Running an animal shelter may be one of the most noble charitable acts someone could do, mainly because it’s such a huge responsibility. I mean, imagine being in charge of a ridiculously large group of lives who not only cannot fend for themselves but might also have gone through some severe emotional and physical distress.
It’s a tiring job though, which is probably why there are not as many animals shelters as we need in Malaysia, but most of us at least try to do what little as we can by donating funds to these shelters (caring for animals can get very expensive.)
Source: Facebook
But how do you know if the animal shelter you’re donating to is legitimately using the funds to care for the little fur babies? People can actually just say that they’ll use the money to feed the animals and then just keep it for themselves.
That’s exactly what happened in this case as shared by Fransisca Romana from the Animal Lovers Independent Rescuer (ALIR), in a viral Facebook Live video regarding an abandoned cat shelter in Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu. In the video, Fransisca appears to be at the Melissa Cat Shelter (MCS), in which she showcases the poor kitties that have been left behind in unimaginable conditions.
Saitan la kau sana … ego btl kau ah …Besok kami report polis .. n jabatan haiwan .. kKamu support lagi la…
Posted by Fransisca Romana on Sunday, June 16, 2019
Many of the cats were very much starved and malnourished, though some unfortunately did not survive the torture. A few cats were found dead while others were completely rotted down to their bones.
Source: Facebook
The worst part is that the founder of MCS, Melissa, has been asking for and accepting donations since she first opened her doors in 2017, though it seems that none of the donated funds were used to help house, feed or treat the poor animals.
Fransisca has since lodged a police report against Melissa and managed to rescue the 50 cats that were still alive at MCS, though they had to build an additional shelter for them as ALIR is currently considerably full, with over 150 cats already in their care.
Source: Facebook
Netizens who donated to Melissa’s cause have also taken to social media to join forces with Fransisca in order to bring the MCS founder to justice by submitting their own police reports.
Fransisca has since posted an open invitation to Melissa to meet them at the police station where she can apologise for her actions, and they can settle the case as soon as possible. The police are still trying to trace Melissa’s whereabouts, though they’ve decided to focus the investigation mainly into the animal neglect aspect of the case as the reports made were targeted in that sense.
It’s always important to remember, when donating to a cause, always make sure that the organisation at least provide you with proof on how the money was spent.
Source: Facebook
The Animal Lovers Independent Rescue (ALIR) was founded in 2014, are still need in of volunteers and donations, now more than ever with the additional 50 kitties.
Anyone interested in contributing can contact Fransisca’s partner at ALIR, Aldrin at 013-8885060.
Also read: Shah Alam Girl Sparks Outrage After She Put Foundation On Live Snake During Product Review
