We desperately need help & sadly, we need it now.

Dear Supporters

We desperately need your help, and sadly, we need it now.

It is difficult to express what has gone wrong, and until now, we have kept it to ourselves as it is both upsetting and degrading. Running a rescue as big as ours has been a struggle for many years, and we rely entirely on donations, support from our wonderful followers, and outstanding volunteers.

A couple of years ago, an incredibly generous person left a large donation to SAHARA in their Will. It was fantastic news for our animals and enabled us to continue and improve to do what we do best.

Unfortunately, since that day, we have faced some dreadful treatment, including our rescue facing charges. No animals came to harm whilst in the rescue's care, and we have defended these charges over the past few years. We are often asked to help animals that are already in poor condition or have pre-existing medical issues, so to face charges for their condition upon arrival to the rescue was unexpected and hurtful. A few weeks ago, the charges against SAHARA were finally dropped. We sincerely hope the motivation for the charges was not just about the money!

During the past few years, fundraising has stalled, and haters who believed the media's coverage regarding the charges wrote to our sponsors, asking them to withdraw their support. The haters have been relentless and haven't just targeted the rescue and our volunteers. We also had to close comments on our Facebook page as it became apparent that they were contacting the public, even those looking to adopt. For the haters, it is not about the animal's best interests. Fortunately, Facebook legal acted for us and limited access to their page for publishing misleading information, which has helped shut down some of their lies and hateful attacks.

With more animals being surrendered, fundraising stalled, legal fees, sponsors dwindling and adoption inquiries dropping significantly, it has been the saddest time ever for our rescue and our dedicated volunteers, staff, and carers. Without support and fundraising, our rescue will eventually be forced to close, so please understand our calls for help. We will write to our old sponsors to update them on being exonerated in the hope of getting back the support we spent years building, and we sincerely hope you will stand behind us.

Our shelter and sanctuary have been renovated over the past two years and are in excellent condition. We have regular on-site vet visits to ensure our animals are taken care of, and our facilities would pass any inspection. We also hope to build further upgrades shortly.

Sadly, we are not the first shelter to endure malicious legal charges, but we sincerely hope we are the last. Australia needs more rescue organisations, and ours is an essential asset to abandoned and injured animals in SA. SAHARA's founders, volunteers, foster carers, staff, and vets take enormous pride in our work, and we intend to lead the way in all that we do with your support. Just the thought of SAHARA having to close would be devastating for the animals and an unbearable heartbreak for everyone involved in the rescue.

Very few people would understand the financial costs of running a rescue as comprehensive as ours; our vet bills alone can be around $300,000 a year.

The weekly costs are overwhelming, and we have no option but to again ask our amazing followers for your ongoing support, donations, Facebook shares, and general words of encouragement (we read them all ).

SAHARA has over 150,000 supporters on FB alone, so we are only asking If you can forego a cup of coffee to make a small donation or help with some feed; every little bit helps!!

Thank you in advance,

The SAHARA Team.