Calls made for investigation and return of Donegal Animal Rehabilitation Centre

The Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Donegal was closed at short notice by the ISPCA, leaving seven staff redundant and local animal charities scrambling to meet demand.

The ISPCA has stated that the decision followed a financial review, but those claims have not been substantiated. Local residents and voluntary groups are calling for an independent investigation into the centre’s closure, its finances, and the handling of the asset.

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The Centre was funded and built by Donegal SPCA using legacies left specifically for the animals of Donegal by three local donors. Those legacy donations - totalling approximately €1,000,000 - were invested in the building to provide a long-term service to animals in the county. Donegal SPCA transferred operation of the finished Centre to the ISPCA in 2008 under a letter of intent due to limited operating funds at that time. The community states that the Centre and the legacy funds were intended to benefit Donegal animals in perpetuity.

Residents and local charities say there were viable options to keep the Centre open that were not explored. They also object to the ISPCA’s subsequent merger with the DSPCA to form the NSPCA, which has resulted in the Centre becoming an NSPCA asset. Many in Donegal describe this outcome as morally wrong and contrary to the original intent of the legacies.

Animal charities in Donegal say the closure has worsened an already fragile situation. Animals in Need commented: “For the whole county to rely on voluntary groups is unsustainable. We have people ringing us saying they were told to bring a kitten to Longford. Nobody is going to do that.

"The issue is that we are full most of the time and there’s nowhere else to turn.” Other voluntary groups report similar pressures. The centre is a newly built state-of-the-art centre that can house any animal, even with a pool for seals or swans etc, as the Donegal Centre dealt with more wildlife and cats than the other bigger centres last year."

Donegal County Council has written to the ISPCA seeking clarity on plans for the Centre but has not yet received a response. The people of Donegal now demand an independent investigation into the ISPCA/NSPCA’s financial decisions and the circumstances surrounding the Centre’s closure. They are also looking for the return of the Centre to the local community.

The community urges the ISPCA/NSPCA to act transparently and to do the right and moral thing by ensuring the Centre and the legacy funds continue to benefit the animals of Donegal.