More strife for Tokoroa SPCA with shop closure
The Tokoroa SPCA has been dealt yet another blow after being forced to permanently close its op-shop. It comes amid financial and staffing troubles and follows a longline of issues plaguing its rescue centre. That includes the 2016 drugging of a manager by a volunteer who became infatuated with her, two lengthy closures in 2018 following a major ringworm outbreak and management health issues, and weeks of closure in 2019 due to unexpected" staffing issues. The op-shop in Rosebery St closed prior to the Covid-19 lockdown with a sign advising customers that it would not reopen [un]til further notice. But following staff leaving and poor profits, northern region general manager Jen Radich has now confirmed it will remain shut permanently. READ MORE: * SPCA investigating after puppies dumped and drowned in bag at river * Horse waiting at SPCA for a home for four years takes record for longest stay animal * Continuous closures plague Waikato animal shelter The store was simply not financially viable and did not raise enough funds to justify staying open, she said. All SPCA op-shops were closed for many weeks throughout the recent Covid-19 pandemic resulting in a multi-million dollar shortfall for the charity, so we are very focussed on ensuring our limited resources go towards those op-shops likely to deliver revenue to support all our centres nationally. Keeping the Tokoroa op-shop open was not going to be sustainable going forward. She said any funds raised through SPCA op-shops were reinvested to provide animal care across all of its centres. With the Tokoroa op-shop making less than $5,000 profit annually, Radich said its closure has had little impact. We are always happy to receive any donations though. They can be sold via one of our other stores to support animals across the country, she said. She said the shop closure was not a sign that the SPCAs main centre in Giles St was also set to close. There are no current plans to close [the] Tokoroa centre, she said. Were...always grateful to receive items for animal care at the centre and welcome offers of volunteer support at the centre as well. Despite it remaining, it too has undergone a few changes with all adoptions now done via the SPCAs website. As SPCA is now one organisation nationwide, new standardised processes were introduced throughout the recent pandemic. Online adoptions proved extremely popular, Radich said. Due to the success of the online adoptions process, all adoptions continue to be initiated via the SPCA website. Further, we encourage people to look at animals available for adoption at neighbouring centres as we are often able to facilitate collection from a different centre to the one the animal is currently based. She said the majority of SPCA op-shops throughout the country have reopened following the pandemic.