One year and seven months. That’s how long it’s taken for our Cairns animal shelter to be rebuilt from scratch. Anyone who had visited the centre before we closed in March 2017 would know just how run-down the facility was and in dire need of help. A number of unforeseen delays meant the construction took slightly longer than expected.
"But we believe it was better to get it right first time rather than having to tweak areas once it was open. We’re truly delighted with the end result and it’s a major win for the animals in our care."
Mark Townend
The new facilities can cater for 56 dog and cat adoption areas, quarantine pens, inspectorate animals and we also now have around 40 boarding kennels for dogs and cats on site. The facility also has a large outdoor area for exercise for our dogs and also space for cats to safely enjoy the outdoors too.
The old facilities had many problems with water pressure, electricity, internet, you name it! But now we will be able to save on costs in the long run with better systems in place.
How was the rebuild possible? Like any shelter that is tired and run down, it is an expensive process to rebuild or renovate. It also takes a lot of time. Construction of our new Cairns Adoption Centre wouldn’t have been possible without the generous bequest from the Gorry family.
"We’re enormously grateful to the Gorry family, the State Government and the local community. It’s great to be back in business and once again doing our best for the animals and people of Cairns."
Said Mr Townend
Vega the adorable pup, was our very first adoption after the reopening of our Cairns Adoption Centre. We can’t wait to see more animals in the region find their forever homes!
As the Communications & Media Manager for RSPCA Qld, Emma's passionate about making a real difference and believes every animal has a story to share. She has over nine years experience working in animal welfare and is the voice for the RSPCA on digital, print and broadcast channels.
