]

Animals in RAPS care are euthanized in situations where they are, or are imminently likely to be, experiencing intolerable pain and face no likelihood of recovery. On rare occasions, due to its contracted responsibilities to provide animal care and control services in the City of Richmond, RAPS is required by court order to euthanize an animal that has been declared dangerous.

Ban on retail pet sales

RAPS worked with the city to ban the sale of rabbits and dogs from pet stores.[12]

The sale of rabbits was banned on April 1, 2010.[13] A city councillor stated that extending the ban to dogs was "a first step in sending a message to puppy mills and will reduce the number of dogs surrendered to shelters".[13] RAPS had noted "a steady stream of surrendered dogs, originally bought from pet stores, whose owners lose interest once their purchases outgrow the cute puppy stage."[14] The bylaw prohibiting sales of dogs went into effect on April 30, 2011, and survived a court challenge from pet stores.[15]

Cat Sanctuary

The cat sanctuary, located on six acres (2.4 hectares) of suburban farmland, has been described as "Club Med for cats".[16] There are two main buildings and twelve smaller ones, including a kitten house and two houses for cats with the feline immunodeficiency virus.[17] Another area is provided for cats with the feline leukemia virus.[16] "Enclosed decks on the main buildings provide indoor cats with access to fresh air and sunshine", while the "fenced outer yards and cedar cottages provide a safe haven and home to more than 200 cats who prefer an outdoor life."[17]

In 2014, the sanctuary housed approximately 640 cats,[18] and is maintained by about 100 volunteers.[17] "The cats' health is monitored by a highly specialized team of animal care workers who have been trained to handle and medicate feral cats, and who work closely with local veterinarians."[17]

The cat sanctuary is funded by private donations and revenues from the RAPS thrift store.[17][4]

References

  1. ^ "2013 Registered Charity Information Return for Richmond Animal Protection Society" Archived 2020-08-23 at the Wayback Machine, Canada Revenue Agency, accessed October 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "List of Charities - basic search". Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  3. ^ "RAPS Cat Sanctuary". catsanctuary.ca. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Richmond Animal Protection Society » Who we are". www.rapsbc.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  5. ^ "RAPS name change is official". Richmond News. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History" Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, Richmond Animal Protection Society, accessed September 23, 2014.
  7. ^ "Sanctuary Stories" Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, RAPS, accessed October 18, 2014.
  8. ^ "RAPS stays as animal shelter operator" Archived 2015-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, Matthew Hoekstra, Richmond Review, January 28, 2011.
  9. ^ "Richmond Animal Protection Society celebrates 5 years of running animal shelter" Archived 2015-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, Martin van den Hemmel, Richmond Review, February 2, 2012.
  10. ^ "Animal lover Reichert picks purr-fect time to call it quits". The Province, Canada.com. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  11. ^ "RAPS Cat Sanctuary". Regional Animal Protection Society. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  12. ^ Minns, Cheryl (19 March 2010). "Richmond moves to ban animal sales in pet stores". British Columbia. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Cities consider bans on shopping-mall pet stores". The Globe and Mail. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  14. ISSN 1041-7826
    .
  15. ^ "International Bio Research v. Richmond (City), 2011 BCSC 471" (PDF). Animal Justice.
  16. ^ a b "Richmond Cat Sanctuary" Archived 2014-09-24 at archive.today, Vancouver Foundation, 2005.
  17. ^ a b c d e "RAPS Cat Sanctuary". RAPS.
  18. ^ "Squire visits the Richmond cat sanctuary" Archived 2014-10-19 at the Wayback Machine, Global BC, February 26, 2014.

External links

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